"Tinie!"

Nikki stormed out of the room, fuming. The moment she stepped outside, her eyes blazed when she spotted Tinie standing nearby.

Before Tinie could even wonder what was wrong, Nikki marched over, grabbed his collar, and yanked him forward.

"What kind of job did you do?"

Tinie furrowed his brows. "Miss Nikki, I don’t understand what you—"

"Find her," she cut him off with a hiss. "You said the job was done, but clearly it isn’t. I told you to bring her here, but she’s not in there."

"Impossible." Tinie frowned. "She and Red—"

"That’s not her!" Nikki shoved him away and released his collar. "The woman in there is not her. I don’t care how you failed to notice that despite knowing what she looks like."

A dangerous glint flashed across her eyes. "You better drag her here today."

With that, Nikki huffed and turned away, nearly stomping as she left. Her chest swelled with anger as she thought about how Betty and Red had made a fool out of her. If not for today’s agenda, she would have dealt with them right then and there.

"Damn it," she muttered, forcing herself to maintain her composure as she headed toward the High Chamber.

*

*

*

Tinie furrowed his brows as he watched the furious Nikki storm away.

From what he knew, Red and "Ashley" were supposed to be inside. No one had entered or left the room except Nikki herself.

Curious, Tinie approached the room and stepped inside.

The moment he walked farther in, he stopped.

Betty and Red were practically turning the place upside down. As soon as they sensed his presence, both halted and turned toward him.

Tinie narrowed his eyes at Red before shifting them to Betty.

His gaze traveled over her. He recognized the robe she wore, her now-dry hair falling around her shoulders after the towel had slipped down, and the facial mask she had worn since last night now gone.

The second he saw Betty’s face—which looked nothing like the photo he had seen—Tinie felt his heart nearly drop into his stomach.

Without a word, he turned away and pulled out his phone.

"Connect me to the guys still in the country," Tinie ordered under his breath, keeping his panic under control. "We got the wrong woman. She’s still out there."

As Tinie walked away without another word, Betty and Red remained where they were.

They exchanged a glance, shrugged, and continued what they had been doing.

*****

"How did it go?"

Jony stood outside the massive doors of the High Chamber. He smirked as soon as he saw Nikki approaching, but his expression quickly changed when he noticed the look on her face.

"Hey." He grabbed her arm to stop her. "What’s wrong?"

Nikki huffed and turned toward him. "Tinie messed up."

"Huh?"

"She’s not here," Nikki hissed, leaning closer, her eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "He took the wrong person just because Red was with her."

She yanked her arm away. "You better fix this."

With that, Nikki took a deep breath to compose herself before marching toward the doors.

"Fuck," Jony muttered as he pulled out his phone and dialed Tinie. "What the hell happened?"

"I’m sorry, sir." Tinie’s voice came from the other end. "I’ve already contacted the people we left in the city. They’re going to find her."

Jony ground his teeth so hard his grip nearly cracked the phone.

"You better, or I’ll kill you myself."

He ended the call and paced a few steps, trying to suppress his anger.

Tinie had confirmed Ashley was with him, only for them to discover now, of all times, that the woman they took wasn’t Ashley at all.

"Idiot," Jony muttered, loosening his tie before shaking his head. "Not important."

He nodded to himself and turned toward the High Chamber to join the ongoing meeting.

The moment Jony entered, everyone was already present.

Every seat was occupied except Lucian’s.

Aside from the members of the High Chamber, others were present, including Nikki and several people who held positions similar to Jony’s.

Then there were Gustav and Lukas.

Lucian’s right and left hands sat in the empty center section of the table. Both men wore sharp expressions, clearly displeased with their current situation.

Gustav and Lukas scanned the room.

Although they were rarely allowed inside unless necessary, they were familiar with most of the faces seated there.

However, today, many of those faces were different.

Almost half the chamber was filled with unfamiliar people.

And honestly, it no longer surprised them.

Aside from those coveting Lucian’s seat, there had always been people eyeing theirs as well. It seemed some of the elders’ children had finally bared their fangs and forcibly taken their spots.

"Since we’ve welcomed the new members of this chamber, let us begin."

At the far end of the table sat an elderly man.

His hair and beard had long turned white, but the physique beneath his suit showed he remained remarkably fit despite his age.

"Nikki," he called, adjusting his reading glasses. "Have you spoken with her?"

Nikki gulped and stepped closer.

"Sir, there’s a problem," she whispered into his ear.

She offered no further explanation, but the old man nodded as if he understood immediately.

"Is that so?" The old man smiled faintly before looking around the room.

"Unfortunately, it seems the Madam of Dominion will not be able to join us today."

Several members, particularly the younger ones, nearly snickered.

"How could she miss something this important?" one of them scoffed. "Don’t tell me she felt intimidated."

"Even if she attended, what relevance would she have?" another added. "What does she know about any of this?"

"She’s just a woman with a pretty face who managed to enthrall the Black Dragon. There’s no need for her presence today."

Suddenly, another member slammed his palm against the table. "Watch how you speak about the Madam or the Black Dragon."

"Whether you agree or not," another, calmer member added, "she is still the Madam of Dominion. And don’t forget the purpose of this meeting."

"He is right," the white-haired elder said before the discussion could spiral into another endless argument. "We are here today for several reasons. One of them is to vote on who will become the next Black Dragon."

Silence settled over the room as everyone returned their focus to him.

"The second..." His voice lowered as he turned toward Gustav and Lukas. "...is to decide what should be done with these men, whose negligence resulted in such a massive problem for Dominion."

He paused, letting his gaze sweep across the room.

"And lastly, to determine who will take custody of the young master."

Lukas snorted the moment the old man finished speaking.

Everyone turned toward him, some curious, others irritated.

"Seriously?" Lukas clicked his tongue. "None of today’s agenda includes figuring out how to help the Master?"

"It does, Lukas." The old man nodded. "However, it is no longer our priority. Lucian is as good as dead, and that decision now falls to the Madam of Dominion. Unfortunately, she is not here to join us today—"

As the old man spoke, the distant thumping of rotor blades reached their ears.

Everyone frowned as the sound grew louder.

Instinctively, heads turned toward the windows.

All eyes locked onto the glass as something slowly descended outside.

Much to everyone’s shock, it was a helicopter.

Gustav and Lukas, seated in the center of the table, narrowed their eyes. Then both their mouths fell open, just like everyone else’s.

There, hovering perfectly level with the windows, sat a helicopter.

And inside it was... Ashley, waving and smiling at them.