<b>Chapter </b><b>478 </b>
“The amusement park incident wasn’t an ident. It was nned.”
Caitlin had suspected as much.
“I figured. They wanted to create chaos to cover up the abduction.”
Sebastian nodded, but his eyes were grim.
“It’s more than that. After digging into Megan’s background, we found she’d been contacted by an unknown man. Everything that happened today–he was likely the one behind it.”
He continued analyzing with a heavy tone.
“He used the existing tension between you and Megan. The whole thing was a setup. And his real target… was me.”
Caitlin’s brows furrowed.
“So the reason the explosive on Patricia’s body activated the moment we rescued her–wasn’t a coincidence?”
“Exactly. He wanted me dead, and Patricia got caught in the crossfire.”
Sebastian’s face was tight with guilt. This was his battle, yet it had nearly cost his daughter her life.
Caitlin reached out and took his hand.
“Enough, don’t me yourself. What matters now is catching the person behind all this.”
She paused, then asked,
“Any word from James?”
“Not yet. We’ll know once they return.”
In the tangled forest-
James was still in pursuit. Step by step, he gained on the man in ck.
There were no more than twenty meters between them now. The man continued sprinting, but James wasn’t letting up.
Then, as if fate were lending a hand, the terrain ahead ended in a steep ravine.
The man in ck skidded to a halt at the edge, nowhere left to run.
He turned around–and James was right behind him.
“Now let’s see where you go.”
James was drenched <i>in </i>sweat, eyes zing as he stared the masked man down.
The man wore a face covering, only his eyes visible–cold, calcting. He moved with trained precision and powerful agility. This wasn’t amon thug. This was a professional.
Trying to shake James off, the man kicked a rock from the ground andunched it at him.
James dodged, barely missing it, and charged forward.
<b>1/4 </b>
<b>09:21 </b><b>Mon</b>, <b>18 </b><b>Aug </b>
They collided in a flurry of fists and kicks right at the edge of the cliff, dry leaves and dirt flying in every direction<i>. </i>
The fight was intense. Move for move, the man in ck matched James perfectly. They exchanged blow after blow, neither side yielding.
James finallynded a solid kick, knocking the man down. He lunged to grab him–but the man drew a knife, shing upward.
James twisted away, but took a hard kick to the stomach. He hit the ground, winded.
The man sprang to his feet, ready to drive the de into James.
But-
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Tyler had arrived and fired from a distance, hitting the man’s hand. The knife ttered to the ground.
James flipped over, springing up.
The masked man, now outnumbered, made a snap decision–he turned and leapt off the cliff.
But his right sleeve flicked out midair, triggering a hidden mechanism. A grappling hook shot out andtched onto the opposite cliff face.
In one smooth motion, he swung across and descended the slope, disappearing into the dense forest below.
Tyler fired again, but it was toote.
“He used a grappling hook to escape? This guy’s not just dangerous–he’s elite,” James growled.
“Whoever he is, he’s even deadlier than ck Hawk,” Tyler muttered.
Empty–handed, they returned to The Vanderbilt Family estate and reported back to Sebastian.
“I’ve got a theory,” Sebastian said, his voice low.
“That assassin… I believe he’s from ck Wolf Fortress.”
James and Tyler exchanged a look but said nothing. Sebastian continued.
“After Jasper’s identity was exposed, ck Wolf Fortress sent assassins to kill him. They used explosives then too. Same strategy. Same methods. This guy could be from the same unit.”
Tyler nodded slowly.
“It makes sense. Since we wrecked their basest time, I doubt Raze and what’s left of ck Wolf Fortress would let it go.”
Sebastian’s jaw clenched.
“And now we’re in the light, while they’re in the shadows. That killer–he has ck Hawk’s brains, maybe even betterbat skills. If he’s still in New <b>York</b><b>, </b>there won’t be peace.”
“Then let’s strike first. I’ll take him out<b>,</b><b>” </b>James said, full of resolve.
<b>“</b><b>No.</b>” Sebastian’s voice was <b>firm</b>.
“We don’t <b>act </b>recklessly. Not this time.”
<b>After </b><b>a </b>pause, he ordered,
<b>2/4 </b>
<b>09:21 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>18 </b><b>Aug </b>
<b>“</b>James, start a covert search in New York. That man failed today–he won’t leave yet. He’ll be nning his next move<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“Got it.”
“Tyler, contact HQ.” Sebastian pounded the desk with his fist.
“Mobilize our forces. We’re going to wipe out ck Wolf Fortress for good. We find Raze. We eliminate him and everyst one of his people. Only then will
this end.”
“Yes, sir!”
With their orders clear, James and Tyler went into action.
The amusement park incident made headlines, triggering massive public attention.
To avoid widespread panic, The Vanderbilt Family coordinated with the authorities to release a public statement dering it a simple ident.
As for Megan, who had kidnapped Patricia and died from the fall–her body was cremated the next day.
No funeral. No ceremony. Nothing.
Megan, who had spent her life chasing status and grandeur, died alone. Not even her own children were there to send her off..
In the days that followed, Caitlin stepped away from work and focused solely on her daughter.
Patricia, deeply traumatized, wouldn’t let Caitlin out of her sight at first. But with time–and Caitlin’s gentle hypnotic guidance–she began to recover.
Her emotions settled day by day.
Her three older brothers doted on her constantly, doing everything they could to make her smile. The entire Vanderbilt family surrounded her with love
and attention.
Even Kyle from The Xenos Family came to visit every day, always bringing snacks or stories to cheer her up.
Surrounded by so much love, Patricia slowly found her smile again.
In the garden, the children yed games together–tag, hide and seek, red light green light–theirughter echoing under the blue sky.
At the window, Caitlin and Sebastian watched them.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“She’s getting better.”
Caitlin nodded.
“Yes. We don’t have to worry about her anymore. But that man.., he’s still out there.”
“We’ll find him. Sooner orter.”
Sebastian knew–no matter how clever the fox, its tail would show eventually.
But so far<b>, </b>the assassin had gone silent. The storm had passed, <b>but </b><b>the threat </b>still loomed.
<b>And </b>as for ck Wolf Fortress–when their agents returned to its northern hideout, they found <b>it </b>abandoned.
<b>Raze </b>and his people had vanished.
<b>No one </b>knew where they’d gone. It meant danger still lurked<b>, </b>unpredictable and unrelenting.
<b>3/4 </b>
<b>09:21 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>18 </b><b>Aug </b>
They could only stay vignt.
<b>“</b>Don’t think about it too much, Caitlin. Think about me instead…”
Sebastian lowered his voice, his breath warm against her skin.
Worrying would solve nothing. Right now, all he wanted was to treasure the peace they had.
Their quiet moment was shattered by a crash–Xavi burst in, wild–eyed.
“Mr. Vanderbilt! We’ve got a situation–uhhh, never mind! I didn’t see anything~~~!”