?Chapter 432:


    Cole’s lips curled as he sneered, “You know what’s at stake. Start talking, or you’re done.”


    Unfazed by Cole’s threat, Victor gazed at him with a gentle, nostalgic look before releasing a soft, thoughtful sigh. “How time flies. The clever kid I once knew has grown into a man, while I’ve simply aged along the way.”


    There was a strange tenderness in his tone, pride in the younger generation’s growth, tinged with regret for his own fading years.


    Cole’s brow furrowed, his voice icy. “I’m not here for a trip down memoryne, Mr. Stone. Cut to the chase.”


    A quietugh escaped Victor as he nced from Elliana to Cole. “It’s such a long story. If you want the full story, I’d need all night just to scratch the surface. Give me a moment to prepare myself, will you?” He nodded toward the bathroom. “May I freshen up first? After that, you’ll get your answers.”


    Cole gave Myles a pointed nce, who instantly understood.


    Myles crossed the room, threw open the bathroom door, and quickly checked every corner to ensure Victor had no chance to slip away. No windows broke up the bathroom’s solid walls—the door stood as the sole entrance or exit. There was no way Victor could slip out unseen.


    Myles signaled Cole that the area was secure.


    “You’ve got sixty seconds,” Cole warned.


    “Thank you,” Victor replied, a note of formality in his voice. He turned to Elliana with a faint smile. “My, you’ve grown up. Not quite the beauty your mother was, though. Still, you got her eyes—sharp and bright as ever.”


    Elliana’s lips thinned. So, he did know her mother. Frustration simmered beneath her calm exterior. He was stalling, keeping control of the room with every pause and request.


    “Enough stalling, Mr. Stone,” Elliana said, her impatience breaking through.


    Victor’s smile lingered as he nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. The door shut with a quiet click, leaving Elliana and Cole staring at it, every muscle tense as they waited.


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    Thunder rattled the ss, the storm’s fury never letting up outside. A momentter, they heard the faucet running, and then everything went quiet.


    They stood ready for Victor’s return, but the minutes dragged on with no sign of him.


    Elliana nced down at her watch. One minute had stretched into three.


    Cole shot a sharp look at Myles. “You’re absolutely sure there’s no exit?”


    Myles nodded. “No windows, nothing but concrete. The only way out is that door. He must still be in there.”


    Cole didn’t waste another second. “Kick the door open.”


    Myles’s boot mmed against the door, bursting it open as Aron and Hugh rushed in behind him.


    Once inside, all three stopped cold, their eyes widening as they took in the unexpected sight.


    “Mr. Evans, Victor’s gone!” Myles shouted, his voice echoing down the hall.


    Cole and Elliana rushed into the bathroom, only to be met with emptiness. Victor was nowhere in sight.


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