Thaddeus could subtly sense the changes in his own body, but he had no time to focus on himself. His expression shifted back to its usual calm, disciplined state.


    "It''s time to put the Abernathy Group R&D Department''stest drones to use. Have a team deploy them, activate the signal jammers, and sweep the mountains immediately to lock down the general location of that secret facility. The new drones arepact and equipped with the SSS-Grade Chip. Their search capabilities are unmatched in the current market. If we can pinpoint the exact coordinates, it''ll make backing up Hans and rescuing Elsie tomorrow night significantly easier."


    "Understood, Boss. I''ll get on it right away!"


    Gordon peeked anxiously toward the hospital room. "Mr. Thaddeus, how is Ms. Evadne doing?"


    "She''s... fine." Thaddeus pressed his slightly swollen lips together.


    Catching the subtle, intimate shift in his boss''s demeanor, Gordon felt a surge of joy, though he maintained a serious expression.


    "Mr. Thaddeus, the moment you heard Mrs. Abernathy was in trouble, you dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. Admit it. You still care deeply for her! She''s always been the most important person in your life!"


    "I know why she did what she did," Thaddeus said abruptly, a dark cloud settling over his eyes.


    Gordon looked utterly confused. "Sir? What do you mean?"


    "Her reason for getting close to Chad."


    Thaddeus closed his reddened eyes, suppressing the overwhelming emotions threatening to burst from his chest, the veins on his forehead bulging. "Because I understand exactly what she''s nning, I can''t be selfish anymore. I can''t keep getting close to her."


    Gordon was massively disappointed. "Why not?!"


    "I am a thorn in Chad''s side. I am the one person he desperately wants to erase from this world. He hasn''t made a move against me yet simply because the timing isn''t right. He''s biding his time."


    Thaddeus lowered hisshes, concealing the turbulent emotions in his gaze. "If he finds out I''m getting close to her, he will stop at nothing to strike at me in the most brutal way possible. I''m not afraid of trouble, and I''m certainly not afraid of death. I''m just terrified that..."


    A sharp pain pierced his chest, cutting off his words.


    He was terrified that the crossfire aimed at him would hit Evadne,pletely ruining her n. She had worked so hard to infiltrate Chad''s circle and earn his trust. He absolutely refused to be the unpredictable variable that destroyed everything she had built.


    Understanding dawned on Gordon. He let out a helpless sigh but refused to drop the subject entirely.


    "If—and I mean if none of these obstacles existed, Mr. Thaddeus, ask yourself honestly: do you love Mrs. Abernathy? Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?"


    The tall, imposing man stood with his back to him. His broad shoulders slowly slumped, radiating an indescribable sense of mncholy, loneliness, and despair.


    In his mind, that kiss reyed on an endless, intoxicating loop. He clenched his fists, his heart still throbbing wildly. He had hurt her so deeply, time and time again, breaking her down until she was covered in emotional scars. How could someone as damaged and unworthy as him even speak of love to her?


    ...


    The next night. The police station interrogation room.


    Bang!


    With a violent crash, Aaron Ashbourne, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, mmed a inclothes officer face-first onto the cold metal table.


    The man winced in agony, gritting his teeth. "Captain Ashbourne! Are you out of your mind?! You''re assaulting a police officer!"


    "Oh, so you still remember you''re a cop?"


    Aaron cuffed the man''s left hand to the table and thoroughly searched him with his right. He finally pulledza tiny vial of residual chemicals from the man''s pocket. "You''re a police officer yet you carry deadly cyanide on duty to silence witnesses Do you have any respect for the badge you wear? From now on, you''re not a cop anymore. You''re a suspect for attempted murder!"


    The man''s face turned ashen. Confronted with hard evidence, there was no room for denial.


    "Talk. Who ordered the hit?"


    Aaron red at him with icy fury. "The guy who tried to assassinate the KS Group CEO and the head of the Abernathy group at a high-profile g was just a dangerous psychopath with a grudge against society. What kind of leverage or payoff made you risk everything to silence him right under my nose? Was it the Abernathy group? Talk!"


    "N-no..." The man''s voice trembled,cking any conviction.


    Aaron sneered, his gaze turning utterly ruthless. "You''re a cop. You know the drill-confess and get leniency, resist and face the maximum penalty. Give me the


    mastermind right now, andel


    I put in


    a good word with the prosecutor For old times'' sake, I''lfuy to get you a lighter sentence. But if you y dumb until the bitter end, you''re on your own. Not even God can save you!"


    The man shivered violently. He was clearly on the verge of breaking.


    "This is yourst chance."


    "It..... it was someone from the Abernathy group... They paid me to take that guy out


    to silence him. But I swear I don''t know who was pulling the strings from the top! I was just a pawn doing a job for cash!"


    Stepping out of the interrogation room, Aaron lookedpletely drained. Days of relentless work had pushed him to his absolute limit.


    It was exactly as Evadne had predicted. The moment the Ashbourne family was thrown into chaos, Chad had sent an assassin to tie up loose ends!