"Someone, come here and untie him," the man barked an order, his loud voice bouncing back from the walls.

A man scrambled forward, his movements clumsy, maybe because of the sheer fear. Using a sharp knife, he cut the ropes that bound Denis to the chair. As soon as he was released from the restraints, Denis rubbed his aching wrists.

The first thing he wanted to make sure of was Anne’s safety. "Are you okay?" He stepped toward her, reaching out to her.

Before he could touch her, the man’s sharp voice echoed again. "Stop right there, if you want her alive." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Denis froze in his tracks.

"Come on, and defeat me," the man provoked, motioning his fingers, challenging Denis. "One-on-one combat. I swear my men won’t touch you."

Denis turned to him, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. ’What kind of game is he playing now?’ he thought cautiously.

"Didn’t you complain just now?" the man muttered bitterly. "Come and show me what you have. Defeat me, and take her away. I promise I’ll let you go. No one will stop you."

Denis was hesitant. He wouldn’t make the mistake of putting his trust in him.

"Why would I trust you?" he asked sharply. "The moment your men sense I may defeat you, they will kill me right there. Even if they don’t interfere, I can’t trust a kidnapper like you. You can easily break your promise."

"You have my word," the man said with conviction. "No one will interfere. Come and fight me. Or I’ll make her suffer."

"Denis, no," Anne exclaimed, worried. "Don’t do this. He is provoking you. Don’t fall for it."

Denis looked at the man skeptically. He wasn’t a professional fighter. He only knew some moves of combat, but the man was definitely a trained fighter. Surviving in front of him seemed impossible. But there was no way he would let Anne be hurt.

"Fine, I’ll fight." He accepted the challenge even if he knew he might lose his life. For Anne, he would sacrifice himself.

"Denis, don’t be foolish," Anne cried. "You won’t be able to fight him. Just wait for some time. Augustine will come back soon."

The forty-eight-hour time frame was about to end. She believed Augustine would come at any moment.

But Denis had no time. He would fight till the last breath. He locked his glare at the man, his chest moving up and down heavily. With a growl, he charged at him.

But the man stepped aside, causing Denis to lose his balance and stumble forward. The unceremonious fall made him feel humiliated.

"What?" the man scoffed sarcastically. "This is the skill you have. Nice try. Come on. Try if you can hit me." His mocking words only added to Denis’s anger.

Scrunching up his face, Denis sprang to his feet and swung his fist toward the man, who blocked it effortlessly and pushed him away. The force made Denis stagger, but he managed to maintain his balance this time.

Fury bubbled inside Denis. He made a swift turn and swung his leg. The man sidestepped and punched Denis in the stomach.

Denis gasped, his body buckling over at the force. Before he could recover, the man fisted tight and delivered another powerful blow, this time hitting Denis’s jaw.

His head moved back, and he collapsed.

"Denis," Anne shrieked, terrified.

The man jumped over him and pinned Denis against the floor, punching him relentlessly.

"No, stop," Anne’s cries echoed inside the room. "Don’t hit him...stop..."

But the man wouldn’t listen, his eyes red in fury. His expression was murderous. With each blow, Denis’s strength slipped out. The determination to retaliate died down. His body was going numb. He couldn’t register any pain as if his soul was leaving.

On the verge of his unconsciousness, he faintly heard someone shouting, "Augustine is here. He brought the mafia king."

Soon after, Denis drifted into darkness.

The man’s fist remained suspended in the air when he heard those words. "What did you say?" He squinted at the guard who had just entered and delivered the news. He couldn’t believe it. "Come again."

The guard trembled slightly before saying, "Augustine is here with the mafia king, Lucien."

The man stood up, his expression clouding with disbelief. Although he had received the intel that Augustine had successfully taken Lucien out of the casino, he still believed that bringing the mafia king here was not possible. But Augustine had done that.

He had faintly hoped that Augustine was the only one who was capable of this job, and it had happened as he had expected.

"Alright, let him come in," he said with satisfaction, stepping aside from Denis’s sprawling body.

On the other end, Anne was also hopeful. She eagerly looked at the entrance, her nerves pounding in anticipation.

Finally, Augustine stepped in, shoving Lucien inside. Lucien stumbled forward. His instinct screamed at him to lunged at the man in front of him and beat him to death, but his hands were bound on his back. He could only shoot him a deadly glare.

Two guards rushed over and forced Lucien down on his knees. They pressed his shoulders down, making sure Lucien didn’t try to stand up.

"So, it’s you," Lucien muttered. It was Lambert, his long-time rival. He had been waiting to kill him, but every time he had launched an attack on the vipers, Lambert escaped.

Lucien knew the vipers would regroup as long as Lambert was alive.

"Lon time, no see – Lucien," Lambert smirked. "How are you feeling being held like this?"

Lucien twisted against the hold of the two men, his face scrunching up in fury.

"I did what you asked," Augustine chimed in. "Release my wife." His heart shook when he saw Anne, and he wanted to take her away from this mess as quickly as possible.

"What is the hurry?" Lambert scoffed. "You must be tired. Sit down and have a drink."

"You promised you would let her go as long as I fulfilled your demand," Augustine countered. "Now, it’s time to keep your word. Let her go."

Lambert sneered. He had no intention of releasing them. "If you thought you could escape after this, you were wrong. There is no way out."

"You, bastard," Augustine growled and lunged at him, delivering a powerful punch to his face. His movement was so quick that Lambert couldn’t catch it, let alone make a move to block his attack.

"I’ll kill you." Augustine jumped over him, not giving Lambert a chance to recover. He gave him a headbutt and then delivered a sickening blow to his chest.

Lambert coughed out blood.

Sensing danger, the two guards released Lucien and attacked Augustine together. But Augustine was swift. He fought back. Both men found it difficult to deal with him.

Lambert watched how effortlessly Augustine fought, his moves crisp and quick. He couldn’t help but appreciate. "Well, well, impressive." He clapped, spitting out blood. "You are the real fighter. It’s a shame that you aren’t with me. But hey, stop a moment and look over there."

He pointed toward Denis’s motionless body. "He wanted to save your wife. But now, he is like this."

The moment Augustine saw Denis, he forgot to fight. His heart dropped to the pit. The two guards took the chance to pin him down on his knees.

Augustine’s eyes remained fixated on Denis’s swollen face, smeared with blood. He couldn’t tell if Denis was still alive.

This was what he had feared the most – Denis taking a reckless step to rescue Anne. That was why he had instructed Gustave not to reveal anything about Anne. Why did this happen? Why couldn’t Gustave stop Denis?

Regret, pain, and helplessness swirled in his mind.

"The invincible fighter, the devil," Lambert sneered. "I always wanted to have one fight with you. And today, I got the chance. I have to say, you are impressive. Your movement, your tactics – damn...they are perfect. You caught me off guard. I couldn’t find a chance to retaliate. But sadly, you are not in my team. I have to lose such a potential talent."

"Your problem is with me," Lucien snapped, drawing Lambert’s attention. "Come to me. Let him and his wife go."

"There won’t be any fun if I let them go," Lambert drawled, enjoying Lucien’s helplessness. "I wanted to see you like this, defeated. Now, it’s finally happening."

He strode toward him, one step at a time. "Beg me. If your sincerity touches me, I may consider letting them go." He pointed his gun at Lucien.

Lucien’s nostrils flared, his anger reaching the peak. He had already broken free from the restraints that bound his hands and was ready to strike back. He glanced at Augustine, who also looked back at him. A subtle signal passed between them.

"You want me to beg you," Lucien sneered. "In your dreams." In a blink, he took the knife that was hidden in his back and jumped to his feet. Alarmed, Lambert’s finger hovered on the trigger. Before he could pull in, Lucien slashed his wrist.

"Ugh," Lambert gasped, the gun slipping out of his grip and dropping on the floor.

Lucien was quick. He picked up the gun and pressed it against Lambert’s head. On the other end, Augustine retaliated. In just a few moves, he defeated the two men, knocking them unconscious.

Lambert glared up at Lucien, clutching his wrist. "You think you can escape. My men surround the whole place."