Xavier Lambordi sat in his silent and cold office. In front of him laid the layout of a specific area. His domineering posture made Ace De' Silas a little uneasy. It had been three weeks since Leila got kidnapped and there had been no sign of her.

The Silas family being the most efficient in manpower had contributed a lot in the search and rescue mission unlike the King family. Although, the latter had been more worried about the disappearance of their youngest heir, Alexander.

"According to the database, these abandoned factories and buildings fell under 'R' ownership fifteen years ago. It is speculated that a large number of lab activities are conducted under his command in these places." Ace pointed at one of the circled post.

Ace looked up at Xavier who was merely looking at the layout in front of him with no interest. Only Carlo and Angelo listened carefully, not wanting to miss out a single word.

They listened to the story of each building carefully. 'R' was a simple word that held so many mysteries of the past. He was a single man who came to challenge an entire country and shake the hierarchy of the three noble families. Albert, the head of the fourth family was long dead and his name was no longer worth mentioning.

Fifteen years ago these families had gone through hell. The reason was 'him'. Though, who was him? How did he reach at that level? And many more questions regarding him were still not answered yet.

What was even more surprising to Ace and other heirs of this generation was that he was a mere teenager fifteen years ago. His age had seemed to be no more than the leaders of current generation. That mere teenager bestowed hell upon them and years later, he had grown and came back again. His upbringing into a devil was unknown and all of this was making everyone uneasy.

It did not escape their minds that he targeted the Lambordi family once more.

When Leila's parents fell rescuing her, Aurelio and Gilbert were the one to bring Leila home. Xavier also arrived there late but he did not know the full details. Aurelio had relayed the whole ordeal to Ace and Ace had personally investigated more into it. But it was more troubling that they still did not even know anything about him and his origin.

The ringing of a cellphone cut through the tense atmosphere in the office. Angelo answered instantly. The expressions on his phone became twisted as he heard the other line.

"Antonio! Don't act rashly! Wa--"

He could not complete his sentence.

"What's the matter?" Xavier asked with narrowed gaze.

"Antonio has found a clue! Without precaution, he's heading straight to it!" The worrying tone of Angelo told everyone present that it was more than just a clue.

"Find him immediately!" Xavier slammed his hand on the table and barked the orders.

*******************

On the other side, faraway from Xavier and others, Antonio stood in front of five story building in the middle of the nowhere.

He removed the helmet he was wearing on his head and put it back on the snowmobile. Without heeding any safety measures, he approached. His boots crunched the snow underneath and his stance remained unwavering even when the doors slammed open.

He knew judging by the alarms ringing inside that they were notified about his appearance.

Several armed men rushed outside and crowded around him.

Antonio's sharp eyes remained fixed at the person who came at last. For a moment, they stared at each other. Antonio was completely emotionless. There was not even a sign of hostility in his eyes.

"What did you want to prove?" Antonio's sudden question seemed to surprise Dante but not his boss who let out a small chuckle.

"My intentions are solely pure. You can trust that, Lambordi." His gentle tone sounded true but Antonio did not miss a slight hint of hatred flashing in the other person's orbs as he addressed him.

"Where is my sister?" Antonio was direct.

"Safe and sound just like I promised. I did not touch her since the moment I made a deal with you."

Antonio's eyes darkened as he deliberately emphasized on the word 'I' each time.

"Let me see her." It was not a request.

The person in front of Antonio was aware too. Because he simply waved his hand in dismissal.

"What's the rush? You haven't even let me treat you. You are my special guest afterall. If you don't mind, show him the guest room."

The last sentence was directed at Dante who still could not understand what his master was trying to accomplish. Why was Antonio here? Why was he not going through standard checking? Antonio still had his electronics on him as a way for his family to track him. It would not be long before they come, waging war on them. The thought made Dante feel a bit unease.

His master was overestimating these families, especially the Lambordis.

Dante led Antonio to one of the room. The 'captive' or 'guest' did not look bothered. Was he unable to understand his own predicament?

Antonio shut the door to his room at Dante's face rudely. Antonio looked around the room, his naked eyes did not catch any sign of surveillance.

"Does he take me as a child?" A smirk creeped on his face. He relaxed back on the bed.

His eyes turned to glance at the clock hanging on the wall.

Two floors above him, he sat on his throne in front of the screen showing Antonio staring straight at the camera.

"Bastard." A murmur escaped his lips.

Dante stood in front of him. A rare displeased frown spread across his face. His boss took notice of it but deliberately ignored it.

"How many hours till Lambordis reach here?"

Dante fixed his glasses and answered.

"Approximately 11 hours. The eldest heir of Silas family will accompany them as well with his special forces."

"What about the King family?"

"Only the second son will be here along with his team of mercenaries." Dante answered.

"Make a way to separate the Lambordis from these two.... You can handle them on your accord."

The blatant negligence of his master worried Dante. It was not that Dante was unable to fight but handling them was not a delicate and easy matter either. Though, he stayed quiet, hiding a bit of resentment.

He did not know a lot about Andres, the middle son of King family but he was aware of the eldest of Silas family. Ace's capabilities were on the par of Xavier.

*******************

Amidst of this upcoming battle, Alexander was getting even more anxious. He wanted to go to 'him' and demand answers but he simply did not have the guts to. Antonio's presence had shaken him up.

His hands just could not stop trembling when he heard 'his' next command. Leila watched him carefully. He was fidgety, the pale expression on his face was something she could not ignore.

What was he so afraid of?

Out of nowhere, he grabbed her wrist and forcefully pulled her up. She hissed a little as he pressed on her bruises uncaringly. Then, he started dragging her out of the room.

She was out of breath by the time he stopped. Without giving her a time of breather, he literally pushed her in the room.

Leila yelped as she hit the floor roughly. A small crack resounded from her ribs before pain gripped her.

She bit her lip to stop the scream that almost forced its way out of her lips.

Suddenly a pair of black shoes entered her line of vision. Confused, she slowly looked up.

Her eyes clashed with a familiar pair of eyes which looked down at her with unrestrained amount of fury.

"A-Antonio...." She struggled to choke back her tears.