Chapter 553

To Robert, these two—Eleanor and the boy—should have been nothing more than insignificant strangers. Yet somehow, they stirred something inside him. A strange familiarity. A disorienting warmth. Emotions he had long since buried. Or perhaps never experienced at all. “You must stay.” The words echoed silently in Robert’s mind, but none of it showed on his face. His expression remained cold, carved from stone. His gaze, deep and penetrating, locked onto the pair before him like a hawk tracking its prey. Leo instinctively tightened his grip on Eleanor’s hand. Sensing danger, the little boy shrank slightly behind her, though his eyes still burned with defiance. Eleanor, expression guarded, avoided Robert’s gaze. Her spine straightened, shoulders tense. She pulled Leo closer to her side and moved decisively—heading toward the door, determined to push past Jacob if she had to. But she didn’t get far. In the blink of an eye, black-clad figures surged in through the entrance. Silent and swift,