"Who dared to leak the information?" A loud voice reverberated in the room. Leom's eyes flickered, dark and stormy, as he let the words hang in the air. His reputation as a ruthless commander of the military was well-known, and the room could almost feel the weight of his fury pressing down on them. Those who were present, stiff with tension, dared not to speak . His calm demeanor only added to the unease—everyone could sense that beneath that composed exterior was a hurricane waiting to be unleashed.

Alessio, the child, was not just any orphan caught in a cruel game of power; he was a direct bloodline to the royal family. If it were discovered that the person involved in kidnapping was alive, hell would break loose.

The room fell silent as Leom pushed himself up from the sofa, his expression unreadable, though his fists clenched, betraying his calm exterior. His gaze hardened as he turned to the generals and advisors around him.

"I want answers," he growled, his voice barely above a whisper but carrying the weight of an order. "Who is responsible for this leak?" His eyes swept across the room, fixing each person in turn. 

The plan had been simple—show the world that no one could touch Alessio and live to tell the tale. The boy had witnessed the brutal death of his parents so he would be strong enough to see his captors meet their end. That had been the thinking, at least. But things hadn't gone according to plan. 

Instead of the hardened, vengeful child they'd anticipated, Alessio had broken. He had cried out when he saw her, clinging to her as if she were the last thread of his survival. For three days now, he hadn't left her side, only getting up when someone forced fed him.

Only if you eat will you be allowed to sit by her side." It was a harsh bargain, but it had worked. Leom had been forced to use it. Alessio was a child in every sense of the word, and right now, survival meant more than vengeance.  

Leom's jaw tightened. He couldn't pretend that it didn't wound him. His heart ached for her. After three years, the sight of her in such a state tore at him in ways he hadn't expected. All he wanted was to scoop her up, to apologize for not seeing her sooner. To tell her how deeply he had failed. He exhaled sharply, snapping back to the present. 

Leom was unaware that it was Abygail, his Abygail who had brought the boy in. When he saw the child, unconscious and broken, rage boiled within him. The instinct to find the person responsible and make them suffer took over. As he watched Alessio's fragile condition, He couldn't shake the overwhelming need to punish whoever had done this to him.

The others had assumed that Abygail might have been one of the kidnappers. After all, she had brought the boy who was barely hanging to his life. But as Leom watched Alessio, it became clear that their assumptions were wrong. The way the child clung to her, the way he sought comfort from her presence, she was no tormentor. She had saved him, not hurt him.

Leom's mind spun with confusion and disbelief.  She seemed more like a savior than a kidnapper, a protector rather than a villain. The question burned in his mind: How had he gotten it so wrong? 

"Forgive us for our negligence, Chief." Roxy's voice was low, laced with regret, as he spoke, his gaze heavy with the weight of their failure. "There's a traitor among us, and now it's all over the news—Alessio's been kidnapped. Worse, we've been giving protection to the kidnapper."

Damien raised his head, the lines of tension in his face deepening. "The family wants an explanation, but before that, they want her dead body. Right now, we don't have enough proof nor can we trust her that she saved Alessio's life."

Anastasia's expression darkened, her anger more palpable now. "You don't understand, Damien. You really think the child would cling to her if she were the one who caused this mess? Look at him! The kid is traumatized, but he's not stupid. He knows who kept him safe. And you think you can lie about it long enough to make this go away?" 

Roxy stepped forward, her voice low but firm. "What are you suggesting, then? You want us to admit we were involved in the torturing that woman? Do you really believe the family will stop at a body after that? They'll come for us, all of us."

Anastasia didn't flinch, her eyes narrowing as she shifted her gaze from Roxy to Damien. The tension in the room thickened with every word she spoke. "What I'm saying is you have to do something—now, before it's too late. If we admit Alessio was kidnapped and brought here by a woman, no matter what, they will want her dead. But if we confess we tortured her... they'll know about everything we've been hiding, all the forces we've been moving under their noses. This isn't just about her anymore," she said, her voice low but carrying the weight of a hard truth. "This is about everything."

The gravity of her words hung heavy in the air. The room seemed to grow smaller, the stakes higher than ever. Anastasia was right—this wasn't just a question of survival for Abygail. The very foundation of their operations, their secrecy, everything they had worked for was now on the line. The wrong move could bring it all crashing down.

The room fell silent, the weight of Anastasia's words sinking in. They had no time to waste. Every decision from here on out could be their last.

"Kill her. That's going to solve everything." Leom's voice cut through the tension like a blade, the cold finality of his words drawing every eye in the room. He stood at the center, his broad shoulders taut, the weight of his emotions threatening to break through his control. 

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