Chapter 9

'Brother must have known Zayn after he left Ascarion, which means while he was in prison. However, how could a prisoner know a high-ranking military official?'

It all seemed so strange to Gabriela. However, remembering Zavier's words to trust him, Gabriela no longer wondered. She was just very grateful that Zavier had returned, especially since she was sure he could protect them.

"Big Brother, what's your next plan?" asked Gabriela in confusion as she looked deeply into Zavier's eyes. "After you broke Steve's hand, there's no way uncle will keep quiet!"

Given how that man could be so cruel as to try to poison their mother, Gabriela was sure that Frederick would try to hurt Zavier. Thus, they decided not to return home.

The girl's sweet face contorted at the thought of the things the uncle might do. Given that the uncle had tried to poison their mother, Gabriela was convinced that Frederick—her uncle—would definitely hurt Zavier to avenge his son Steve's suffering. With this in mind, they should not return home.

Seeing the worry on his sister's face, Zavier rubbed Gabriela's head, making the girl who had been living independently blush at his touch. "You don't have to worry about it. I've asked someone to take care of everything," Zavier said, smiling soothingly at Gabriela.

Seeing the smile on Zavier's handsome face, the blush on Gabriela's face seemed even more obvious. Honestly, even if they had grown up together, but from the first time Gabriela

TOK! TOK! TOK!

Right at that moment, a man in a neat suit walked in and greeted Zavier respectfully. "Sir, the car is ready. Whenever you're ready, we can leave right away."

Zavier turned his face toward the man, then nodded and said, "We leave in three hours."

"Oh, my gosh ...."

A gasp of admiration could be heard from Gabriela who was in the car. Her eyes were focused on the view of the luxurious housing complex that their car was traveling through. Each house they passed had two to three floors, looking so magnificent.

From the front of each house, there was a very modern residence gate using barcode security. Not only that, there was a guard post filled with approximately three to four well-built men, two of whom stood guard in front of the gate.

Each house is equipped with a carport on the basement floor which adds to the luxury aura of the building. And, there are no electricity cables hanging down, truly a residential complex with a modern smart house system.

While Gabriela was mesmerized by the scenery in front of her eyes, Zavier, who was also paying attention to the surroundings, had a serious face. Rather than being mesmerized by its beauty, he was more worried about something else.

"What about the security in this place?" Zavier asked the driver who delivered him, his gaze fixed on the surroundings of the housing complex. Seeing how the homeowners still added their own security, did that mean the area was prone to robbers?

"Sir, only top-class businessmen and high-level officials can live in this place. Of course you don't have to worry about the security," the driver replied with a friendly smile. He knew what was on Zavier's mind. "That private security post can be thought of as... a showcase, sir," he explained, making the elite troop commander next to him nod his head in understanding.

Before long, their car pulled up to the residence at the very top, the area described as the most elite in the neighborhood. Gabriela was stunned as she stood in front of the residence.

"Zavier, this... isn't this too much?" asked Gabriela with a troubled expression.

Although the size of the building was smaller than the houses she had seen before, the spaciousness of the residence's grounds and surrounding equipment made Gabriela's heart sink. With Gabriela's knowledge, she understood that the price of this residence was much higher than the other houses in this complex!

Hearing his sister's words, Zavier was silent for a moment. Honestly, this house was much smaller than the one Zavier had in the capital during his time as commander of the elite forces. Since such a house had frightened his sister, the man's heart ached as he realized that his sister had been living so hard all this time.

Finally, he rubbed Gabriela's head and said, "Take it easy and come in with Mama, okay?"

After helping Zavier and Gabriela unload all their belongings, Zayn's messenger saluted Zavier. "Sir, since my task is done, I must take my leave first." He added, "If you need any help, I'm on call at any time. "

Zavier nodded his head and smiled slightly. "Thank you for your help."

Seeing Zavier's polite demeanor, Zayn's messenger was surprised. Among all the military generals he had served, this man before him was clearly the most polite.

Zayn's messenger also smiled. 'Can respect subordinates, truly worthy of being called a leader,' he thought before leaving the residence.

After Zayn's messenger left, Zavier turned around and stepped towards the gate of his residence. However, just as he touched the gate, his steps were halted as a voice called out to him.

"Zavier?"

The familiar voice made Zavier's heart stop. The man twisted his body and turned his head to look at the owner of the voice.

Just as his gaze landed on the handsome figure standing before him, Zavier's entire body immediately emitted a thick aura of darkness. His handsome face turned ugly and was shrouded in hatred.

"You ...."

Zavier's throat constricted slightly and his breathing turned labored. The figure standing before him was not just anyone he could easily forget.

The woman's beautiful brown bead was shrouded in deep wariness when she saw Zavier's reaction. He was sure he wasn't mistaken, and that made him even more unhappy.

"Really you, how come you're here and not in prison?!" the woman asked Zavier to clench his hands into fists.

"Long time no see, Ayano."

Yes, the woman with reddish hair and beautiful light brown beads was Ayano Cruch, Zavier's former fiancée and also... the person who played a major role in the destruction of his life.

While staring at the woman, Zavier inwardly thought, 'The first rat I have to get rid of ....'