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“Something is humming here,” Ashburn said, his eyes tracing the wall and settling on the west corner of the ceiling. He kicked a wooden box toward the wall and stood on the box. Ashburn tore the wallpaper off the corner of the ceiling and came face to face with a camera.

Lucienne’s breath hitched as Ashburn looked straight at her through the lens. His eyes turned a shade darker, close to stormygray. Unwavering, Lucienne stared back. “Like the show?” he asked coldly then slammed his thumb on the lens.

Blackness covered the monitor in BL7. A few seconds later, wavy lines and static danced across the screen.

“Lucia, we’re sobusted,” Ziyi’s voice called through the intercom, filling the void. “He also disabled the other cameras in his bedroom and the living room.”

“It’s physically impossible to immobilize three cameras at the same time,” said Vladimir, the intercom capturing his irritation.

“When it comes to Ashburn Fury, we can no longer think in a conventional sense,” Lucienne said. “He just demonstrated a pure mental force.”

“Turn Dragonfly on him, Ziyi, and see how he responds,” Vladimir ordered.

Static filled the monitor.

“Turn Dragonfly somewhere else,” Lucienne said.

“The lens is on Sphinxes,” Ziyi answered.

A red brick house with a vast training ground popped up on the screen.

“Hey, don’t show off my house,” Vladimir said. “It’s as attractive as its owner. I don’t want everyone paying me a visit at night, especially—”

“Girls?” Ziyi asked.

“No girls,” Vladimir said plainly.

She knew he wouldn’t joke about girls when there was a third party present. He only teased her when they were alone, but that was before their relationship had become strained. Vladimir knew how she would react if she felt she were being humiliated and by no means wanted to test her again.

“Turn it back on Nirvana, but not on the Fury house,” Lucienne said.

Static again buzzed from the monitor.

“A membrane. Ashburn has created a sphere above the town. He can block the satellite.” Lucienne drew a harsh breath. “Just like the Eye of Time.”

“He’s become a threat,” Vladimir said.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Lucienne in her rose-red, Francis leather jacket approached the Fury house, accompanied by Orlando and Duncan.

Cam, stationed by the door, saluted Lucienne. Duncan knocked.

Peder answered, a stunned expression on his face—it seemed he hadn’t recovered from the shock of his son’s return.

Strolling beside Peder, Lucienne heard joyful cries and crooning from Clement and high-pitched laughter from Violet. Natural, lukewarm light illuminated the house, comfortable to the eyes without drawing attention from the neighbors. The temperature inside was just perfect.

Quantum energy at work, Lucienne mused. Did the boy produce light and heat with the power of the Eye of Time? She suppressed a mixture of jealousy and amazement. Wearing a sweet smile, she approached the group in the sitting room.

At the sight of Lucienne, Ashburn rose from a chair beside his mother. His intense gaze, though steady and cool, didn’t conceal his astonishment, as if he haddéjà vu.As if he had known her from a past life, but was seeing her for the first time.

Lucienne also had a reaction. The moment her gaze met Ashburn’s, the air sucked out of the room. What was happening? What was he doing to her? Was he trying to strangle her by thinning the air she breathed? She gasped for air and threw a frantic look toward Kian, wanting him to confirm her suspicion. But for the first time, Kian didn’t understand her look. He stood with the others to pay his respect to her, sending her an assured look—that he had the situation under control.

No one else seemed to be affected by the thin air. Orlando and Duncan looked fine, effectively blending into the background.

“Son,” Peder said, “this is Queen Lucienne. Her Majesty has been good to us.”

“I know who she is, Papa,” Ashburn said with a slight British accent, turning to Lucienne. “Thank you for taking care of my parents.”