Chapter 1636:


    “There are rumors that Cooper Group’s pharmaceutical nts were conducting human experiments. Investigate everything!”


    Amid the chaos, the military released a concise official statement: “Regarding the serious crimes allegedlymitted by Cooper Group, Kolton Cooper and others have been subjected to criminal coercive measures in ordance with thew. We urge all involved individuals to surrender for leniency. Family members of the Cooper family who cooperate with the investigation will receive necessary personal safety protections.”


    Brief announcements of that kind almost always signaled that something significant wasing. This one sent shockwaves through Wront.


    Across the city, members of the Cooper family — once untouchable — reacted in drastically different ways. Some panicked. Some despaired. Some glimpsed a sliver of hope in the promise of leniency.


    In a damp, dim rental room in Wront’s old district, heavy curtains blocked out every trace of sunlight.


    Once, Mariana had been the proud daughter of the Cooper dynasty. Now she crouched on a mildewed sofa, no better than a frightened rat in the sewers. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face drained of color, and she gripped her phone as though her life depended on it.


    When the news alert about her father’s arrest shed across the screen, she let out a shrill scream. “No! That’s impossible! Dad’s too powerful — he was supposed to escape!” She shook her head wildly, tears streaking down her cheeks. “It’s fake. It has to be fake. They’re trying to lure us out — it’s a trap. They’ll kill us the moment we show ourselves!”


    For days she had lived in terror. The family’s assets had been frozen, their ounts locked down, and unknown pursuers had been hunting them. The fall from power had been so sudden and so total that it had left her psychologically shattered.


    Then her phone buzzed in her trembling hands.


    ???????????????? ???????????? ???? ??????????????????.??????


    The ringtone cut through the suffocating silence like a death knell.


    Mariana’s whole body jerked. For a moment, she almost flung the phone across the room.


    Hands trembling, she forced herself to look at the screen.


    It was Kiley.


    Why would Kiley call now? If it weren’t for her and udius stirring things up in the first ce, the Cooper family wouldn’t have fallen from grace so spectacrly. After several agonizing seconds, Mariana answered.


    “H-Hello — Kiley?”


    On the other end of the line, there were no greetings, no words offort. Only a t, chilling voice. “For your own safety, contact the authorities. Ask for protection.”


    Mariana’s fingers tightened around the phone. “Kiley — what’s happening? Is it true? Did Dad really do those things? I don’t believe it. I can’t believe our family has be this —” Denial clung to her like a second skin. She refused to ept it. Overnight, the once-revered Cooper name had turned into a curse. She was no longer the adored princess of an empire — just a criminal’s daughter.


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