Page 109 of Serpent King's Prisoner

“That’s what I’ve been waiting for,” she murmured. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Forty-Nine: Abby

The salty air wasn’t enough to wash away the heaviness that clung to Nathan as we trudged along the beach. The sand, cool between my toes, seemed to weigh him down with every step he took. I could almost hear the burden in his sigh as he turned to me, his eyes mirroring the turmoil of the ocean.

“You okay?” I asked.

He glared at me.

“Dumb question.”

“Abby,” he started, and I was taken aback by the rawness in his voice, “I feel like I’m suffocating under all this—under my father’s legacy.”

I blinked at him, shocked by the sudden vulnerability that cracked through his tough exterior. We were just…talking. Like a normal couple.

It was wild.

Nathan, the feared Fangs Zhou, was laying bare his soul beside the crashing waves.

“It sounds like a lot,” I said.

“Kenny, my father, he doesn’t see us as his kids, you know? He never has.” He kicked at a washed-up piece of driftwood, sending it skittering over the wet sand. “We’re just pawns to him. Chess pieces in some sick game he’s playing against the world.”

It was jarring to hear him talk about family like this; I’d only ever heard rumors of the cold-hearted Serpent’s Head, who used people without a second thought. But now, standing next to his eldest son, the human cost of that ruthlessness became painfully clear.

“Alex, my little brother, has always been in the shadows...” Nathan continued, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “I get why he might want out. Why he might turn on us. My dad was never around–got into hot water and fled to Hong Kong for years. He missed birthdays, holidays...we grew up with a ghost for a father. But we did get very nice cars when we turned sixteen.”

I watched him closely, noting the clench of his jaw, the way his fists balled up at his sides.

“Sometimes, I wonder if it would’ve been better if he just stayed away for good,” he muttered, almost to himself.

Staring at him, I felt something twist inside me, a mix of pity and an unexpected tenderness. Nathan might be part of this dark world, but he was also a man grappling with the wounds of a neglected childhood and the weight of a destiny he never asked for.

“Do you really think Alex is behind this?” I ventured cautiously, my voice slicing through the thick silence that followed his confession. We’d paused at a pier, watching families play in the surf.

Nathan’s black eyes flicked toward me, and for a moment, they were unreadable pools in his tanned face. Then he shrugged, the gesture heavy with reluctant acceptance. “It’s possible,” he admitted. “The orders must come from someone with enough pull to anticipate our moves. But Alex...” He let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. “He spends his days with his idiot crew at this motorcycle shop, more interested in engines than empires.”

I leaned against the railing beside him, pretending to be absorbed in the view while my mind raced. “You know,” I said with an air of nonchalance, “I’m pretty good at organizing things. It was one of my strengths in the sorority house—keeping everyone on track.”

The lie rolled off my tongue smoothly, hiding my Quantico-trained background in profiling.

“Is that right?” Nathan turned to look at me, a flicker of interest lighting up his features.

“Also, Money Heist,” I said. “Superfan, remember?”

“How does that help?”

“Maybe I could help you figure this out. You know, two heads are better than one and all that jazz.”

For a long moment, he studied me, as if judging whether I was another piece on his chessboard or a potential ally. Finally, he nodded, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a wry smile. “Alright, Abby. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

And then, as we walked back to the apartment, he told me everything.

He told me every detail, mentioning every notable person in his organization, giving me access that was completely and totally unprecedented.

A rush of triumph surged within me, but I kept my face composed. This was it—the chance to delve deeper into the Zhou family dynamics and gather the intel I needed. And maybe, just maybe, I’d help Nathan untangle the web of deceit threatening to choke his world.

I’d take in the real menace: his father.

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