?Chapter 1417:


    “Lucius, didn’t you swear up and down that N doesn’t know about my situation? So, what’s all this? Were you lying to me?”


    Lucius didn’t react right away. But when he turned and spotted the Happer family’s crest emzoned on the helicopter, the pieces fell into ce.


    “I never thought I’d see the day when someone as fearless as you would break a sweat over N.”


    His lips curved into a sly smile, his words sharp enough to cut.


    “Rx. That helicopter’s got nothing to do with her.”


    “You expect me to swallow that?” Harlee red at him, her voice heavy with disdain.


    “Besides N, I have significant dealings with the Happer family. Now you know,” Lucius admitted, his voice carrying an edge of reluctance. He could only reveal so much about his rtionship with the Happer family today, knowing that Harlee wouldn’t board the helicopter without some exnation.


    “ying both sides, are we?” she quipped, raising an eyebrow.


    “Funny, I never pegged you for someone so calcting.”


    Had Lucius not overstepped his boundaries this time and revealed the mask he wore so well, he might have forever remained in Harlee’s mind as the charming elder—approachable and easy to get along with. But masks, no matter how expertly crafted, always crack over time. It turned out the affectionate gestures were phony.


    Lucius ignored her sarcasm and walked straight to the helicopter, confident that Harlee would follow. She did.


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    What Harlee hadn’t expected was learning that Lucius had been working with the Happer family behind N’s back. Could the Happer family itself be divided, caught up in internal conflicts? If that were true, she might be able to use the other Happer family members’ hatred for N against her when the time came.


    With this thought in mind, Harlee quickened her steps.


    For over three hours, the helicopter remained in the air. Atst, it emerged from the dense clouds and circled above the ind.


    Harlee could only hear the helicopter’s noise from where she sat, unable to see what was going on below. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lucius beat her to it.


    “Where do wend?” he asked. The ind was entirely under Harlee’s control, and its defenses were heavy. Landing without caution would mean being shot down instantly.


    “The port,” Harlee replied tly, her gaze fixed on the clouds outside.


    Lucius immediately ryed the orders to the pilot, whonded the helicopter swiftly and steadily in an open area near the harbor.


    Harlee stepped out of the helicopter, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Thiago and Jianna were already waiting for her.


    As Harlee approached, her eyes caught a figure in the crowd that made her heart skip a beat—Rhys.


    Harlee stiffened, forcing herself to maintain a calm expression to avoid alerting Lucius. She continued forward, deliberately turning her head to avoid looking in Rhys’ direction. Why was he here? And why had he disguised himself among the crowd? It was reckless—too reckless. If Lucius noticed him, everything could fall apart.


    Harlee raised her voice.


    “Except for Jianna, Thiago, and Richard, everyone else can continue with their work!”


    Hearing this, Rhys, who was in disguise, smirked and stepped out of the crowd, standing beside Thiago and Jianna.


    Rhys and Harlee had previously discussed baby names, with the boy to be named Richard and the girl Gillian. Therefore, as soon as Lucius heard the name “Richard,” he knew that Harlee was referring to him. Harlee watched as Rhys emerged from the crowd with a calm expression and then strode over to stand beside Thiago. She slowly shifted her gaze from Rhys to Lucius and said, “It’s already dark. Are you sure you still want to go directly to Nic’s tombstone? Just a word of caution, it’s not safe there.”


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