?Chapter 477:


    Ruben’s anxiety got the best of him. “Where’s Jason? Somebody find Jason, now!”


    However, no one knew where Jason had gone. Even Bertram, his father, couldn’t reach him by phone.


    Ruben’s frustration boiled over. “Jason knows about all this chaos, yet he didn’te straight to me after getting back to Ublento. Where could he have disappeared to?”


    After letting out his annoyance, Ruben made his way downstairs and called for Toby Rogers, head of security detail for the Evans family.


    Years of loyalty defined Toby’s service—he had be one of Jason’s trusted assistants, on equal footing with Lanny, though their origins were very different. Unlike Lanny, whose position was a result of Irene’s arrangement, Toby had wed his way up through sheer merit. Toby held his own in the Evans family politics, never deferring to Irene’s authority the way Lanny sometimes did. He understood exactly where true power rested.


    The living room was filled with anxious voices as the rest of the Evans family gathered, each person desperate for answers. Words swirled about Cole and his crew being attacked by the Phantom Mercenaries in Podgend, but details remained scarce.


    Both Lance and Jeff paced, eager to see Elliana, but she was nowhere in sight.


    Only Irene couldn’t care less about Cole’s condition, as she was the architect of the ambush aimed at him. She sank quietly into the sofa and did her best to keep her face neutral, fearing any unwitting exposure of her actions.


    The restlessness in Ruben’s heart left him blind to others’ emotions. As soon as Toby appeared, Ruben ordered, “Toby, I want you to take a team to Podgend. Find Elliana—whatever it takes. Keep me updated every step of the way!”


    Before Toby could even reply, Jeff bolted upright. “Grandpa, you mean Elliana’s still out there in Podgend?”


    A surge of rm followed as Lance chimed in, “Grandpa, are you saying Elliana has gone missing?”


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    Only then did it ur to Ruben that he’d blurted out too much in front of everyone, failing to protect the secrecy of the situation.


    Ruben’s intention had always been to keep everything under wraps, afraid that word of Cole’s illness—Psychephrenia—might spread and damage his reputation.


    A heavy silence fell over the room as Lance and Jeff stared at Ruben, both of them demanding answers with anxious eyes.


    Curiosity outweighedpassion among most family members. Elliana’s vanishing mattered only because she carried the Evans name as Cole’s wife and the family’s matriarch. Trouble in Podgend was a stain no one could ignore.


    So many eyes boring into him left Ruben feeling cornered. Hiding the truth any longer would only spark more gossip, but honesty seemed just as risky.


    The room thickened with tension, the air practically buzzing.


    A sudden sob broke the silence—Jeff’s voice trembled. “Podgend is a mess. What if something bad happens to Elliana? Does she have any cash? What if she can’t find food?”


    Irritation already simmered in Irene’s chest, and her patience snapped at the sound of Jeff’s wailing. Jeff had once been her fiercest ally, always quick to defend her and take her side, badmouthing Elliana with her. Lately, though, he did nothing but get under her skin. She couldn’t wrap her head around why this once-loyal child had be so fiercely concerned and defensive about Elliana!


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