bChapter 72 /b

    Elsewhere, the mysterious man who had just contacted Bianca slowly lowered his phone. His face showed bno /bbexpression /bonly a cold stare fixed on the now–dark screen. His fingers traced the surface of the phone as if contemting something far deeper than the conversation just ended. He took a deep breath, filling the interior of the car with a tense silence.

    For a moment, all was quiet. Outside the vehicle, sunlight streamed through the windows, partially illurninating his silhouette. He raised his hand and slowly removed the ck mask that had been covering part of his face.

    In the faint shadows, his features began to emerge–sharp jawline, vignt eyes, and a strong, defined face.

    The man was revealed to be Kestrel.

    Kestrel’s gaze hardened. His jaw clenched tight as Aliana’s name resurfaced in his mind. He had just ended a brief call with Bianca a conversation that could drastically shift the course of his game. He knew that the game had entered a new, more dangerous phase.

    His eyes narrowed with suppressed hatred. There was no longer any hesitation in him: that woman had to be eliminated,

    so he could finally exact the revenge he had harbored for so long.

    “Nyx…,” Kestrel muttered venomously. “No,-Aliana Velor.”

    His stare sharpened even more, the hatred toward that woman growing fiercer. Kestrel hadn’t expected Aliana to be smart

    enough to uncover his identity so quickly. It was far from his original calctions.

    Initially, Kestrel wanted to toy with Aliana a little before erasing her. That was why he had brought Alicia into the game.

    But Kestrel hadn’t expected Aliana to soon realize that the real culprit behind the tragic fate of Alicia Zavier was not Julian

    -but himself.

    “That clever girl has already picked up my trail…” he murmured bitterly, frustrated. He exhaled heavily, trying to calm the storm of emotions he was struggling to contain. “I have to get rid of her before she

    goes any further.”

    After a few moments lost in vengeful thought, he slid’his phone into his jacket pocket and started the car engine. His ck

    vehicle moved steadily down the now–quiet city streets of thete afternoon. His face showed no emotion–only a steady,

    cold gaze, sharp as a hawk hunting its prey.

    Kestrel turned onto a narrow road rarely passed by other vehicles, eventually stopping in front of an old but well-

    maintained building. The white paint was slightly faded, and the low fence was covered with lush green vines. On a simple

    sign at the front gate, it read: Pelita Hati Orphanage.

    Kestrel stared silently at the building, his expression softening slightly. It was a ce far removed from the harsh and brutal image of the underworld he came from. To him, this orphanage was more than a shelter or a cover–it was home. It was where he could be a good person, far from the vengeful identity of Kestrel.

    Before Kestrel could get out of the car, the sound of children’sughter rang out as a group of little ones ran toward him They swarmed around the car excitedly, their innocent faces glowing with joy.

    “Damien’s back! Damien’s here!” shouted a small girl, trying to peer through the car window.

    The cold expression on the man’s face melted instantly into a warm, genuine smile. He opened the doorb, /bstepped out

    bChapter /b72

    kindly, and grabbed a few shopping bags from the passenger seat.

    “Heyb, /bhey… slow down,” he said gently,ughing softly at their eagerness to hold his hand. b“/bI brought byou /bsome bfood /bband /byour favorite candy. But remember–no fighting over it, okay?”

    “Yes, Brother Damien!” the children replied in unison,ughing cheerfully with sparkling eyes.

    Damien crouched patiently in front of them, handing out the sweet candies one by one, asionally patting their bheads /bwith affection.

    Not a trace of the vengeful expression from earlier remained. In front of these innocent children, he was a kind older brother–a warm and caring protector.

    “Damien, why were you gone so long? We’ve all been waiting,” asked a boy around seven, holding Damien’s hand btightly/b.

    “I’m sorry… I had some matters I couldn’t leave behind,” Damien replied softly, gazing at the child with gentle eyesb. /bb“/bbOh/b, and I brought you some bread too.”

    The children cheered joyfully again, making Damien chuckle at their innocence. For a moment, hepletely forgot who he was–Kestrel, the ruthless, merciless killer who would destroy anyone who stood in his way.

    In that warmth he created among the children, Damien’s heart stirred unexpectedly. His mind drifted back to a few days ago when Aliana visited the orphanage to deliver a donation from the Velor family.

    Damien had even spoken with her directly, without Aliana having the slightest suspicion of his true identity as Kestrel. At that moment, Damien had the urge to strike–but he didn’t want to stain the orphanage’s name with blood. He was forced to hold back, even though the woman he had longed to eliminate was right in front of him.

    But Damien realized there was another advantage to restraint. He wanted to see Aliana crumble slowly–to sufferpletely before vanishing forever. That would be far more satisfying than ending it quickly.

    Smiling faintly with vengeance burning beneath, Damien muttered quietly to himself,

    “Between the two of us, only one will survive–and I’ll make sure that one… is me.”

    In Ravenska, Merisse, who was helping her husband Gabriel at the market, slipped away into a quieter corner. Nervously, she spoke in hushed tones to someone over the phone. Her eyes darted asionally toward Gabrielb, /bwho was busy attending to customers, making sure he couldn’t overhear the secret conversation.

    In a low but firm voice, Merisse whispered sharply into the phone,

    “Why did you act so recklessly? Don’t ever do that again. I don’t want Aliana to get into trouble because of you. Every move you make will fall back on her, so I’m asking you to be more careful.”

    A woman’s voice responded on the other end, her tone indifferent.

    “Nyx is me now. Everything I do has nothing to do with Aliana. Soon, I’ll get that recognition from her directly.”

    Before Merisse could respond, the call abruptly ended. She exhaled deeply in frustrationb, /bher eyes shing bwith /bbirritation /bas she muttered under her breath,

    b“/bStubborn girlb./bb” /b

    But before her emotions could show clearly, Gabriel’s voice suddenly called out from the shop area.

    “Merisse,e here! I need your help for a moment,” he shouted, waving to her.

    Merisse quickly tucked her phone into her pocket and took a deep breath topose herself. The tense, annoyed expression on her face vanished instantly–reced with a bright, weing smile.

    With wless warmth and grace, Merisse stepped toward her husband and the waiting customers, once again bing the familiar Merisse everyone knew: friendly, kind, andpletely unburdened.

    Let me know if you’d like to continue this scene or integrate it into a chapter.

    bAD /b