Nicole had been sitting in the living room, lost in thought when she suddenly snapped back to reality. She raised a hand to smooth her hair and stood up with a gentle smile.


    Her voice remained as warm as ever. "L, what brings you back so suddenly?"


    L stepped closer and took her hand. "Did something happen to Morgan Group?"


    In mere seconds, her mind had already pieced together the clues.


    Kieran had left for an overseas trip without a word, too busy even to reply to messages.


    Nicole looked utterly drained, yet Alfredo who adored her was nowhere in sight. That could only mean one thing. Something had gone wrong with thepany.


    L took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. "Aunt Nicole, what''s going on?"


    The news about her parents had certainly affected Morgan Group, but knowing Kieran''s capabilities, even if he couldn''t resolve the issue immediately, it wouldn''t have been enough to leave Nicole this distressed.


    Nicole squeezed her hand as if trying tofort both of them. "Don''t worry, it''s just some trouble with an overseas partnership."


    But one look at L''s expression, and she knew there was no use hiding the truth.


    Letting out a soft sigh, Nicole said, "Let''s talk outside. Grandpa doesn''t know about this yet."


    They stepped out into the courtyard. The air was still cold, and the night wind carried an extra chill.


    L''s hand slowly grew cold too.


    Nicol took a deep breath before finally exining, "Thepany has been unstabletely. There were issues with the Zond project, so Alfredo went there himself to handle it.


    "The people over there are notoriously unreasonable and ended up seizing a huge shipment of our goods.


    "At first, it was still something we could negotiate. But the day after Alfredo arrived, he went missing."


    L''s heart clenched. "Isn''t there news that a war just broke out over there?"


    Then, a terrifying thought struck her. "So Kieran... he went to Zond too?" Nicole''s eyes turned red, tears threatening to spill, but she nodded.


    "Your grandma just passed not long ago, and Mr. Morgan Senior... He and Grandma were devoted to each other.


    "He''s been deeply depressed these past few days, and his health has taken a turn for the worse The doctor has beening by every other day. We cannot let him find out about this."


    Nicole wiped the corners of her eyes, unwilling to show any weakness in front of the younger generation.


    "There''s still no news about Uncle Alfredo?" L''s heart pounded with unease, her anxiety so intense that even her voice trembled.


    "Not yet." Nicole''s eyes were red-rimmed.


    "I already told Kieran toe back. Money can be lost, it doesn''t matter. As long


    as he''s safe, we''ll have another chance. But... he insists on staying to keep searching."


    L frowned. "Aunt Nicole, why did Zond suddenly seize Morgan Group''s goods?"


    Something didn''t add up.


    For months now, there have been reports of growing unrest in that region.


    But what use would those people have for Morgan Group''s shipment?


    It wasn''t food or water.


    If anything, selling the goods and converting them into money for essential


    supplies or even weapons would have made far more sense.


    Nicole knew L was sharp, and sure enough, she had cut right to the heart of the issue.


    "You know that country has always


    been under Falkoria''s control. They caught wind of Morgan Group''s instability and wanted to take


    advantage of the chaos to swallow


    us whole. But with Kieran holding, things together they switched tactics."


    L understood immediately. After this, Morgan Group would undoubtedly suffer a serious blow.


    But right now, thepany wasn''t the priority, the Morgans'' safety was.


    ???


    "Aunt Nicole, forget about thepany for now. What matters most is keeping our family safe. Uncle Alfrede will be okay, and Kieran will bring him back. As for the


    money... we can always earnt


    again."


    She wrapped aforting arm around Nicole''s shoulders and said gently, "I''ll wait


    for news with you."


    L put aside all her work and stayed at the Morgan residence.


    But after two days, not only was there still no word on Alfredo, but Kieran had also gonepletely off the grid.


    L watched as Nicole visibly aged before her eyes. In just a few short days, the sparse white strands in her hair had turned into streaks of silver.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!