?Chapter 1623:


    Vincent nced briefly at him, catching sight of the tears quietly escaping through Jaxen’s hands. Jaxen wasn’t making any sound, but the sorrow clinging to him was unmistakably real.


    Vincent quickly looked away and muttered in a low voice, “Don’t cry here. It’s annoying.”


    Jaxen could sense the tension in Vincent and chose to hold his tongue. He stood up at once, grabbed a tissue, and dabbed at the corners of his eyes. It seemed like he was trying to piece himself back together, slipping into the role of the easygoing young man everyone expected him to be.


    Vincent could see the heartbreak was real. No matter how hard Jaxen tried to keep it together, the sadness clung to him. Still, Vincent gave him only a brief look and kept his thoughts to himself.


    After all, it was safer if hardly anyone knew Katelyn was still alive. If the truth came out, it could put her in grave danger.


    Jaxen carried a quiet sadness, though he kept most of it to himself around Vincent. In his heart, he believed Vincent’s grief ran even deeper than his own.


    He cast onest look at Vincent and said, “I’m heading out now, Vincent.” Disappointment clouded Jaxen’s eyes, and the spark he had when he first arrived was long gone.


    Vincent let Jaxen leave without a word, quietly watching him as he walked away. Once Jaxen was out the door, Vincent slowly turned around. As he reached the study upstairs, he spotted Katelyn on the balcony, silently watching Jaxen fade into the distance.


    He paused for a brief moment, then said, “You don’t need to worry. When this alles to an end, they’ll understand.”


    Katelyn shifted her gaze to Vincent and let out a quiet sigh. “I know we had to fake my death to deal with the T Organization, but I can’t help feeling guilty about it.”


    Neither Alfy nor Ashlyn should’ve had to carry this kind of sorrow. They must’ve wept for her more times than she could count, but Katelyn understood there was no other path she could’ve taken.


    Vincent noticed her mncholy, so he stepped closer and pulled her into a quiet embrace. He stayed silent, but a steady warmth passed between them.


    Katelyn leaned fully into him, soaking in thefort he offered. The cold grip on her heart began to loosen.


    Vincent held her a little tighter.


    She tilted her head up to meet his eyes and said, “Oh, I finished copying all the files. Want to go through them with me?”


    This wasn’t a small matter. Some of the Yata royal family’s files were extremely important. Maybe they didn’t contain what Katelyn was looking for, but Vincent would definitely find something useful in them.


    He stared at her, caught off guard. He hadn’t expected her to actually break through the royal family’s security system.


    Back then, Katelyn had so much to deal with, and pulling this off had seemed nearly impossible. At the very least, it was bound to cost her a significant amount of time.


    Now that everything else had quieted down, she could focus all her attention on this one task. Even so, it still took her hours of sitting there to get it done. That alone proved how tough the Yata royal family’s security system was.


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