Though anger still simmered in his chest, Eugene hadn''t forgotten why he''de. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he sat down, ignoring the wine on the table and picking up the tablet instead.


    The screen disyed the information he''d requested earlier.


    Every detail was there who M had met with yesterday, her entire conversation with Forrest, even her heated argument with Sophia. It was all spelled out in painstaking rity.


    He barely had time to mock Forrest''s hopeless infatuation or feel outrage at Sophia''s extremes; the first thing that struck Eugene was a creeping sense of unease. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, eyes sharpened as he fixed them on Johnnie. "You''ve been spying on her, haven''t you?"


    All he had wanted was to know who his sister had seen the day before yesterday, hoping to deduce who might have harmed her. But this information was far too exhaustive-it even included direct quotes from their conversations.


    This went well beyond the bounds of any ordinary investigation.


    "Spying?" Johnnie chuckled, shaking his head. "We don''t do that kind of thing."


    "So you have someone nted near her?" Eugene pressed, not believing a word, his expression dark as he waved the tablet in his hand. "Then how else do you know exactly what she said?"


    “That''s just what we do," Johnnie replied with a cid smile. “But as for bugging or nting someone, that''s just not possible-not with the Montgomery family watching her like a hawk. You more than anyone should know that. They''ve got her locked down tight; nobody can get close."


    Of course Eugene knew.


    A year ago, he could still asionally sneak a peek into his sister''s affairs. But after Lysander''s ident abroad, no matter what he tried, every thread about his sister vanished into a ck hole-sealed off and encrypted,pletely out of reach.


    Which was precisely why he''d turned to Johnnie for help.


    But the results had been almost too perfect-more thorough than he could have imagined. He couldn''t begin to fathom how Johnnie had managed to get such detailed intel under these circumstances... and Johnnie didn''t even bother to hide it from him.


    The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart grew.


    "So, do you believe us now?" Johnnie asked with a faint smile.


    "What do you want with her?" Eugene shot back.


    "Nothing," Johnnie said easily. "She''s never been our target. And anyway, wasn''t it you who asked for this information in the first ce?"


    "But you met with her," Eugene insisted, not letting it go.


    "Oh, that." Johnnie''s tone was breezy and casual, utterly unruffled. "I needed an excuse toe here, but couldn''t get too far from the Montgomerys. Turns out there was a matchmaking event going on-so I just used that as a pretext, nothing more."


    “Matchmaking?” Eugene frowned, clearly displeased.


    "It doesn''t matter," Johnnie smiled. "Don''t worry. It was just a pretext. I have no interest in her no intention of hurting her, either."


    Eugene fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Then what do you want? What''s your goal?"


    "You really don''t know?" Johnnie looked genuinely surprised. "Of course, it''s to bring you and your mother home. The professor''s been longing for you both, but the Montgomerys have always stood in the way..."


    But Eugene barely heard the rest. The moment Johnnie mentioned his mother, a low, electric hum filled his head, drowning everything else out. His fingers trembled slightly where they rested on the tablet.


    Mother?


    ...


    It was a long time before Eugene came back to himself.


    He drew several shaky breaths, fighting to keep his voice steady, though it barely


    came out smooth. "He wants... he wants to take my mother away?"


    "And you, too." Johnnie''s smile didn''t waver.


    Eugene let out a bitterugh.


    "Really? That old man''s been


    missing for over a decade, and now


    suddenly he wants me and my.


    mother back? Where was he


    are


    these years? You think I''ll just believe that?"


    "Eugene." Suddenly, Johnnie''s expression turned serious.


    "The professor didn''te looking for you because the Montgomerys hid every trace of you. He never knew his only child was out there, lost. It was the Montgomerys who tore him and your mother apart with underhanded tricks, who separated you from your family. That''s why you''ve all been apart for so many years."


    "Twenty years, Eugene. Don''t you want to be with your parents again? To go home-to your real family, where you''ll never be alone?"


    "That''s your home!"


    "No!" Eugene suddenly shouted, mming the tablet onto the table. His chest heaved, breathing fast and ragged.


    After a long struggle topose himself, he managed to speak, his voice raw. "This is my home. I grew up here. I..." He trailed off, confusion flickering in his eyes. Was it really his home?


    Johnnie only smiled.


    "Home? You mean the ce that sent you away as a child, that barely let you set foot inside all these


    years? The family that''s always et


    kept


    you at arm''s length, always watching, always restricting you? That so-called home doesn''t care about you."


    "The blood in your veins, the eyes you see with-how long are you going to keep wearing that mask, pretending to be someone you''re not? Eugene, do you even remember who you are?"


    "Shut up!"


    Eugene, who had been silent for so long, exploded. He hurled the tablet with all


    his strength, but Johnnie caught his arm, and the device crashed to the ground, the screen shattering.


    Eugene''s eyes burned red as he red at Johnnie, his voice catching on a sob. "Just shut up!"


    He wanted to scream that he did have a home.


    But not a single word woulde.


    Home?


    He tried to picture it in his mind, to argue back-but all he found was a nk


    emptiness. There was nothing there at all.