Liam and Vanessa exchanged a silent look, their gazes locking in mutual recognition. They knew. Arthur had bought the serum. Their confirmation came from what they just heard.
Liam carefully peeped through the narrow gap between the wardrobe and the wall. Light filtered in from the bedroom, showing Arthur stepping inside, followed by three women dressed in outfits that left little to the imagination. Their clothing clung to them as if painted onâlace panties, straps barely around their waists, heels that made their legs look endless. Their tops were halter bras or braless mesh, exposing the lower halves of their breasts. Some straps had slipped loose. They moved like vixens on displayâhalf-dressed, provocative, seductive. Thatâs how they wanted him to see them.
Liamâs muscles tensed. He didnât move a millimeter. Vanessa crouched behind him, her breathing shallow. She pointed forward when Arthur reached the center of the room and stood stillâpausing as though savoring the moment.
One of the girls, pale with long blond hair, climbed onto the bed. She sat upright on her knees, legs tucked beneath her. With slow precision, she reached behind and unhooked her lace bra. Liam watched as it fell over the edge of the bed. Her breastsâfull, roundâmoved slightly as she inhaled, nipples raised, betraying her arousal. She turned her head and gave Arthur a sultry, controlling lookâeyes heavy-lidded, lips parted.
Arthur smelled the air around her as he swept off his shirt, tossing it to the side. The fabric landed near the wardrobe. Everything smelled faintly of perfume. Arthur climbed on the bed, positioning himself between the girlâs legs. He pushed her gently back so she was lying flat, then leaned down to cup one of her breasts, kneading in slow, deliberate motions.
Another girl moved closer. She was half-naked too: wearing sheer silk panties and a thong top that exposed nearly all of her breasts. She climbed onto the bed beside them, hooking one arm around Arthurâs shoulder. The third girl lingered off to the side. She wore skimpy lingerie: garter belt, stockings, a bra that barely covered the tips of her breasts. Her hair was pinned up, and her eyes scanned the room, darting from Arthur to the vault area, then back again.
Liamâs senses sharpened. That third girlâher gaze, her posture, the way she kept rubbing her palms togetherâsomething was off. He noted how her expression wasnât sultry, but calculating. She looked like she was looking for something.
She moved in closer now, her eyes still roaming the room like she was mapping it. She reached out, brushing her fingers against Arthurâs back. Her voice was low but firm.
"Go bring the serum."
Arthur paused mid-motion, his hands still on the blond girlâs chest. He looked back at her, confused at first. Then his expression changedâeyes narrowing slightly, then relaxing into a grin.
"You want it now?" he asked, almost chuckling.
The girl smiled. "Yes. Now."
Arthur stood up slowly, giving her a long look before he moved. "Donât go anywhere," he muttered, clearly amused as he walked barefoot across the room.
Liam and Vanessa didnât dare move.
He headed straight to the wall, to the keypad below the painting. He tapped in a codeâsix digitsâand the panel clicked. The painting above slid open automatically, revealing a small steel vault. Arthur reached in and pulled something outâa single silver key.
That was it.
He tucked the key into his waistband and walked out of the bedroom without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.
The two girls on the bed didnât stop. One was already completely naked now, sprawled out as the other leaned over and kissed her chest slowly. But the third girlâthe suspicious oneâwas pacing. She glanced at the door, then back at the vault.
Vanessa leaned in closer to Liamâs ear. "Sheâs not here to fuck. Sheâs here to steal it."
Liam nodded once. Quietly.
He kept his eye on the girl. Every step she took was too calculated. She wasnât playing into the seduction like the other two. Her fingers brushed across the edge of the dresser, the desk, the nightstand. She looked like someone casing the place. Looking for something she wasnât familiar with.
Vanessa whispered again. "Sheâs either a spy or someone sent to steal the serum."
"Or both," Liam muttered under his breath.
They stayed silent, crouched inside the wardrobe, the sliding door barely cracked. Vanessa had her hand ready on liam to teleport just in case.
They didnât move. They waited.
Arthur reentered the bedroom, the same smirk still plastered across his faceâexcept this time, something else glinted in his hand. A small glass vial, about the size of a finger. Inside, a faint glowing liquid shimmered like molten silver. There it was. The serum.
Liam, crouched in the tight space behind the wardrobe, instinctively reached for the door, ready to leap. But thenâeverything changed in a split second.
The third girl, the one whoâd been pacing earlier, moved.
Fast.
Her hand shot to her boot, yanking out a sleek metal piece. Her other hand reached behind her back and under her braâanother piece. Finally, she pulled a small pin from her hair, spun it in her fingers, and clicked it into place.
Gun.
In less than three seconds, a fully assembled pistol was aimed straight at Arthur. Her arms were steady, her eyes cold.
Liam didnât move. He didnât even blink.
What the hell?
Arthur froze mid-step, the vial still in his hand. His eyes were wide, locked onto the barrel of the gun now pointed directly at his face.
The woman spoke clearly, no emotion in her voice.
"Throw the serum."
Arthurâs mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. He blinked rapidly. His hand shook.
"I-I... w-waitâwhat? Whatâs going on? W-whoâ"
"Donât speak. Just throw it," she said, voice sharper now.
Behind him, the two girls on the bed screamedâloud, shrill, panicked.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
One of them, naked and breathless, launched herself from the bed and sprinted to the door, slipping slightly on the hardwood floor before scrambling out.
The second followed immediately, shrieking, covering her chest with one arm and grabbing her panties with the other.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The bedroom door slammed open, and their feet slapped against the hall floor as they vanished.
The woman holding the gun didnât even flinch. She didnât bother looking at them. She kept her eyes on Arthur.
But then, something unexpected happened.
She spoke againâcalm, steady.
"Whoeverâs hiding in the wardrobe, come out."
Liamâs body stiffened. His eyes widened slightly. He hadnât made a sound. Neither had Vanessa. Theyâd been damn near statues.
How the hell did she know?
He chuckled under his breath.
"Well... thatâs impressive."
He slowly opened the wardrobe door and stepped out. Casual. Calm. His hands relaxed at his sides. He scanned the room briefly. Arthur was still frozen near the wall, eyes bouncing from Liam to the armed woman. The serum vial trembled in his hand.
Liam turned behind him instinctivelyâbut Vanessa wasnât there.
She was gone.
She mustâve teleported away the moment things got dicey. Smart. Tactical.
He muttered under his breath, "Atta girl."
Now it was just him.
The woman tilted her head slightly as she studied him. She looked confused. Her gun didnât lower, but she stared at him like he didnât fit the situation at all.
Liam looked clean, unarmed, too young for this room. His expression was too casual, too relaxed for someone who just stepped out of hiding during a standoff. Like this was just another Tuesday.
She glanced back at Arthur, then back at Liam.
"Is he your son?" she asked, clicking the gun sideways, aiming back at Arthurâs head.
Arthurâs mouth opened again, and his entire body twitched with panic.
"W-WHAT? No! No-no-no-no, IâuhâI donâtâIâve never seen him before! I-I swearâ!"
Liam didnât move.
The womanâs eyes narrowed. That answer changed something.
Immediately, her stance shifted. Her posture hardened. She turned slightly, the barrel of her gun now aimed at Liam instead of Arthur. She moved two steps closer to the center of the roomâtoward both of them, but closer to the prize in Arthurâs shaking hand.
"Then who the fuck are you?" she asked coldly. Her voice was low, controlled, sharp. She didnât take her eyes off him.
Liam didnât back down. He stood his ground and smiled faintly. His hands were still empty, still calm.
"I guess I should ask you the same question," he said.
"I guess I should ask you the same question," Liam said, his voice low.
The girl didnât blink.
"Does it look like Iâm playing with you?" she replied coldly, the gun never dropping.
Liam stared at her. His jaw tightened slightly as a sharp wave of pain hit his skull. His head was pounding now, like someone had driven a nail into his temple and was twisting it. He reached up slowly, pressing a hand against his forehead.
He exhaled through his nose.
"I donât even wanna know who you are anymore," he muttered, voice tired. "But if you value your life... turn around. Walk out of here."
His tone wasnât loud. It wasnât cocky or aggressive. It was wearyâlike he was too sick for this shit.
The girl chuckled under her breath as she took the last step toward Arthur. She yanked the vial from his trembling hand, tucking it carefully into the strap around her thigh.
"You should take your own advice," she said. "If you care about your life... walk away."
Arthur collapsed into the chair behind him, sweating, breathing hard. He looked like heâd just aged ten years in the last minute.
Liam tilted his head slightly and looked at her. His body still hadnât moved an inch. His hand hung loosely at his side. His hair was still a bit messy, and he looked more like a man fighting the flu than a threat.
Still, his eyes locked on hers with something colder than bluff.
"This is your last chance," he said calmly. "Drop the serum. Leave. Whatever happens next... thatâs on you."
But she didnât budge.
The girl didnât feel threatened. Not even close. Liam looked too unwell to be a problem. And his face... it was too clean. Too pretty. Too young. He had that dangerous kind of good-lookingâsick and tired, but still irritatingly disarming.
Even when he threatened her, it sounded like he was just talking. No bark. No bite.
She took a slow step back with the serum still in her grasp, gun still pointed in his direction.
She didnât take him seriously.
That was her mistake.