Chapter 797

Liam stood up and made his way to the bedroom door, easing it open with a gentle nudge. Darkness enveloped the room, but it was no match for Liam's keen eyes. He spotted Celena and Jovie, deep in slumber on the bed, and let out a relieved exhale before softly closing the door.

As the door clicked shut, a wave of icy dread that Liam had been holding back surged forth, his gaze piercing the darkness as a sinister smile played on his lips.

He returned to the couch and settled in; his ears tuned to the faintest rustle in the small courtyard, a fierce glint of malice in his eyes.

Outside, the intruder, thinking himself undetected, crept to the door. With practiced ease, he drew his dagger and slipped it through the door's crack, deftly unlatching the old-fashioned bolt—a relic in the sprawling, antique-styled Stone family estate with its maze of courtyards.

The intruder worked swiftly, and within moments, the door swung open, spilling a weak glow from a lantern tucked away in the courty