“I’m not a criminal! I’m aw–abiding citizen… I’m from the royal family of Britain!”


    Federico struggled as the guards restrained him, trying to exin himself.


    He revealed his identity, but it didn’t help. They still took him into custody.


    News of an intruder in the royal quarters quickly reached Queen Heather. When she heard that the intruder imed to be the pianist Federico, her eyes lit up.


    “Oh Mr. Colli entered the royal residence? Bring him to me at once!”


    At hermand, the guards soon escorted Federico into her pce chambers.


    He was still protesting as he was pushed through the doors. “I’m not a bad guy… let me go…”


    The moment Heather saw the young man, her surprise quickly turned into delight. She immediately ordered the guards, “He’s Federico. All of you, leave us.”


    The guards obeyed, releasing him and exiting the room.


    “Your Majesty,” Federico bowed quickly when he realized who she was.


    Heather had never had the chance to get this close to him before. She approached him slowly, circling around him with a smile on her lips.


    “So, Mr. Colli, what brings you to this side of the pce?”


    “Your Majesty, I was looking for my friend. She was escorted away by the guards, and I was worried about her. I meant no offense or intrusion. Please forgive me.”


    “Oh, I see. You were looking for yourpanion, Esme.”


    “Yes, exactly.”


    Heather kept her eyes fixed on him, visibly pleased. She stepped closer, cing a hand lightly on his shoulder.


    “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. It’s… admirable.”


    Federico noticed the way her fingers lingered on his shoulder, how her gaze lingered too long. An uneasy feeling crept over him.


    He understood the subtext but pretended not to.


    Heather’s hand slid slowly down his arm as though she were touching something precious, something beautiful.


    She had watched every performance of his posted online. His face, his style–he was her ideal type.


    If not for her position, she would have approached him long ago.


    Federico felt like something cold and slithering had brushed against his skin. It made him deeply ufortable.


    What exactly was the queen trying to do?


    18:45 Mon, 25 Aug


    He gathered hisposure and asked, “Your Majesty, do you know where mypanion is?”


    “I do. And if you agree to a small request of mine, I’ll tell you.”


    Heather knew he hadn’t seen Esme yet, which meant their paths hadn’t crossed. That gave her an excellent opening.


    “What request?”


    Federico’s tone grew cautious. His brow furrowed, his entire demeanor guarded.


    48%


    28


    “It’s nothing too difficult. I just really enjoy watching you y the piano. If you could perform for me privately, I’d be very grateful.”


    So that was it. The queen was a fan. That would exin why the royal family had invited the orchestra in the first ce.


    “It would be my honor to perform for Your Majesty. However… there’s no piano here.”


    “Don’t worry. I’ll have one prepared. Tomorrow evening, someone wille to your hotel to escort you.”


    As she said this, a chill ran down Federico’s spine. He couldn’t refuse, but everything about this felt wrong.


    “I also enjoyed yourpanion’s performance,” Heather added with a smile. “I gave her a gift and had someone escort her back. You’ll see her once you return.”


    “Thank you for telling me. May I go now?<i>” </i>


    “Of course. Just don’t forget our little agreement–and don’t mention it to anyone.”


    “understand…”


    With that, Heather ordered a guard to escort him back to the reception hall.


    The moment Federico stepped through the door, Caitlin spotted him and rushed over.


    “Federico!”


    “Esme, are you alright?”


    “I’m fine.”


    He quickly looked her over. Seeing she was safe, he finally let out a breath of relief.


    “Now that we’re both back, let’s get out of this pce.”


    Federico’s expression was dark and tense. He urged everyone to move quickly.


    They exited the pce and boarded the shuttle back to their hotel.


    Inside the vehicle, Caitlin noticed how Federico’s brow remained furrowed. He hadn’t said a word since they left.


    “Federico, are you okay? You went to look for me… did something happen?”


    Her keen observation didn’t miss a thing.


    He nced at her but couldn’t bring himself to say it. Eventually, he shook his head.


    18:45 Mon, 25 Au


    “It’s nothing.”


    He tried to convince himself the queen was just a passionate admirer of his music. That was all.


    Caitlin didn’t press further, though her instincts told her something had definitely happened.


    Back at the hotel, James and Tyler were already waiting.


    As soon as Caitlin stepped inside, she asked, “What did you find out?”


    James looked serious. “We investigated the area, but something strange came up.”


    “What was it?”


    48%


    (28)


    Tyler added, “We posed as reporters making inquiries. But whenever we mentioned the Outercity development project or the Huashi Tower ruins, nobody could give us a straight answer.”


    “Nobody? That doesn’t make sense. ScandBuild bought thend and demolished the structure just earlier this year. It’s only September. How can no one remember anything?”


    “Exactly. It was like they were all following a script. Everyone said the same vague things.”


    Caitlin frowned. “Did you dig into ScandBuild itself? Who owns it?”


    “We did. So far, we haven’t found anything questionable on the surface. The owner is Mikkel, a well–known real estate mogul here. He’s got developments all over the country.”


    James added, “The Outercity project officially started early this year.”


    Caitlin processed the details. “If he’s that sessful, it means he’s smart and has powerful backing.”


    She went on, “They initiated the project and demolished the old building right away, yet none of the residents were relocated? And construction has been frozen <i>ever </i>since?”


    “Maybe it’s because of holdouts–families who refused to leave,” James suggested. “That happens a lot. Some just won’t budge, even withpensation.”


    “It’s possible,” Caitlin said. “But think about it. We’re not talking about one or two families. We canvassed the entire neighborhood, and no one’s moved. Not a single one,


    “How could a project go on for over eight months without even the beginning of relocation? And ScandBuild doesn’t have money problems.


    “I looked at their past projects. Every one of them showed visible progress within three months ofunch. But this Outercity site


    Why?


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    18:45 Mon, 25 Aug


    <b>Chapter </b><b>549 </b>