The sound was deafening, powerful enough to shake the rafters.

Sylvia stared at the scene before her, completely stunned.

Gabriel held her tightly, his voice a low murmur against her ear. "It's okay. It's over. It

was just Sean playing a prank on you."

"Sean?" Sylvia turned her head dazedly, her gaze falling on the masked man

Gabriel had just kicked to the ground.

The man got to his feet, removed the voice modulator, and then pulled off the clown mask, revealing a handsome, smiling face. "Sylvia, remember me?"

Sylvia's head was spinning.

Tears still shimmered in her eyes, her emotions in turmoil. She could only stare blankly at Sean.

She felt like a complete fool.

Gabriel let her go, his voice soft. "Are you hungry? Get something to eat and wait here for me."

He gently guided her to a stool, then shot Sean a venomous look. "You. Outside. Now."

Sean turned to Sylvia. "This was my idea, just a joke. It had nothing to do with Gab. I'm going to go get chewed out, but I'll apologize properly when I get back."

Sylvia sat on the stool, her expression still dazed. The emotional whiplash was too intense to process.

As soon as Gabriel and Sean were outside, the other mercenaries stood up and retreated to the walls, standing at attention with their weapons held ready.

The man who had led the second group in pulled down his face covering, revealing a friendly, if slightly goofy, smile. “I'm one of Sean's men. He gave the order, so I had to follow it. If you're going to blame anyone, blame him.”

He then took a clean knife, cut a piece of roasted meat from the spit, and placed it in front of Sylvia, encouraging her to eat.

Outside the cabin, Gabriel stood under a large tree, smoking a cigarette. Sean approached cautiously, then snapped to attention. "Gab, sir. I have a report."

A single bare bulb hung from a branch, casting a cold, white light. The man's gaze was just as cold, just as deadly. “Speak.”

His tone was clear: Give your report, then prepare to die.

"I brought my team into the country two days ago for Stella's wedding. Bruce and the others will be coming as well once they wrap up their current assignments."

Gabriel gave a humorless laugh. "So you're the only one with nothing better to do?" "Yes, sir," Sean replied stiffly.

Gabriel's foot shot out, and Sean took the kick without flinching, though he gritted his teeth against the pain.

"Sir, I was just trying to help," he said, rubbing his side. "The first thing I heard when I got here was that Sylvia had a new boyfriend. Last time, you had to rush back because of my situation and ended up losing your girl. I thought this might help you win her back."

Gabriel's face was dark. "You call this helping?"

"Of course! Weren't you moved just now? It's obvious Sylvia is in love with you," Sean said with a grin. "She was willing to die for you!"

"And you thought you needed to prove that to me?" Gabriel's expression grew even stormier.

Sean's smile was cheeky. "You figured it out but didn't expose me. Weren't you just a little curious to see how she'd react?"

Gabriel's face darkened further, a hint of anger in his eyes from having been called out. He glared at Sean "Take your men and get out of here. And don't go to the Jarvis estate for now. You'll scare my grandfather. Find another one of the properties to stay at."

Sean asked cautiously, “Can't I just go say hello to him?” "You'll have your chance later. Get your men settled first." "Yes, sir." Sean didn't dare push his luck.

When they returned to the cabin, Sean saw Sylvia look up. He spoke first, apologizing. "I didn't hurt you, did 1? I did, you can hit me as much as you want won't fight back."

Sylvia's gaze flickered to Gabriel, then back to Sean. She shook her head. "I'm fine."