But regardless, their party had finally made it into Central City!

As Paige Summers observed her surroundings and considered her future, Marcus Monroe was completing the final cleanup in The Dead City.

In fact, after he and his men had utterly crushed Shawn Monroe’s final line of defense, he discovered that the man had already slipped away with Nora Lowell, Jayden Yeats, Quentin Sutton, and a few other trusted followers. Those left putting up a futile resistance were all just cannon fodder he had abandoned. Graham Monroe’s men, in particular, had no idea when Shawn and his group had even left...

’Graham Monroe, oh, Graham Monroe. Look. This is the son you poured your heart into supporting.’

’He’s definitely ruthless enough!’

’A pity it was misdirected.’

’You can be ruthless toward your enemies. You can be ruthless with yourself. But you cannot be indiscriminately ruthless with your partners and subordinates. Even if you’re united by common interests, those interests can change. Brutal tactics will only cause you to lose their loyalty.’

’And without the support of the people by his side, what does Shawn Monroe have left?’

Shawn Monroe’s actions made him think of Paige Summers, whose methods were entirely different.

’No, in fact, he had been thinking of her very frequently these past few days.’

All the work of purging and reorganizing The Dead City, as well as issuing new decrees to pacify the populace, kept him extremely busy. Yet, the busier and bloodier things became, the more he found himself shrouded in an unprecedented loneliness when he lay in bed alone late at night.

At times like these, memories of her would surface unbidden. Her serious expression, the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, even her ruthlessness when killing an enemy... It was as if his mind had unconsciously compiled a montage of her every moment, playing it on an endless loop.

’She must have reached Central City by now!’

’But she definitely isn’t missing me like this.’

An immense frustration showed in his eyes.

Yes, he regretted it!

He was filled with immense regret!

At first, he regretted not seeing her one last time before she left. Then, he regretted letting her go at all. And now, he regretted not going *with* her! The thought that it wasn’t him by her side, but other, insignificant men... The thought of her fighting alongside them, of her laughing and chatting with them—it made him unable to suppress his anger, even stirring a destructive impulse within him!

The feeling was unpleasant, yet somehow novel.

’But perhaps... he had simply been ignoring his own feelings all this time.’

’Before, when he saw others getting close to her, was he really indifferent?’

’He quickly realized he wasn’t.’

’Levi Young, Claire Chapman, Sean Raines, even his own subordinates, Martin Warren and Grant Yardley... See? He remembered every single time they got close to her, clear as day!’

’It was just that back then, he had subconsciously chosen to endure it.’

’But not anymore!’

From the moment he decided to conquer The Dead City, it was as if he had opened a box hidden deep within his heart. He grew increasingly certain of what he wanted, and he had also become... more resolute!

’He wanted her!’

’And he was the only one who could be by her side!’

’This was a desire that could no longer be concealed, nor did it need to be questioned!’

’It existed, real and palpable, in his heart, in his body—in every fiber of his being!’

He had never wanted a woman so intensely... This emotion erupted from within him, a searing heat that set his entire being ablaze!

He took a deep breath. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

He told himself, ’Soon. Very soon.’ He was confident leaving The Dead City to Sylas Underwood. He and Howard Everett would both support and restrain one another, which was the most suitable arrangement possible.

As for him, the destination of his next stop was crystal clear.

Central City!