The Tyrant's Stolen Bride-Chapter 119: Not Her World

"Where is she now?" Dante asked

Griffin rubbed his arm, hesitating, but there were no words he could hide from the man before him.

"She’ll come back tonight for the photo," he said, clamping his mouth shut. He knew what he had just revealed would put Alice in danger, but at this point, he couldn’t help her.

"I hope she’s not dead yet." Dante said the word dead as if it meant nothing to him.

If the attacker from the night before had reached the maid before Griffin, she would already be lifeless by now. Still, he chose to wait until tonight before deciding his next move.

"Just rest. If anything else comes up, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ve already assigned someone to watch over you from a distance."

"Yes, sir," he said in a faint voice.

Dante rose to his feet and left the room.

As the sun began to retreat and was replaced by moonlight, Alice emerged beneath a streetlamp.

She was delighted, almost within reach of the money, as the photo Griffin had promised would soon be hers the moment she pressed the doorbell of the house in front of her.

Without hesitation, she pushed through the unlocked gate and stepped inside.

A faint doorbell rang, followed by the sound of a lock clicking from inside.

A man held the doorknob, his body concealed behind the door. Alice had no suspicion at all, even though the man didn’t utter a word to greet her.

She stepped inside and went straight to the sofa where she had sat yesterday.

The bright smile on her face suddenly faded.

The sound of boots made Alice’s heart race faster.

This wasn’t Griffin. Instead, there were two men inside.

She recognized only Dante.

"Sir?" she said before swallowing hard as she stood abruptly.

Dante moved to sit on the sofa across from her.

"Sit."

One low command from her former employer made Alice obey.

Slowly, she sat back, her hands nervously gripping the fabric of her clothes. Alice kept her gaze lowered, not daring to face Dante.

But she did steal a glance, trying to find Griffin.

"Where is Griffin?" she dared to ask. But Dante wasn’t angry. Instead, he answered calmly.

"He’s in the hospital."

Her eyes widened, assuming something terrible had happened to Griffin because of the man before her. She swallowed again.

"Tell me everything. All of it. What Kiera wants. Why she asked for the photo and don’t leave anything out."

The command was delivered in a low voice.

Alice, a young and naive maid, began to tell her story.

"Um... someone told me I could get money just by going to Ashvale to meet an old man. He’s wealthy, and his house is much bigger than yours."

Her eyes widened, and her voice rose slightly as she emphasized the words. Then she continued.

"That was the first time I met Kiera when I arrived there. She was the one who arranged the meeting.

I heard her call him Ferro. First, she asked me about Madam Camela and what happened to the mansion where you used to live. But my story didn’t seem to satisfy her.

Mr. Ferro said Kiera was trying to cause trouble, and he chased her away immediately.

However, Kiera didn’t give up. That’s why she wanted the photo of Dr. Ashford and told me to look for Madam Camela.

I just wanted the money for my brother’s school, and my mother is critically ill."

Her throat felt dry even though the story wasn’t long. Perhaps the heavy, tense atmosphere made it painful for her to swallow.

She raised her head slightly, but quickly lowered it again. The man before her darkened in expression.

Dante said nothing, but his fist clenched so tightly that the blood drained from his knuckles.

"Sir..." she called, then bit her lower lip.

Alice was unaware of the connection between Kiera, Ferro, and Dante.

She was merely a former maid who had worked briefly at the Cortez mansion, handling ordinary household duties under Griffin’s instructions alone.

At this point, she wondered which of her words had offended him.

Then she stole a glance at the man standing nearby, someone she had never seen before. His face was equally dark as he crossed his arms and stared at her.

"That’s all I know..." Her voice trailed off at the end of the sentence.

Then she fell silent again. Sweat began to form along her hairline.

"She’s already made her move," Dante said in a low voice through clenched teeth.

"Girl..." Dante called, his voice low and dangerous.

"Yes... sir..." Alice replied, trembling.

"Listen... I’ll give you the money. But there’s something you need to do for me. Agreed?"

"What is the job?" she asked, her voice still unsteady.

"This offer is bait. You’re the hook... the one who’ll pull Kiera straight into the trap."

...

Griffin grabbed the paper bag filled with medication from the pharmacy counter.

He walked slowly, one hand holding the bag, the other slipping into his pocket to pull out his phone.

He tapped on the app to book a cab as he walked. His eyes fixed on the screen instead of the path ahead.

"Mr. Griffin?" a soft voice called out to him from the front.

He lifted his head and saw Lyra approaching, the distance between them already closing.

Her gaze fell on his arm.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked, worry in her voice.

"Oh... Doctor, my hand? Um... I had an accident," he said, a little stiff.

Relief crossed Lyra’s face. "At least it’s only your hand."

"Yeah... um, I need to go now, Doctor," Griffin said quickly.

He slipped past Lyra and walked away before anyone Dante had planted could notice the encounter.

He knew Dante was still after her, still intent on pulling her into his dangerous world.

In most matters, Griffin carried out Dante’s orders without question.

But not this time. He couldn’t bring himself to drag the doctor into a life she didn’t belong to.

He would try to avoid Dante ever claiming her.

Before he could get far, the soft voice called out again from behind.

Griffin hissed silently as he failed to escape quickly. His hand clenched slightly, and he spun around.

"Yes, Doctor. What is it?" he asked politely. Yet he was uneasy, his eyes scanning the area.

Lyra reached into her pocket and pulled out a small keychain, pressing it into his hand.

"I just got back from Oaklyn a few days ago. A little souvenir," she said, her smile making his heart soften.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"Sorry to take your time. I was just heading to my father’s office for lunch. Bye."

She waved and moved in the opposite direction, leaving him staring at the keychain in his hand.