Chapter 69

Eyes in the Shadows

Three Days Before the Wedding – Midnight

The palace was alive with quiet murmurs—decorators moving through the halls, fabrics being draped over pillars, gold thread sewn into lehengas under soft lamplight. But in Rhea's room, everything was still.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, a velvet wedding card in her lap.

Her fingers traced her name beside Manik's.

She should feel happy.

She should feel ready.

But deep in her bones, a cold shiver ran through her every time she closed her eyes. Like something… or someone… was watching her.

She got up and walked to the window.

Outside, lanterns swung gently from the trees. The garden was empty.

At least, that's what she thought—until her gaze caught movement.

A shadow slipped between two trees. A figure—tall, hooded.

Gone in an instant.

Her breath hitched. She stumbled back, heart racing.

Was it just stress?

Or was the past finally catching up?

She turned away and reached for her phone—but it buzzed before she could unlock it.

Lex.

> Don't panic. Stay in your room. I'm outside.

A second message followed.

> They've found you.

Her blood went cold.

---

Meanwhile – In the Palace Courtyard

Lex moved like a shadow himself now—hugging the wall, ducking past camera blind spots. He'd intercepted the call three hours ago. A satellite ping traced to the edge of Rajasthan. An encrypted message from a burner phone. Short. Ruthless.

> "Retrieve the girl. Kill the witnesses."

He hadn't told Rhea everything yet.

Not about Cartwright. Not about the room in Montenegro where her DNA had been logged in a system connected to human memory mapping.

Not about the mark on her neck that wasn't just a scar—but a tag.

But he would. Soon.

First, he had to protect her. And to do that, he needed backup.

---

Elsewhere in the Palace – Secret Room Below the Study

Manik stood over a tablet screen, scanning data Lex had handed him earlier.

Security footage from Montenegro. Blurred figures. One woman—slender, bruised, barely conscious—being carried into a van. Rhea.

His fists clenched.

He tapped into his family's private security line.

"Activate protocol three," he said.

"Sir?" the guard replied.

"I want two guards outside her room, plain clothes. Tell no one. Not even my mother. And keep Lex close. If anything happens to her… shoot first, ask later."

---

Back in Rhea's Room

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Rhea? It's me."

It was Lex's voice. She hesitated—then opened the door slightly.

He stepped in, eyes scanning every corner.

"You saw him, didn't you?" he asked.

Rhea nodded slowly. "Just for a second. But I know that feeling. I've felt it before. That month… that place…"

Lex walked over and gently pulled her sleeves up. "Do you remember this?" he asked, pointing at a faint mark above her elbow.

She stared.

It looked like a faded circle of ink. But underneath, something cold seemed to pulse.

"What is that?" she whispered.

"A locator chip. Designed by Cartwright. Buried in your skin."

Her knees gave out. Lex caught her before she hit the floor.

"I was a lab rat," she breathed.

"No," Lex said, holding her close. "You were a prisoner. And now… you're free. But they want you back."

She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Then why are we still here? Why am I getting married?"

Lex's jaw tightened.

"Because the only way to protect you now… is to make them think they've already lost you."

---

But outside the palace…

A figure stood by the edge of the wall, night goggles glowing green, speaking into a radio.

> "Target verified. Chip confirmed active. Proceed on day zero."

The wedding day.

The extraction day.

Time was running out.