I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

\'Damn it, Malachi, where are you?\' he thought, his jaw clenching. \'And where\'s Cordelia? If she\'s really here...\'

He leaned forward slightly, straining his ears for any telltale sounds. The house remained frustratingly silent.

\'I need proof,\' Gustavo\'s mind raced. \'Just one voice, one little slip-up. Come on, give me something to work with here.\'

His gaze fell on a small side table, its surface covered in unopened letters and what looked like hastily discarded gloves. For a moment, the urge to stand and investigate nearly overwhelmed him.

\'No,\' he chided himself. \'Stay put. If Malachi walks in and catches you snooping, this whole operation goes up in smoke.\'

Gustavo closed his eyes, trying to calm his thundering heartbeat. He focused, listening intently for any hint of conversation, a stray footstep, even the rustle of fabric from another room.

\'Matilda, Mara, Zafron - any of you. Just one word, that\'s all I need.\'

The silence stretched on, broken only by the soft ticking of an unseen clock. Gustavo\'s fingers twitched, his body yearning to move, to search, to find answers.

\'This waiting game is maddening,\' he thought, reopening his eyes to scan the room once more. \'But I\'ve come too far to blow it now. Patience, old boy. Malachi will show his hand soon enough.\'

As if on cue, the door on the left suddenly swung open. Malachi strode in, a towel casually draped over his head, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. He halted abruptly, his eyes widening at the sight of his unexpected visitor.

"Gustavo," Malachi said, recovering quickly. "This is... a surprise."

Gustavo rose smoothly, a practiced smile spreading across his face. "Malachi. I hope I\'m not intruding."

Malachi\'s lips quirked into a wry grin. "Well, you\'ve certainly caught me at an interesting moment." He gestured to his state of undress. "I\'ve just stepped out of the shower."

Gustavo replied, his tone light but his eyes sharp. "I apologize for dropping in unannounced. I wanted to thank you personally for releasing my boys from the Enforcers headquarters."

"Ah, yes," Malachi said, nodding slowly. "We had a deal, and I\'m just holding up my end of it."

As Malachi and Gustavo were engaged in their brief conversation, the door on the right suddenly opened. Cordelia breezed in, her voice light and carefree.

"Malachi, you won\'t believe how amazing this dress looks on—" Her words died abruptly as her eyes fell on Gustavo. She froze, her mind racing.

\'Is that not Gustavo? I don\'t think it\'s a good thing for him to see me here.\' Cordelia thought, her heart pounding.

Outwardly, she maintained her composure, only a slight widening of her eyes betraying her surprise.

After a beat, Cordelia continued her trajectory into the room, her steps measured and deliberate. "Gustavo," she said, her voice steady. "What an unexpected pleasure."

Gustavo\'s eyebrows shot up, genuine surprise flashing across his face before he schooled his features as he stood up to greet her, bowing his head. "Lady Cordelia? I had no idea you were in the city."

She laughed, the sound only slightly strained. "Oh, I\'ve only just arrived. The Trade Festival is happening this week, and I simply couldn\'t miss it. Malachi was kind enough to offer me a place to stay."

Malachi, still in his towel and shorts, smoothly inserted himself into the conversation. "Yes, Mrs Fairfax\'s visit was rather... impromptu. Her husband pleaded that she stayed in the safe confines of my abode and who am I to decline? You see, not many know this but I and Lord Fairfax go way back...way back," Malachi said, smiling and grinning between his teeth as he exchanged glances with Cordelia.

\'So Brutus and Ratface were right all along,\' Gustavo thought, his pulse quickening. \'Everyonr knows Cordelia is a close friend to Matilda. It would make sense that she knows about the bounty and has probably warned her friend. If Brutus and Ratface really saw Cordelia and Malachi at Matilda\'s house, that means they brought her here. Matilda must be somewhere in this mansion.\'

Outwardly, Gustavo maintained a polite smile, but his gaze began to roam the room more deliberately, taking in every detail.

"The Trade Festival does sound delightful," he said smoothly, his eyes lingering on a hallway visible through a partially open door. "I\'m sure you\'ll have a wonderful time, lady Cordelia."

Cordelia smiled brightly, though her eyes remained watchful. "And what brings you here, Gustavo? Surely not the festival as well?"

"No, no," Gustavo replied, his earlier excuse momentarily forgotten. "I was just here for some business. It\'s nothing serious."

Cordelia nodded, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Right.....Though I fear I\'ve interrupted something here. Perhaps I should-"

"Not at all," Gustavo interjected, rising from his seat. "Malachi and I were just concluding our business. In fact, I should be on my way."

Malachi\'s eyebrows raised slightly. "So soon?"

Gustavo chuckled, the sound hollow to his own ears. "Yeah, I have some other things to attend to."

With that, he quickly stood up and made his way to the door without waiting for any response from them.

As he moved towards the door, Gustavo\'s mind whirled with possibilities. \'This place is enormous. Finding Matilda, if she\'s here, won\'t be easy. I need a plan...\'

"It was a pleasure seeing you both," Gustavo said, his hand on the doorknob. "And Lady Cordelia, please enjoy the festival. Malachi... We will see again, soon" Gustavo said, almost tipping an invisible hat before spinning around to leave.

As Gustavo stepped out, he could feel their eyes boring into his back. The weight of their gazes made his skin prickle, but he forced himself to walk at a measured pace.

Behind him, Cordelia and Malachi exchanged a loaded glance.

"Well," Malachi said softly, once the door had closed. "That was unexpected."

Cordelia\'s facade crumbled, her eyes wide with worry. "Malachi, do you think he suspects-"

Malachi held up a hand, cutting her off. "Not really," he murmured, his eyes darting to the windows. "But we need to be careful. Very careful..."

As Gustavo stepped out of Malachi\'s mansion, his mind whirling with plans and suspicions. Mordred who had been waiting outside, straightened as soon as he saw Gustavo, his eyes sharp with anticipation.

Mordred strode forward, meeting Gustavo halfway down the path. "Well?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes darting to the house behind them. "What did you find?"

Gustavo grabbed Mordred\'s arm, steering him further away from the house and any potential eavesdroppers. "I didn\'t see Matilda," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I\'ve confirmed our suspicions. Cordelia was there."

Mordred\'s eyebrows shot up. "Cordelia? Here? Then that means-"

"Exactly," Gustavo cut him off with a curt nod. "Brutus and Ratface were right. If Cordelia\'s here, it\'s almost certain Matilda is too."

Mordred\'s hand instinctively moved to the gun hidden beneath his jacket. "So what\'s our next move? Do we go in now?"

Gustavo\'s eyes scanned the perimeter of the property, taking in the numerous guards patrolling the grounds. He shook his head. "No, not now. We need to regroup, organize ourselves. All of us."

"But if we wait-" Mordred began, but Gustavo silenced him with a sharp look.

"I know the risks," Gustavo said, his voice low and intense. "Any delay could give them a chance to move Matilda. But look around you, Mordred. We\'re outnumbered right now."

Mordred followed Gustavo\'s gaze, finally noticing the heavy security presence. He nodded reluctantly. "You\'re right. So, what\'s the plan?"

Gustavo\'s lips curved into a grim smile. "We go back to our hideout, gather everyone. Tomorrow at night, we strike. We\'ll come in full force and take back what\'s rightfully ours."

"Tomorrow?" Mordred echoed, surprise evident in his voice. "That\'s soon."

"It has to be," Gustavo replied, his eyes hard. "We can\'t give them time to prepare. Tomorrow, we end this."

As they walked out of the mansion, Gustavo cast one last look at Malachi\'s mansion. His voice was barely audible as he muttered, "Enjoy your last night of peace, old friend. Tomorrow, everything changes."