Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Mysterious gifts box.
Daniel was now dressed, cladded in a white suit-like outfit, though different from the normal boring suits others wore.
The baggy trousers were perfectly fitted, the jacket and the crop top underneath matched his aura flawlessly. The boots were on another level entirely, shining brighter than any of their predecessors.
He stood before the mirror, still fixing his crop top and adjusting the length to tally with the jacket.
So, like jokingly, he was off the market—beginning a new phase, an important aspect of his life. A time no one close to him could witness. And now that he had cut them off, it still felt lonely.
Here he was, in another place, a new world where he was supposed to adapt—or get chewed by evil people who would gladly watch his downfall. But that wouldn’t go so easily.
Daniel Lancaster wouldn’t be destroyed like that.
A bell rang in his ear. He knew what that was—a signal that the wedding would soon start.
He was supposed to come out then, taken to a different wing, followed by a bridesmaid who would usher him into the altar.
But... weren’t they doing something wrong?
To Daniel’s understanding, same-sex marriages weren’t allowed in the church. So how did Xylander plan on completing the wedding in that process if they wouldn’t even be allowed in a church?
Or... did he have an alternative move to bypass the rules?
Daniel was curious, eager to see how things would play out, but on opening his door—he got nothing.
It was empty, except for a box dropped right in front of his door.
"The heck!!" Daniel muttered.
Who was playing with him this time? And with time ticking fast toward noon, why play such a ridiculous game? Doing this on such an occasion was thoughtless.
Ignoring the box, he decided to go back inside. Someone was supposed to be standing there, leading him to the room where a bridesmaid would escort him to the venue. So why wasn’t any of that happening?
Damn that bell!!
He sighed and was about to lock the door when he saw a shadow pass across the corridor.
"What was that??"
Daniel gasped. The figure moved so fast he couldn’t even see the body properly. It was like it blended with the dark entirely.
"I don’t understand..." Daniel muttered. He couldn’t pinpoint if this was all part of the surprise. Even with the rose, the whole play was too much.
Deciding to take a step, he bent and picked up the gift box. Slowly unwrapping it at the spot, he found a rose inside. Nestled in it was a card, written with red markers—or at least, that was the only reasonable explanation Daniel could think of.
Until he touched it. A liquid dripped. Red liquid.
Blood.
His face drained white.
No—it couldn’t be. Nobody would send him a blood-written card. That was impossible.
He was safe here... that was what he was told.
Tempting fate further, and filled with that insatiable desire to know what was written, he untied the red rope binding the card. To his dismay, the words were written with the same blood-stained ink.
The metallic scent oozed out strongly.
And written on it was—
"Dan, you think you can escape from me? And even think of getting married to no one but my rival? Do you know how disrespectful that is?"
Daniel’s expression darkened.
"If you loved being chased so much, you should’ve told me earlier and your wish would’ve been granted. So, Daniel—you have 30 minutes to plan how to rescue yourself because I will storm the fucking Golden Palace. And if I catch you..."
Beside the words was a sexually-hinted drawing.
"If I catch you, I’ll fuck you madly and senselessly, until you learn your life belongs to me. Your heart belongs to me. And so do your dick and ass."
"So run. I’m giving you a head start."
The message ended abruptly.
Chilling.
Panic surged through his chest as goosebumps enveloped him. Had he been deceived into coming to the palace? Did someone betray his whereabouts?
How did he know? Only Alexander and Xylander knew his origin. Xyle didn’t know too deep, but Alex... Alex knew everything. Too much. And that fact scared Daniel to death.
This wasn’t happening again!! He wouldn’t be thrown in that cage again. He wouldn’t endure that brutal treatment from Adrian’s evil crew. And he would never see that basement again.
Holding onto his clothes, he ran to the elevator—only to find no one around. The upper floor was empty, abandoned.
"Where is everyone??" Daniel’s fear tripled as he surveyed the whole floor. Still nothing.
He was desperate to find Alexander. He needed his help. Forget damsels in distress—forget princess stories—Alex was the only one who could counter Adrian’s evil intentions. He was skilled in this field. Daniel’s only shot at survival.
"Please... where are you, Alex??"
Daniel stopped suddenly. A thought struck him.
What if Alex was the one who called them? What if he lured him here among the wealthy, not to protect him but to use him? To draw out Xylander—their nightmare, their number-one enemy—and kill him. A near-perfect revenge.
And then Daniel saw the shadow again.
This time, it didn’t rush past the corridor.
Instead, it walked calmly across the passage, a few meters from where Daniel stood. Then it stopped.
With a sudden snap, the figure turned sharply toward him—its eyes deadly, precise.
Then it raised a gun and aimed straight at Daniel.
Daniel’s eyes bulged. His chest tightened, his vision spun. Anxiety swallowed him whole. But before the trigger could pull—a hand yanked Daniel harshly away.
He gasped.
The drag was so sudden, so unexpected, he spun and hit a hard surface. Before he could fall, a hand caught his back. And then—before his eyes—the lips of the stranger pressed against his.
Xylander.
Xylander’s mouth claimed his in a desperate kiss, while Alexander, standing beside, whipped out two rifles. Before a bullet could redirect toward them, Alex fired four rounds. The shots blasted through the corners and struck different parts of the intruder’s body.
The figure collapsed with a heavy thud, a pool of blood spreading around him.
Daniel was frozen, too shocked to process what had just happened.
Had Xylander arrived a second later... he would’ve been dead.
Why was his life always threatened? Why couldn’t he catch a break? And that kiss—freaking Xylander’s kiss—it was amazing.
If Draven’s kiss was good, this one was like honey. Though shockingly, Xyle didn’t seem to know how to kiss.
His lips froze. He stood there, stupefied, eyes locked with Daniel’s—lips still connected.
Alexander, having finished off the man, noticed their awkward look and began giggling.
When a naive, anti-romantic man meets a baddie.
Xylander wasn’t experienced. Nicole Shelton had only been a test—an experiment to see if his lack of attraction was toward women or just his personality. But nothing worked.
Now he knew the truth. He was gay. Women’s touch irritated him. Nicole was useless to him. And yet, Xyle still hadn’t disposed of her.
"I killed him, guys. So you’re safe. You’re welcome." Alex announced, though no one thanked him.
Daniel had completely forgotten about his near-death experience. His attention was fixed on one shocking fact: the billionaire tycoon couldn’t kiss.
"Okay, I think I know who that man I shot is—" Alex started to explain, but Daniel and Xyle were lost in their own world.
Did Daniel just forget he was nearly killed?
"Wait, Xyle—are you still a virgin?" Daniel asked.
Xylander’s face turned crimson red, his eyes glowing cutely.
And that pout—God. He actually pouted, making him look so damn adorable.
Alex just shrugged. If these two ended up falling in love, the chaos they’d cause would be catastrophic.
"I... I am still a virgin. I never had any experience, so I don’t really know how to kiss. This is my first... actually." Xylander confessed.
Even Alexander gawked.
Was he serious? Never kissed before?
Daniel grinned. He knew he wasn’t interested in romance—only revenge and leveling up. But right now, having fun with Xylander wasn’t bad.
Nicole had stayed in the house all this time, yet she couldn’t even initiate a kiss with him. Shameful.
Alexander was speechless. Haa, what kind of job did he take up with these two?
"Okay, you two—the wedding is already 20 minutes late. Everything’s set. The only ones missing are the grooms. So get your asses to the altar while I dispose of this body." Alex commanded, sounding more like their boss.
"Just go. We’ll talk about the attack later. I’ll reinforce my security with the guards, so rest assured—you’re covered." Alex flashed a perfect smile, especially at Daniel, whose eyes lingered on his.
Slowly, they departed—Daniel holding tightly onto Xyle’s hand. He was still shaken, but he didn’t want to say anything yet. After the wedding, he had some ranting to do, explanations to get.
Because he really wanted to understand what he was getting himself into.
After all... these two still hadn’t earned his complete trust.