Chapter 16

Anger painted Royal Lion's cheeks, his body twisting in a useless struggle against the guards holding him down.

"Bitch,what exactly do you think you're showing cff?"he roared, voice cracking with fury.

Before the Last word faded, Alexia's pabm comnacted with his face, delivering a stnging shap

The sharp smack rang ouit, stardling the orilonikers and drawing involuntary wincos

Frozen in disbelief, Royal Lion touchod Pis fnmming cheek, completely dumbfounded. "Did yom just siap me?"

A smirk tugged at Alexia's lips. "You think runníng your mouth makes you special? f'il take a swing at anyone I please. Maybe you should blame your father for not gatting clipped, or maybe he just couldn't afford proper birth control. That's probably why the world's got to put up with trash like yOu."

Sharp words were Alexia's weapon of choice. Years of clashing with Waylon had honed them into blades.

Each insult landed like a punch, tearing through Royal Lion's fragile pride

Hurniliation welled in his eyes, anger mixing with tears."Did everyone hear that? Is no one going to say anything? What the hell is this?

Unmoved, the guards tightened their hold and hauled him off, his kicks missing their mark. his screams drowned by the audience's munmurs.

Alexia barely spared him another glance.a soft laugln escaping as she fixed hor ttmre on Black lMantba "Are you planning to throw a fit ap waill?"

The question rattled him. He forcag orlt a dirgil morie chuckle, his swagger gome, and mamde Hnimocili bc제Cはbefore she targeted him too

Normally, the press would've swarmed an like vultuies Two top-tier fighters getting humbled an tront of ācrowd? That kind of chaos fed headlines for weeks But not today Today. the spotlight belonged to someone else. Every lens zoomed in on Alexia-on Black Swan.

"Black Swan, would you consider taking off your mask for us?"

Without missing a beat,Alexia reached up and lifted her mask away Her face appeared on the arena's giant screen,dazzling the audience and sending a shockwave of excitement through the stands.

"Damn, she's breathtaking!"

"Look at her! All those fools who said Black Swan kept her face hidden because she was plain? Show yourselves and eat your words!"

"She's absolutely stunning... and tough as nails. If she asked me, I'd marry her right here and now."

Veteran journalists, seasoned as they were, found themselves at a loss, momentarily dazzled by her appearance.

One of them said, "You're breathtaking, Black Swan.Could you share with us what inspired your comeback this season? There were plenty of whispers that you'd stepped away for good."

Eyes drifting down to the gold trophy resting in her grip,Alexia let a secretive grin flicker across her lips She glanced up, letting the cameras capture every glint of purpose in her eyes. "I made a vow to hand this trophy to someone special."

The crowd erupted like a struck match, gasps and exclamations echoing around the arena.

"Who's it for?"

"Who's the lucky guy?"

"So she really came back after all this time just to claim victory for someone else?"

"This guy must have the best luck on the planet!"

Roars from the stands thundered so loudly the whole place seemed to tremble. High above, every spectator craned their necks toward Waylon, the one man who sat there cool as ice.

Sensing all eyes boring into his back, Waylon turned with unhurried calm. "Is there a reason you're all staring at me?"

Not a soul dared to answer. Instead, they dropped their gazes, suddenly fascinated with the floor.

His face revealed nothing, but the faint smile tugging at his lips didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

Heading off the track, Alexia's attention snagged on a target display set up at the center.

Five neat holes, each one dead center. The shooter must've been nothing short of a master.

The staff member trailing beside her lowered his tone and filled her in. "That was Mr. Mason, doing some test shots before the show started."

Those perfect shots had impressed the manager so much, he practically treated the target like a sacred artifact. Hoping to win favor with Waylon, he refused to take it down.

Interest flickered across Alexia's face. She stopped and tossed the golden trophy into the staffer's waiting hands. "Hand me a pistol."

Scrambling, the man nearly dropped the trophy but managed to hand her the weapon.

Meanwhile, not a single camera inside the arena missed her next move. The giant screen filled with her image as she stepped into the same spot where Waylon had stood before.

With steady hands, she aimed and squeezed off five shots in a row. Every single one found the center-ten rings, just like before.

Spectators fell silent as they realized what had just happened-her bullets had slipped neatly through the very holes Waylon had left behind. Each shot was intentional, perfectly lined up, and executed with the precision of a master.

Although the target had absorbed ten rounds, it looked untouehed-still marked by only five holes.

Up in the luxury suite, silence hung thick as everyone stared,too shocked to speak.

Waylon, lounging on the sofa with his usual careless air,suddenly straightened, the amusement in his eyes shifting to something far more attentive-something close to admiration.

A low whisper broke the tension as Korbin leaned in."So... are you sure she just wants to chat?"

With that kind of marksmanship, coming to kill him seemed far more likely.

"That's what makes her interesting," Waylon answered with a slow, amused smile.

The rest of the group shared a look, unable to argue.

No one but Waylon Mason would ever use the word "interesting" for a woman like her.

When Alexia finally returned, trophy tucked under one arm, she found the lounge abandoned-except for Waylon.

He lounged on the red sofa, exuding confidence and an easy, animal grace. As she stepped in, hetipped his chin, inviting her to join him.

Taking the seat beside him, Alexia glanced around the room. "Where is everyone else?"