He was going to ensure that every threat on that ship died by his hand before it could even get near her.
So that she wouldn't have to stand on the front lines ever again.
And so that...
He wouldn't have to watch her risk her life when he had barely even warmed up to his newly acquired title.
The Sterling Sovereign. The ultimate authority of the overseas corporate dark web.
He hadn't used this identity in a very long time.
But right now, it was exactly what he needed.
If Whitecliffe Harbor was destined to be a warzone.
If Project Zero-Transit was destined to be a death trap set exclusively for her.
Then he would be the one to step into it first.
He would block every piece of danger in the shadows where she couldn't see.
Once everything with the Obsidian Sun was finished, and he returned alive...
She could be as angry with him as she wanted.
He didn't care if she made him sleep on the couch or subjected him to endless torment.
He wouldn't even care if her three brothers teamed up to beat him halfway to hell.
As long as she was safe.
Nothing else mattered.
Nicholas raised a hand and rubbed his temples.
The image of the girl kissing the corner of his lips flashed in his mind again—those cold, breathtakingly beautiful eyes.
He muttered softly, "Serena."
"Don't blame me this time."
...
The Drake Hunter Base.
After making sure Serena had returned safely to her room at the Lancaster estate, Jerrick drove straight to the training base.
The lighting was stark and cold.
Wearing a black tactical vest that exposed the sharp, rugged lines of his shoulders and arms, he stood in front of the metal workbench, methodically dismantling a black handgun.
His movements were deliberate and unhurried.
Every component hit the metal surface with a crisp, soft clink.
On the wall screens, the topographical map of Whitecliffe Harbor, the docking routes for Project Zero-Transit, and all the intel provided by Dr. Geoffrey Grant were segmented and displayed.
The ID next to it read: Fenris.
If any of the Lancasters or Nicholas were here right now, they would be absolutely stunned to see that name.
Fenris. The supreme overlord of overseas high-risk mercenary contractors.
He specialized in extreme-threat escorts, black-market security, illicit cargo transit protection, and an array of shadowy, perilous operations.
Jerrick stared at his codename, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
He had originally created this alias merely to facilitate the Drake Hunter squad's international operations.
There were many things official forces simply couldn't do.
Once an official entity intervened, it dragged in too many factions and could even disrupt global geopolitics.
So, there had to be a completely independent, unofficial persona to handle the dirty work, the lethal jobs, and the problems that couldn't see the light of day.
And so, Fenris was born.
At first, it was just a tool to complete missions.
But over time, the persona grew into one of the most mysterious and prohibitively expensive contractors in the global mercenary underworld.
No one knew who Fenris really was.
They only knew that he never failed a contract.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Messing With Her? Are You Crazy!