Chapter 387: The Engagement Ceremony (iii)

The hall gathered back into formation as the band finished their last song and the lights shifted toward the stage again. More guests had arrived during the break—politicians, business giants, foreign dignitaries, and a few vampire nobles Xavier hadn’t seen earlier. The place felt tighter now, like everyone knew the real ceremony was finally about to begin.

Lucas stood on the stage again, posture rigid, face carefully assembled into something polite. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t even pretending to enjoy this anymore. Lucian stood a short distance away with several board members, investors, and a swarm of Blackwood relatives, including Aldric, who was trying very hard to look unbothered even though his earlier humiliation still clung to him like a smell.

On the opposite end of the hall, Luther stood with the vampire delegation, tall and silent, surrounded by a cluster of high-ranking nobles from House Stein—none of whom mingled with the humans unless required. Luther didn’t look at Xavier directly, but his presence was grounding in a way Xavier didn’t expect.

It was obvious Lucas had been told to behave. He wasn’t storming around, wasn’t glaring at his father, wasn’t threatening to cancel anything. Lucian and Aldric must’ve talked him down, promising him they’d kick Xavier out once the ceremony was over. Lucas played along for now, but anyone who knew how to read people could tell he was barely holding it together.

Xavier wasn’t paying attention to Lucas anymore. He was waiting for something else. He checked his watch and saw the small countdown ticking toward the moment he needed.

’Five minutes remaining.’

Five minutes until the part Xavier had been preparing for.

He let his eyes wander across the hall again, scanning faces and uniforms and posture. That was when he noticed Commander Althea Ravel near one of the pillars, talking casually with a guest as if she’d been invited like everyone else.

She wasn’t wearing her usual penitentiary coat or armor, but her outfit didn’t match the party vibe either. It looked practical and clean, like someone who didn’t know how to dress casually even when trying. And she wasn’t alone. A team of people stood nearby, blending into the hall neatly, each spaced out just enough to avoid suspicion.

To anyone else, they looked like guests mingling around.

Xavier tapped the side of his glasses and activated their sensor overlay. Thin outlines and readings shimmered along the edges of his lenses. Althea’s shape lit up first — reinforced vest under the clothes, compact sidearm, a slim baton strapped to her thigh. Her team wasn’t wearing the city’s standard police armor either. Their gear was lightweight, advanced, the type used for special operations. Every single one of them was carrying.

They weren’t here for crowd control. They were here prepared for something or an attack.

Xavier raised a brow.

Angel stepped closer. “What did you find?”

He tilted his glasses toward Althea. Angel looked, caught the hint, and understood immediately.

“She’s armed,” Angel murmured. “And those aren’t her usual people.”

“Yeah,” Xavier said. “Looks like someone brought a whole squad with her. All dressed for a fight.”

Angel smirked slightly. “Think they’re here for the guests? Or the Blackwoods hired them?”

“Neither,” Xavier answered. “I don’t think Blackwoods would hire public or government firms for protection. But based on the intel I have gathered on Althea… I am not entirely sure.”

He didn’t look anxious. He looked almost amused. The countdown on his watch ticked down another minute.

Lucas was on the stage again, trying to stay still but shaking one leg now and then without noticing it. His eyes kept scanning the hall for Xavier, and every time he found him, he looked away immediately.

Reva stayed seated, posture straight, expression unreadable, but her eyes found Xavier more often than not.

Luther stood still, watching everything without reacting.

Xavier took a slow breath and adjusted his glasses. Everything he needed was settling into place.

Xavier leaned closer to Angel, close enough that no one else could hear them over the low music and chatter. He didn’t change his expression, didn’t make it look suspicious. He whispered like he was saying something casual.

“When the time comes,” he said, “you’re taking Reva and getting her out. Straight to the dock. Use the hovercar.”

Angel kept her eyes on the stage. “And you?”

“I’ll manage.”

She exhaled through her nose, quiet but irritated. She wanted to argue. He could feel it. But she also knew there wasn’t a point in questioning him when he spoke in that tone. Xavier only talked like that when he already had ten steps mapped out in his head.

He added, “If I’m not at the dock by launch time, don’t wait. Tell them to take off.”

Angel finally turned her head toward him, confused. “You do realize the only reason Lyra, Reva, Requiem, and the others are leaving this planet is because you’re leaving. If you’re not on that ship, why the hell would they depart?”

“Because I thought of everything,” Xavier said. “If I can’t make it, they’ll pick me up at Jupiter.”

Angel squinted at him. “How the hell would you get to Jupiter if you’re not even on the ship?”

Xavier didn’t answer.

Angel stared at him a moment longer, then sighed because she finally understood what he was implying. “Fine,” she whispered. “But if you die, I’ll kill you.”

Xavier smirked. “Deal.”

Up on the stage, the ceremony began moving into its final act. The rings were ready. The priest-like officiator stepped into position. Guests quieted. Cameras lifted. Reva stood, calm and silent, and slowly reached for one of the rings.

But she kept glancing at Xavier. Not quick glances—real ones. Long enough to show she wasn’t looking at Lucas at all.

Lucas stood beside her, stiff and rehearsed, pretending everything was perfectly under control. His hands looked steady, but his jaw wouldn’t stop tightening every few seconds.

Reva took the ring and walked forward with composed, deliberate steps. Every inch of her movement seemed slow on purpose, like she was stalling. Like she was waiting.

Xavier checked his watch.

Three seconds left.

Reva lifted the ring a little higher.

Two seconds.

Lucas reached out his hand.

One second.

And then—zero.

The entire tower shook as a deafening string of explosions erupted across multiple floors at once. It wasn’t one blast. There were dozens. The lights flickered hard, dimmed, then flashed back on. Screams broke out instantly across the hall. A second later, the tower’s alarm system activated with a shrill, urgent tone.

A calm but cold system voice echoed through every speaker.

“Warning. Structural breach detected. Evacuation required. All personnel proceed to emergency exits immediately.”

Panic spread fast. Chairs toppled. Guests shouted over each other. Security scrambled without understanding what hit them. Even Lucas froze for a moment, staring around in disbelief.

Reva didn’t scream or panic. She simply lowered the ring, eyes fixed on Xavier like she had been waiting for this exact moment.

Angel stepped closer to Xavier. “That wasn’t you… right?”

Xavier watched the chaos unfold around the hall, then looked at his watch again.

“Right on time.”

“That wasn’t part of the plan!” She shouted at him, but it was dulled by the loud noise of the alarm and the screams of the people.

Xavier turned to her to look at her one final time, and then said, “I never told you my full plan. If I did, you would have stopped me and wouldn’t have let me do it. Now…” He pushed her towards the stage. “Take her out before it’s too late.”

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