"At least we can now confirm the existence of another man," Vortex said, his voice steady and analytical. "There are two possibilities here. This man might have been working with Ivy, and the two of them nned together how to deal with Aurora.


    The other possibility is that he wasn''t aligned with Ivy at all. Maybe he was acting alone, intending to kill Aurora-or perhaps to kill both Ivy and Aurora in one move.


    Personally, I lean toward the second hypothesis. If they were working together, two against one, would Aurora have stood a chance? It''s possible, albeit unlikely, that in a desperate moment, Aurora dragged Ivy into the sea with her, ensuring mutual destruction.


    But statistically speaking, the odds of that are slim. What if someone tampered with the railing beforehand, setting this all up? Ivy might have been manipted from the start.


    Imagine this: Ivy and Aurora get into an argument. In the heat of the moment, Aurora identally falls from the railing. Before Ivy could even react, a hidden hand pushes her into the sea as well.


    Considering the evidence at the scene and the sequence of events, this scenario seems the most usible. But then, what kind of grudge could someone hold to justify killing both sisters?"


    Vortex, a veteran investigator with years of experience, had pieced together a theory that brought them closer to the truth. His analysis painted a vivid picture in Julian''s mind.


    On that night in Rome, at the grand banquet, Mio Walsh had been there. Ivy had been there too.


    Tina had once mentioned Mio Walsh''s methods. In the business world, anyone who dared to steal his deals could expect swift retaliation.


    And Aurora? She hadn''t just taken a deal from him-she had taken a massive one. Moreover, Aurora''s identity alone posed a significant threat to Mio Walsh.


    For days, Mio Walsh had remained eerily quiet, and Julian had even wondered if he was unaware of Aurora''s true identity. Perhaps Tina had been overthinking it all.


    But now, in the wake of these events, Julian couldn''t help but dig deeper. Mio Walsh wasn''t idle-he had simply chosen another n.


    It was a clever move, though not the most brilliant. What made it clever was that he had used Ivy to execute his n, catching everyone off guard.


    His n seeded, but his fatal mistake was targeting Aurora. By doing so, he had enraged Julian.


    No matter what Mio Walsh gained, Julian vowed to destroy everything he owned, piece by piece. If Mio Walsh had no intention of letting him live peacefully, Julian would ensure Mio Walsh would beg for death.


    In truth, no matter what tactics Mio Walsh employed, Aurora''s list of enemies was short. Those bold enough to kill her could be counted on one hand.


    If Aurora were to die, Julian''s first suspect would be Mio Walsh. No matter how wless Mio Walsh thought his n was, no matter how much me he shifted onto Ivy, Julian would see through it.


    Even if Aurora truly died, Mio Walsh would never know peace. Julian would dedicate his life to taking everything from him, one step at a time.


    Julian had already ordered a full investigation into Ivy''s recent contacts. Once evidence surfaced, Mio Walsh would be finished.


    "I already have a suspect in mind," Julian dered, his expression grim.


    "Who is it?"


    "I don''t have proof yet. But once I do, he''s done for!" Julian''s confidence was unwavering. He was a man who spoke with evidence, not guesswork.


    "For now, our priority is finding Aurora. Don''t lose hope-Aurora might still be alive," Nick said, attempting tofort him.


    "She''s alive," Julian said firmly. As long as her body wasn''t found, he refused to believe otherwise.


    "Well, back to our earlier question. Whether or not the person we''re after is on the ship, we need to interrogate everyone thoroughly. If they''re here, it''ll make things easier-we can find the real culprit."


    If you''re loving the book, nel5s is where the adventure continues. Join us for theplete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Agreed. Let''s start by analyzing this list. These are the profiles of everyone on board. We''ll eliminate suspects one by one."


    "These people are all business professionals. You two are more familiar with them than I am, so look through the profiles. I''ll check the surveince footage," Vortex said. "Surveince footage?" Nick asked, puzzled. "What are you hoping to find there?" "Most people are in the main hall right now. If the culprit is among them, they might slip up." Vortex''s insight ran deeper than the other two.


    "I forgot this is your area of expertise," Nick said. "Go ahead." He and Julian turned their attention back to the profiles.


    Vortex quietly entered the surveince room. At that moment, most of the guests were eating breakfast. Conversations buzzed around the hall, with many faces showing impatience.


    What should have been a pleasant banquet had turned into a nightmare. Now they were stuck on the ship, unable to leave, with their schedules disrupted.


    Some guests wereining, while others busied themselves with phone calls, trying to rearrange their ns.


    Vortex''s eyes scanned the faces on the screen, one by one.


    Finally, his gazended on a man sitting in the corner. The man was calmly eating, seemingly unaffected by the chaos around him. A woman sat beside him, her demeanor flirtatious, but the man remained indifferent.


    Vortex zoomed in on the footage, studying the man''s expression closely.


    If this man were a trained killer, he would excel at controlling his facial expressions. Knowing he might be under scrutiny, he wouldn''t show any signs of panic.


    In situations like this, the calmest person often stood out as the most suspicious. He was clever, but he had made a fatal mistake.


    Vortex''s sharp eyes focused on the man''s posture and the way he ate. There was something unusual about him.


    The man ate quickly, barely chewing before swallowing. This wasn''t normal behavior-it was the hallmark of someone from a specialized field, like Vortex himself.


    In high-pressure situations, time was precious. Meals were consumed in minutes, if at all. Some emergencies required immediate action, leaving no time for leisurely eating. Another possibility was that the man was an assassin. Killers often spent weeks, even months, preparing for a single target. Their eating habits were erratic, and food was merely fuel to keep them going.


    The man''s mechanical eating, hisck of interest in the food itself, raised rms. He was merely going through the motions.


    Eventually, his femalepanion grew bored and left his side. The man scanned the room, his eyes carefully observing the people around him.


    By now, the coast guard, rescue boats, and even submarines had arrived. The sea was bustling with activity.


    Julian entered the surveince room, holding a stack of profiles. "We''ve identified a few suspects. They boarded alone and don''t appear to be part of anypany or executive team."


    "Let me see," Vortex said, taking the documents from Julian. He skimmed through them quickly, his focus narrowing on one individual.


    "Take a look at this guy. I''ve been watching him on the cameras for a while now," Vortex said, pointing to the man. It turned out that one of Julian''s suspects matched the man Vortex had been observing.