UNDER HIS RULES

Beatrice was amazed by the scenery in front of her. The clear, tranquil blue expanse of the sea had been filling her eyes for the past half hour. She sat in the yard-whether it was a villa, resort, or some other kind of accommodation, she didn’t care. The place was quite spacious, with the backyard directly facing the beach.

Beatrice could have run along the shoreline, played with the waves, or simply sat and soaked her feet, waiting for the waves to wash up on the shore. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to do any of that.

Occasionally, she glanced back, hoping that the person she was waiting for would arrive soon. But… nothing. The person she was waiting for didn’t show up. Not a single message, phone call, or news came through. Beatrice sighed deeply, not knowing how many times she had done so.

“Where could they be?” Beatrice whispered. She closed her eyes again, worried. Very worried. The sound of gunfire had truly thrown her into turmoil. Was Sam hurt? What had they done? Was shooting necessary? Why did they bring Tony along? Beatrice hadn’t forgotten the name that had been mentioned several times during the journey here.

“Just rest, Beatrice,” Ute said softly, patting Beatrice’s shoulder. “The others are resting in their respective rooms too.” She approached the girl sitting alone cautiously, so as not to startle Beatrice. Before she took another step closer, Ute noticed that Beatrice was lost in thought.

“Has Sam not come back yet?” Beatrice asked with a curious look.

Ute weakly shook her head as an answer, and Beatrice let out another slow breath. “I’ll just wait for Sam to come home then. I’ve been sitting here all this time.”

Ute didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t just Beatrice who was waiting for Sam’s return; everyone who had filled the private property of Sam’s estate was waiting. The leader’s arrival this time was filled with anticipation because, as it turned out, Sam’s departure with a handful of his troops was meant to trigger something that could have negative consequences.

But everyone agreed. Even if they knew what Sam was doing today, they wouldn’t just stand idly by. They would all help attack De Faux without fear. Unfortunately, Sam was Sam, calculating even in his attacks. No one dared to defy Sam’s orders, including forcing themselves to be part of the mission. The ruler’s demands were very clear.

“I’ll go to the kitchen then,” Ute whispered.

“Okay.” Beatrice let Ute leave her alone.

As soon as she arrived at this place, Ute immediately took care of her duties. She was in the kitchen, assisted by several people who were usually assigned there. Meanwhile, others were busy monitoring and scattered around the building, checking if everyone was safe or not. They were on guard against the worst-case scenario. The place was quite far from the city center, but it was not impossible that they were being followed.

Anne and several others who were tasked with monitoring the developments and movements of the individuals Sam requested to be closely watched were sitting with full concentration. The large computer screen was their focal point. Occasionally, Anne gave orders, including securing the network to prevent any breaches.

The surveillance drone intentionally left around the De Faux Mansion forest had not captured any movement from Jimmy. After what Sam had done, there was no significant activity around the mansion. This meant that the surveillance there could be relaxed by Anne, as she had to focus on several other areas.

As Anne desired, Gerald’s forces dispersed. Some headed towards Sam’s headquarters, while others were deceived by diversionary signals. However, Anne didn’t feel relieved because there was no news from Sam anymore. From the surveillance, there was also no movement from the car Sam was driving or from his other men.

It was not without reason that Gerald would blindly hunt down Sam. After waiting for so long, where they were both preparing to attack, the time had finally come for everything to begin. Gerald would surely target Sam as an easy prey, but the ruler of the Southern Region was not a fool. He just didn’t want too many casualties on his side. So he aimed to minimize the damage in the Southern Region.

As for the North? Sam didn’t care. In fact, he felt like wreaking havoc on everything related to the ruler of the Northern Region. Anne knew it for sure. When Sam gave the order about a year ago, Anne continuously monitored what Gerald and all his colonies, including Jimmy Lee and Alfred, were doing.

“The boss is heading this way,” Anne informed, immediately met with a sigh of relief.

She herself felt relieved because Sam’s car had started moving in the opposite direction from Gerald’s men at the other side. “But let’s not be too satisfied yet. Gerald still has his surveillance going on. What I’m afraid of is that the boss might return to the headquarters and face Gerald alone.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

That possibility was likely, considering Sam’s behavior of not wanting his subordinates to get too involved. Just carry out what he asked and do it well-that’s enough to satisfy Sam. On another screen, there were several points that led to Sam’s headquarters, which Anne intentionally expanded the range of.

“But, Anne, didn’t you say that Gerald’s men were heading to the headquarters?”

Anne nodded without hesitation. She pointed out several points where Gerald’s men were scattered in the Southern Region. Most of them were heading towards crucial points where they thought Sam would be. “Brother Sam only brought his elite unit with him. We don’t know what kind of forces Gerald has. Although there are guards at the headquarters, the worst-case scenario can’t be avoided.”

“I’ll go back then,” one of Sam’s subordinates, who had been waiting for orders, stood up immediately, followed by others.

“Boss didn’t give that order, Val.”

Valdo, who had been standing indecisively, was displeased. “Who are you to command me? Brother Sam could be in danger if we don’t follow him there.” He grabbed his bag, followed by those around him.

“Don’t be rash,” Anne firmly cautioned. “I know I’m nothing here, but I’m sure Brother Sam has his own reasons for separating us like this.”

What Anne said was true, but Valdo couldn’t stay silent. For Valdo, Sam was more than just a leader. He owed a great debt to the man with twin dragon tattoos on his back.

“And how long am I supposed to wait for news? It’s been thirty minutes, Anne!” he protested. “You know, time is precious, right?”

“The signals that are available show Sam’s movements according to the plan. But he lingered for a long time at Flown.” Anne suddenly fell silent. “Flown.” She then started tinkering with her computer.

“Why, Anne?” Valdo approached, not because he understood what he wanted to see. He didn’t grasp the intricacies of the part that seemed so complicated to merely observe Anne’s work. But her expression looked much more panicked than before.

“Anne!” Valdo impatiently exclaimed. “Why?”

“Do you see this point?” Anne pointed to the black mass heading towards the headquarters. “They should be moving. There’s no indication captured by my cameras. They’re slowing down their movement. And until now, the headquarters remains stable, Val. There’s no enemy activity, even though I’m sure a unit of about twenty to thirty people is heading there. But the CCTV surveillance and the devices I left there don’t show any signs.”

Seeing Valdo’s silence, Anne continued her words. “That means Gerald’s men know that we’re deceiving them. Earlier, Sam said he was going to Flown. I’m afraid that…”

“Find out, Anne,” Valdo quickly interrupted. “What’s happening in Flown.”

Without being asked, Anne had already done that. The CCTV surveillance in Flown had been temporarily redirected to focus on the headquarters.

“Get ready, everyone. If Sam needs our help, we go straight to Flown,” Valdo commanded, and they all nodded in agreement. “Prepare motorcycles and other vehicles.”

“Right now!” One of them provoked.

Valdo hesitated due to lingering doubts. What Anne said was not without reason, but in a situation like this, he couldn’t stay silent either.

“Come on, buddy. Right now. I’m worried that Sam and Hugo might be trapped there. We know the Eagle Wing holds a grudge against Sam. They won’t hesitate to blame us!”