The Tyrant's Stolen Bride-Chapter 122: Toying With a Killer

Gio was being driven far away from Ashvale—farther than he realized. The journey dragged on for hours with no sign of stopping.

His head was covered, his hands and feet tightly bound. His aging body could barely endure the strain anymore. Every bump, every turn weighed on him heavier than the last.

He lay limp, knowing he wasn’t ready to face whatever waited ahead, yet there was no escape left.

Running was no longer an option. In his mind, this felt like the end of his life.

A bitter chuckle slipped from his throat, mocking himself. How foolish he’d been. If only he had been firmer with Kiera, maybe all of this could have been avoided.

As if she would have listened—he snorted at the thought.

"Kiera..." His voice cracked as he whispered her name.

"Look what you’ve done... I wanted a quiet life. That’s all. But you... you were greedy."

His words dissolved into sobs. "Look where you’ve dragged me..."

He wailed openly, grief pouring out of him.

One of the burly men ran a hand through his hair while the other tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue, feeling annoyed. The noise made it impossible to focus on driving.

An old man’s crying, like a child’s, grated on his nerves.

"Shut him up," he ordered sharply.

His companion let out an irritated sigh and twisted his heavy body around, reaching into the back just to silence the old man with tape.

Even after his mouth was forced shut, faint sobs and broken hums of despair continued to escape.

Patience snapped.

"Shut up!" the man barked, driving his fist hard into Gio’s face.

The blow landed hard. Gio went limp once more, slipping back into unconsciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the car. He lay in an empty room with no windows.

The only opening was a narrow ventilation vent near the ceiling, barely enough to circulate air.

A single bare bulb hung above him, casting a harsh, yellow light that did nothing to warm the space.

His throat was dry. The dusty air burned his lungs, forcing a rough cough out of him.

Two figures stood at the far end of the room. Their faces were swallowed by the darkness, but their legs were visible, along with the faint glow of cigarette embers and drifting smoke.

Gio struggled weakly against the bindings, panic tightening his chest as the figures began to move toward him.

Each step sent a cold shiver through his body.

"Who are you?" he croaked. "I’m old... please, let me go." His voice unsteady, sweat soaking his skin.

"Have mercy on me." He begged, breath coming heavy and uneven as they closed in.

Martin dragged a nearby chair across the floor and straddled it, resting his chest and forearms against the backrest.

Gio struggled even harder to breathe as Martin’s gaze bore down on him.

Kane went straight behind Gio, leaning his weight against the table, arms crossed casually.

Gio stretched his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of Kane, but the man was obscured in the shadows.

The silence between them was terrifying.

"Who are you?" Gio asked again, his voice quivering.

Martin pulled out his phone. He swiped to unlock it, tapped the screen, and shoved it in front of Gio’s face.

A photo of Paul—Gio recognized him immediately.

Years had passed since they’d last met. Even though their encounters had always been brief, the crimes they had committed together made it impossible for him to forget the corrupt officer.

"No... did Hale send—" Gio clamped his mouth shut in the middle of the sentence, but realized too late that he’d misspoken. He had just exposed himself.

"What does that person in the photo have to do with me? Why did you arrest me?" he asked, trying to cover his slip, his voice wavering.

Martin shoved the phone back into his pocket. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

They weren’t here to interrogate Gio until he confessed. They already had proof of his involvement with Edgar’s murder.

Their mission in Ashvale was to capture Gio and the mastermind, Kiera. But there was no sign of her anywhere.

Still, Martin decided it would be fun to toy with his father’s killer.

"Gio Harvey... did you tremble like this when you killed Edgar Hale?" Martin asked, his voice dragging lazily

"Hale? No... I don’t know... who is that?" Gio pretended not to know, but his voice, face, and eyes told a different story.

Every gesture betrayed him, they made it clear he knew exactly who Edgar was.

A glint of metal appeared in Martin’s hand, and Gio’s eyes widened in terror.

"Please... I’m old... how could you... no—" he screamed as the blade tore into his skin. Blood spurted hot and fast.

Martin wiped the blood off the blade on Gio’s shirt.

"Tsk... doesn’t hurt, does it? Just a scratch compared to what you did to Edgar," Martin mocked, his face twisted with fake pity.

He leaned down, bringing his face just above Gio’s bowed head.

Using the tip of the blade, Martin jabbed under the chin, tilting Gio’s head up and forcing him to look directly into his eyes.

Gio winced as blood dripped from the cut beneath his chin.

"Where’s Kiera hiding?" Martin asked.

"K-Kiera? You already got her captive... why bother asking... ah—" The more Gio spoke, the deeper the blade pressed under his chin.

"Where is Kiera?" Martin asked again.

Gio shivered, certain they held Kiera captive and were using him as a pawn in their twisted game of interrogation.

Martin dragged the tip of the blade along Gio’s chin, cutting deeper. Gio screamed, his head lolling forward in the bindings, crying as fresh blood dripped down.

Then Martin grabbed Gio’s chin, forcing him to face him again. Blood, tears, and snot dripped down onto Martin’s hand.

"Where is she?" he demanded again, forcing Gio to blurt out an answer.

"I... I don’t know where she... she went to Mistvale a few days ago. At least, I lost contact," Gio replied between sobs.

"When? Give me the date and time. Now!"

Under pressure, Gio gave the information. Kane, who had been watching silently, listened carefully.

He immediately called his team to check on her arrival.