But then, Jules shook his head. That seemed impossible to believe. Cole was standing right there beside Elliana—more handsome, obviously richer, and clearly a much more skilled fighter. There was no logical reason she would choose him over a man like Cole, especially not right in front of Cole’s face. But it didn’t matter now. His beloved idol wanted to kiss him. Should he let her do it?

Jules remained frozen in place like a statue. His internal battle between excitement and hesitation played out clearly across his face. Updates are released by FindN0vel.net

All around him, the men in black rolled their eyes at exactly the same time. Jules was usually smart enough when his brain was actually working. But the moment his idol appeared, his intelligence seemed to drop to the level of a small child. Being stuck on such an important mission with a leader like this felt like the worst possible luck.

Katrina’s face showed nothing but pure disgust as she watched Jules. She was practically vibrating with the urge to kick his legs out from under him and drag him back to reality.

When Elliana saw that Jules was still standing there like a fool, she decided to push him a little further. She made an exaggerated show of starting to turn away from him. “Well, if you’re not interested in coming over here, then I guess I’ll just have to leave.”

“No, please wait! Don’t go anywhere!” Jules shouted desperately. He immediately started running after her without giving it a second thought. He moved so quickly that Katrina didn’t even have time to grab him and stop his stupidity.

The instant Jules stepped outside the protective circle formed by his men, Elliana spun around with lightning speed. She threw a small pouch at his face with perfect aim.

A thick cloud of fine, glittering powder exploded all around Jules. It was exactly the same dangerous substance Elliana had used during their last encounter. Soulscorch.

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The sweet, familiar scent hit Jules’s nose and instantly snapped him back to his senses. But his moment of clarity came far too late to save him.

Soulscorch was not the kind of drug that could be fought off through willpower alone. Before Jules could even begin to curse himself for being such a complete fool, his legs buckled beneath him. He collapsed to the cold ground at Elliana’s feet like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Every single one of his men winced at the same time. Their leader had been completely defeated before the real battle had even begun. The whole situation was so ridiculous that it was almost painful to watch. At least Katrina was still standing and ready to fight. They would simply have to pretend Jules wasn’t lying unconscious on the ground and follow her orders instead.

Elliana calmly brushed the last traces of powder from her hands. She turned toward Jason with a satisfied smile on her face. “He’s going to be unconscious for at least a couple of hours. Now you won’t have to worry about accidentally hurting him when the real fighting starts. Make sure you take him with you when you’re done here.” Then, she looked over at Cole, her smile growing even brighter. “I’m ready to go now. Let’s get out of here.”

After knocking Jules unconscious, Elliana and Cole made their way straight to their private jet, completely ignoring Katrina and her army of black-clad assassins. Elliana had already tested Katrina’s abilities during their previous encounter and knew that Jason’s presence alone was more than enough to handle whatever threat Katrina might pose.

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