?Chapter 1468:


    Maia’s eyes flickered. Brightened.


    She inhaled sharply as realization struck her all at once. She had been so consumed by chaos and emotion that she hadpletely overlooked that crucial thread.


    Granger, the oil tycoon, was no ordinary name on the world stage. His influence stretched across continents, his movements and history woven tightly into global affairs. A man like that could never move without leaving traces behind.


    If Maia could uncover who Granger had recently contacted — or whose orders he had been carrying out — then Mr. M’s true identity would no longer remain buried in shadows.


    “Okay. I understand. Thank you, Zoey.” Maia’s voice, moments ago strained and brittle, finally recovered a thread of steadiness.


    Zoey, however, sounded faintly displeased on the other end of the line. “Why are you thanking me? Do not forget — you are not alone. I am your mentor. I am always here. No matter what happens, I have your back.”


    When the call ended, Maia lowered the phone slowly. A warm current spread through her chest, easing the hollow ache that had weighed her down. The emptiness she had been carrying finally found somewhere to settle.


    She restarted the engine, pressed down on the elerator, and sent the car surging toward South Lake Park.


    Meanwhile, deep inside the park, Kiley clung to the trunk of a towering tree, her spirit sinking further by the second.


    She had tried calling Maia again, only for her phone to betray her at the worst possible moment. The screen went dark without warning. No matter how hard she pressed the power button, there was no response.


    ????????????????? оf ????????ers o?? ??al?o??е???.cо??


    “Damn it,” she cursed under her breath, fury and panic tightening her throat.


    After several futile attempts — and knowing full well the danger of a traceable signal — she bit down hard on her lower lip. With a sharp, desperate motion, she hurled the expensive phone into the distantke. A soft ssh followed, swallowed instantly by the darkness as the device sank out of sight.


    Kiley froze, holding her breath as she clutched the tree trunk, terrified that even that small sound might draw the attention of those ghost-like covert operatives.


    But as if fate itself were conspiring against her, misfortune came in waves.


    Just when the rain had briefly stopped, it returned with a vengeance. Heavy droplets hammered against the leaves overhead, the noise thick and suffocating. Cold water streamed along the branches and soaked through her clothes in moments. Even beneath the dense canopy, Kiley was drenched — her hair clinging messily to her face, her makeup washed away entirely, leaving her in a state ofplete disarray.


    Yet, in that misery, an opportunity revealed itself.


    The roar of the downpour swallowed other sounds, dulling visibility and disrupting the operatives’ senses. The chaos of the storm could mask movement. It was a chance to escape.


    But the perimeter had already been sealed.


    Should she stay hidden and wait for Maia to find her? Or should she risk everything and attempt to break through under cover of the rain?


    Kiley wavered, trapped between hope and desperation. Her body trembled — not only from the cold, but from fear. She knew exactly how ruthless those covert operatives could be. Mercy was never part of their vocabry.


    Near Cooper Group’s private hospital, a ck unmarked van sat quietly in a concealed corner, nearly invisible beneath the rain-soaked night.


    Falcon, the squad leader dispatched by udius, had finally returned.


    Though he had been unable to reach Kiley by phone, the tech team had just picked up thest known signal from her device, cing her somewhere near the hospital. The signal had flickered briefly — then vanished. That was not normal.


    .


    .


    .