"May I have your attention, please?"
My voice echoed through the villa's speaker system as I jumped down from one of the bulldozers parked a little away from the others. They surrounded the villa like patient predators. I adjusted the mic—hacked straight into their bugged system.
"I mean no harm to anyone."
A lie.
The red smear under the bulldozers isn't paint.
"I just want my Chibi back. You."
I dragged that last word out—clear, sharp, aimed exactly at the freak in silk who dared to take her.
I walked forward, not bothering to avoid the sticky mess on the ground. It clung to my shoes, my pants, but I didn't care. I headed to the side entrance; the main one was a pile of rubble thanks to my earlier... demonstration.
I stopped halfway to the door.
"Just give her back to me. Safe. Unharmed. I'll leave without exposing you."
I waited.
Ten minutes.
Because I'm a gentleman.
When the time was up, I snapped my fingers.
Every bulldozer roared back to life at the same time.
Before any of them could move, the villa's gate swung open.
A tall man in black stepped out, draped in silk, masked, theatrical—Darkness himself. His ridiculous costume should've been the first thing catching my eye.
But no.
She did.
He was pushing a wheelchair.
My Chibi was tied to it—taped, restrained, struggling.
Her taped mouth turned her words into desperate muffles. Her eyes—furious, wide, wild—locked onto mine. She was breathing hard, fighting her restraints with everything she had.
And just like that…
Weeks of searching, not sleeping, not eating, not living—every bit of it melted away.
For the first time in so damn long, I could breathe.
"Chibi…"