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CHAPTER 636
Just as he said, “lock the estate down,” a loud, exaggerated “Ewww!” echoed from the staircase.The group turned as one.At the bottom of the steps stood Bianca. At ten, she was no longer the tiny toddler who smuggled chocolate bars through crawlspaces.She had grown into a leggy, sharp-featured girl with the same defiant spark in her eyes that Tedmond carried. She wore an oversized hoodie and headphones, observing the display of affection with pure, unadulterated middle-school disgust.“Seriously?” Bianca groaned, folding her arms. “The world is ending, Thomas is hyperventilating in the van, and you two are doing… that? In the living room?”Tedmond’s tactical mask didn’t just slide; it shattered.A genuine, lopsided smile curved his lips. For a moment, he was no trained killer or corporate titan. He softened, stepping away from Persis with open arms, an invitation for the hug she always gave after a long trip.“Come here, you brat,” he said warmly.Bianca didn’t run. She didn’t e
CHAPTER 635
Persis didn’t just inhabit the room; she commanded it.She leaned over the massive desk, her body arched in a curve that spoke of both exhaustion and lethal elegance.The silk of her emerald-green blouse clung to the arch of her back, shimmering like water under the chandelier’s glow.Her raven hair, usually pinned in a professional twist, had partially escaped, cascading over one shoulder in heavy waves that brushed against the polished wood.As she reached for a pen, the movement emphasized the toned lines of her arms and the narrowness of her waist, cinched by a high-waisted pencil skirt that stopped just above the knee, revealing legs that seemed to go on forever, ending in stiletto heels sharp enough to draw blood.With a frustrated groan, she tossed a folder to the floor; the papers fluttered like wounded birds.“It is entirely too hard running a company,” Persis muttered, rubbing her temples. “I wasn’t built for this much paperwork.”A pair of small, sensible heels clicked acro
CHAPTER 634
Thomas looked Tedmond in the eye.He knew what would happen if he told him the names of the gang he had gathered, and he didn’t want Tedmond going after them without a plan.Thomas paused.“But this will take time. Information in that world is bought with blood and patience. In the meantime…”He hesitated, glancing at Persis before looking back at Tedmond.“You are still enrolled. If you’re still interested in finishing your studies, I suggest you do so. It provides the perfect cover. Let the world think you’re a grieving heir trying to find his footing in academia while we build our army in the shadows.”Tedmond leaned back, the dining hall's silence emphasizing his isolation.He thought of the long road ahead, the strength he would need, the discipline required to dismantle a syndicate that had hidden a woman for twenty years.“You’re right,” Tedmond murmured. He gave a single, sharp nod. “I need the credentials and the cover. I’ll finish. But Thomas… don’t stop digging. Not for a
CHAPTER 633
Tedmond turned away from the mirror, and for the first time in three days, a slow, boyish grin spread across his face, a look that was almost more unsettling than his coldness.“Oh, she didn’t bring me the silver trays, Persis,” he said with a light shrug. “She used the servants’ crawlspace behind the wardrobe. Apparently, she found a way to slide snacks and takeout through a gap in the wood.”Persis gaped at him. “Takeout? Snacks? Tedmond, where would a five-year-old get—”“She must have hidden a stash,” Tedmond chuckled, his eyes dancing with a brief, rare flash of warmth. “While you were all mourning me as if I were already in the ground, that little rascal was smuggling in chocolate bars and cold sandwiches she swiped from the pantry. She told me I looked ‘grumpy’ and needed to eat my feelings.”He let out a short laugh, shaking his head.“So no, Mary doesn’t need to cook a feast. I’ve lived on sugar and Bianca’s ‘secret’ rations for seventy-two hours. I’m quite fueled.”Persis r
CHAPTER 632
He paused.“Have you identified all the locations where women could be sold?”Wherever they had sent his mother, whatever they had done to her, he would find her himself and make sure she came home.After being gone for so long, he knew one thing: if she had regained her memories and been free, she would have found a way to contact Thomas. The fact that she hadn’t meant there were only two possibilities.Either she had regained her memories but was being held captive without access to a phone, orOr she hadn’t regained them at all.Persis and Thomas exchanged a quick, worried glance. They had far more to tell him, not only about the search for Mill, but about the collapse of the Griffin line he had left behind.“Eat first, Tedmond,” Persis said, her voice soft but firm. “Then we’ll talk. There’s… quite a lot to catch up on.”Tedmond nodded and headed toward the dining hall with a brisk, measured stride.“Fine. But keep it brief. I have a hectic afternoon ahead of me.”As they descen
CHAPTER 631
Three days had passed since the gunshot in the courtroom shattered the world.Three days since the name Mill Washington had been dragged from the shadows of a dead man’s throat.Inside the sprawling estate, the air felt stagnant.The staff moved on tiptoe, their eyes constantly drifting toward the heavy oak doors of the master suite.Tedmond had not left his room.Food was placed on silver trays outside the door, only to be collected hours later, cold and untouched.Behind those doors, there was no sound at all, only a crushing, absolute silence.Tedmond was a prisoner of the realization that he had mourned a ghost for twenty years while his mother was likely suffering in a cage Harold had built.Persis stood in the hallway, her hand hovering inches from the door handle.The only thing separating her from Tedmond was that door, and she had been standing there for a long time, wanting to knock, unable to find the courage, endlessly deciding what to do.She wanted to give him space to c
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