The back entrance of the orphanage.


    A ck Maybach pulled quietly to the curb, headlights already off, blending into the shadows.


    Momentster, a furtive figure darted out from the rear exit and slipped into the back seat.


    "Ms. Alexia, apologies for keeping you waiting." The woman''s tone was deferential, hands folded in herp.


    Alexia lounged back in the seat, one leg crossed over the other, exuding an air of cool superiority. Without so much as ncing at the neer, she held out a


    thick man envelope.


    "You did well this morning."


    The woman took the envelope, running her fingers over its hefty weight. A grin stretched across her face. "Just snipped a brake line. Hardly any trouble at all."<fn92c1> Latest content published on Find1Novel</fn92c1>


    Alexia didn''t bother to hide her disdain, her eyes fixed on the darkness outside.


    "And the information I asked for? All the volunteers and staff at this orphanage- did you get it?"


    "Of course, Ms. Alexia! I''ve been working here for over a decade. This was nothing." Eager to please, the woman fished a stack of documents from her bag and ced them in Alexia''s hands.


    Lowering her gaze, Alexia flipped through the pages methodically.


    Suddenly, her eyes widened. She yanked out one particr file and stared at the photo clipped to it—a striking, beautiful woman.


    It was her. Elsie.


    The woman Avery once kept at his side as Evadne''s stand-in.


    "This woman... she''s a volunteer here?!"


    "Yes, Ms. Alexia. Ms. Archer''s been with us for over two years now. She donates every year, too-people speak very highly of her."


    Noticing Alexia''s agitation, the woman hesitated. "Is there... something wrong with her?"


    Alexia''s voice dropped to a low murmur. "Is she still here? Still volunteering?"


    "It''s been a while since we''ve seen her. But that''s not unusual.


    Volunteerse and go as they


    please it''s charity work, after amet


    Nobody expects them to stay


    forever, Ms Archersting two years is remarkable, really. Most people quit after a few weeks-it''s hard work."  s


    Alexia frowned, her brow creasing with sudden tension. "Today, was there a


    woman named Sunny at the orphanage? Do you know her?"


    "Sunny? No, I''ve never heard that name before. Must''ve been her first time here."


    Alexia sank into silence, her mind racing.


    Sunny-a neer, appearing out of nowhere. And Elsie, who used to be a


    regr, had vanished without a word.


    ??


    Then there was Thaddeus, going out of his way to strike up a


    conversation asking if they''d met before. A stranger yet shed felt oddly familiar to him...


    belongs to s


    A chill crept down Alexia''s spine as a realization began to take shape.


    Across town, in the hospital''s underground garage—


    A sports car screeched into a parking spot after a sharp turn.


    Thaddeus swung open the door and strode out, his pace urgent as he made straight for room A006.


    The hospital corridors were


    deserted silent but for the echoing thud of his footsteps, each one underscored by the heavy, uneven rhythm of his own heart.  s


    His mind reyed the scene: Evadne, nearly caught in a car ident-Chad throwing himself forward, pulling her to safety.


    His older brother, holding the woman he had once loved-clutching her so tightly.


    The memory twisted something deep inside him, as if an invisible hand had closed around his heart, squeezing until he could barely breathe.