Aaron had a hunch. Something didn''t sit right with him, and he couldn''t shake it.


    Just as he was about to reach out and share his suspicion with Alistair, the call


    came in first-Alistair''s voice on the other end, calm but earnest, asking for a favor.


    Alistair had "Bane Breaker," sure, but that didn''t mean he was going to sit on his


    hands while someone framed him.


    Meanwhile, Aaron owed Alistair, and he''d been looking for a way to return the


    favor. Now that Alistair had asked, Aaron jumped at the chance.


    Caroline was also working the case, but her focus had always been on Paige and


    the Morgan family. That caused her to overlook someone on the periphery, the


    cousin of the driver. A man who, on paper, had no contact with the suspect for


    years.


    Aaron trusted his gut. And his gut told him to keep an eye on that cousin''s entire


    household. Sure enough, something surfaced.


    If Caroline operated like a surgeon with a steady hand, cutting clean and deep,


    then Aaron was the field medic, quick, decisive, and just as effective when time


    was tight.


    One brought precision. The other brought speed. Together, they made it work.


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    13 min left


    Even after the true culprit had been identified and arrested, Caroline didn''t stop.


    Her instincts told her this wasn''t just a simple hit-and-run. There were deeper


    strings behind it, strings that led straight to the Morgans and to Paige.


    "That guy seems harmless enough on the surface," Julian remarked one


    afternoon, "but the truth is, he''s a degenerate. Booze, gambling, prostitutes-you


    name it. Not to mention he beat his wife so badly that she lost the ability to have


    children. She''s been living under his thumb for years, too scared to even think of


    fighting back."


    He slipped into a dry, analytical tone, like a detective building his case. "Then one


    day, her world starts to crack. She discovers something about him. But he''s gotten


    so used to her silence, he doesn''t see the threat."


    Aaron nodded. "You''re not wrong. The poor woman didn''t have it in her to report


    him. She''d been broken for too long. He trained her to be quiet, obedient."


    Julian let out a slow breath, a flicker of real emotion breaking through. "And that''s


    when you showed up. But getting someone like her to stand up and fight? That''s


    not easy. She doesn''t work. She relies on him for everything. If he goes down, she


    loses her home, her food, her life."


    Aaron leaned back in his seat. "She''s been suicidal before. He threatened to kill


    her entire family if she ever tried again. So yeah, she stayed. It wasn''t living. It


    was surviving."


    APNIC


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    For once, Julian''sposed face twisted into something harsher. "Bastard."


    13 min left


    Aaron''s approach had been simple-break the psychological chains. Make her


    believe this time, it would end differently. That if she testified, the man who had


    ruined her life would go away for good.


    And it worked.


    He didn''t just return a favor to Alistair. He pulled a woman out of hell.


    For a guy who used to drift through life like a street rat, it was surprisingly


    satisfying to do something right for once.


    Julian, having pieced everything together, swore again under his breath, and then


    smoothly shifted topics with his usual gentlemanly polish. "Mr. Landry," he said, "I


    heard your father has some trouble walking?"


    Aaron blinked, caught off guard.


    Then he nodded. With someone like Julian, digging up that kind of detail probably


    wasn''t hard.


    "Yeah," he admitted. "A few years ago he got injured. Nerve damage. He hasn''t


    walked since."


    APNIC


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    Julian nodded thoughtfully. "What a coincidence. I happen to know one of the


    top specialists in that field. He''ll be in New York soon. Let me make a few calls.


    I''ll arrange a consultation."


    Aaron''s eyes widened. "You mean... Dr. Sebastian Rowen?"


    Julian smiled, "So you''ve heard of him."


    "He''s the best, Aaron said without hesitation. "Of course I


    have."


    When his father had first gotten hurt, every doctor they visited had shaken their


    heads. The verdict was always the same- permanent. They said there was no fix.


    But Aaron had refused to give up. He spent months searching, hoping to find


    someone who could prove them wrong.


    That search led him to the name Sebastian Rowen, a leader in neurological


    research. Not a practicing doctor anymore, not someone he could just book an


    appointment with. By then, Sebastian had already retreated from clinical work and


    dedicated himself to research full-time.


    Aaron had tried everything to reach him. Nothing worked. Eventually, he let it go.


    Not because he stopped caring, but because he had no choice.


    The years passed, and the dream faded. But now it was back.


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    "I mean it," Aaron said, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you. I don''t even


    know what to say..."


    Then he paused, something tugging at him. "Mr. Hart... I want to be honest. Mr.


    Harlow once helped me. Helped my sister, too. She always wanted to act, and he


    made it happen. I owed him. That''s why I helped. I wasn''t doing anyone a favor. I


    was paying off a debt. I... I really don''t like owing people."


    Julian chuckled, interrupting him, "Let me make this simple. Do you want your


    father to walk again?"


    "Yes!" Aaron said without hesitation.


    Julian pped his knee. "There we go. That''s all that matters. I''ll send you the


    appointment details when it''s confirmed. Be ready."


    Aaron didn''t know where to put his hands. He was excited but also embarrassed.


    I really don''t have anything to repay you with...


    Julian grinned. "Then owe me. It''s not a loan shark deal. We don''t charge interest


    on favors. One favor is one favor. We''ll keep the tab simple."


    Aaron stepped out of Vireon Technologies into a st of afternoon sun. The heat


    pressed down from above, thick and relentless.


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    13 mintt


    The heat of summer was building, but not as fast as the warmth


    in his chest.


    For the first time in a long while, he felt like life was heading somewhere.


    Maybe Sebastian wouldn''t be able to fix his dad. But at least he''d know they tried


    everything.


    His sister Janice had just joined a new production. When the inte turned on


    Alistair, most people thought the film If There''s a Next Second was doomed.


    Some even predicted the cast''s careers would go down with it.


    But not Janice. She''d thrown herself into the work, studied the role, and kept her


    head high.


    Just yesterday, she''d called him, practically glowing through the phone. The


    director, Yves, had praised her performance. He said she had a natural gift.


    Aaron could see it now-her on a red carpet, under the lights, her name in bold.


    He couldn''t help but smile. The usual edge in his expression had softened. That


    heavy darkness he carried around felt lighter today.


    Time to stop drifting.


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    (4) 13 min left


    Whether or not his father walked again, whether or not Janice


    became a star-it didn''t matter. He''d already made up his mind. He was going to


    get his life together.