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366 Find Them!
366 Find Them!
Evelyn epted the help, rising carefully.
As they walked forward, Axel immediately moved to Evelyn’s side, steadying her with a protective hand at her back.
Nichs’s eyes softened again at the sight. Theodor gave a slight nod of approval.
Finley s es.
And at the same time, Oliver appears from the back door, runs over, and hugs Finley, waving at Nichs and Theodor with cheerful enthusiasm.
“Bye, Great–grandpa Theo. Bye, Super Grandpa Nichs. Next time, I wille to your house…” Oliver dered, eyes shining like tiny stars.
“Sure, we will wait for you,” Theodor replied, ruffling the boy’s smooth hair with unexpected gentleness.
Nichs smiled warmly as he walked toward the car, Finley keeping close beside him like a loyal escort. The elders settled inside, and soon the Morgan family’s car rolled down the driveway and disappeared beyond the gate.
Silence returned to the Valley house.
Evelyn remained standing beside Axel, watching the empty road for a moment before turning toward him.
“So,” she said, lifting one eyebrow, “what were you talking about inside that office for so long? Are you guys gossiping about me?” she yfully asked.
Axel nced at her with a straight face. “Just casual talk.”
“Casual talk!?” she repeated, clearly unconvinced.
He nodded solemnly. “Very boring business matters. The kind that could put an insomniac to sleep in five minutes.”
As if on cue, Evelyn yawned, covering her mouth a second toote.
Axel’s lips curved. “Ah. Evidence epted. My pretty wife is already sleepy, and I have not even told her the boring part yet.”
Evelyn patted his arm weakly. “You have many excuses,” she said.
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366 Find Them!
“And you fall asleep too fast, my dear…” he countered smoothly.
He took her hand gently and guided her toward their bedroom. “Come. Doctor’s order. You need to take a nap.”
“Hm… you are right,” she murmured, already half drifting away.
Within minutes of lying down, Evelyn was lost in her dreams, breathing slowly.
Axel remained seated beside the bed for a while, watching her as if ensuring the world itself behaved properly around her.
When he was satisfied that she was sleeping soundly, he rose quietly, pulled the nket higher over her shoulders, and whispered, “Sleep well, Mrs. Knight…”
Then, with a final nce back, Axel left the room and returned to his home office, where unfinished matters waited patiently for his attention.
Before Axel could dial Collins’s number, his phone vibrated in his hand. The screen lit up, disying the very name he had been about to call.
Collins.
Axel raised an eyebrow and answered.
“Hello, Boss,” Collins’s yful voice rang from the other end. “Did I interrupt your
weekend?”
“No,” Axel replied evenly. “I was just about to call you. How’s your investigation going?”
He had been waiting for Collins’s report since morning. Still, Finley’s unexpected visit and the family lunch had stolen his time. Now that the house was quiet again, his patience was razor–thin.
Collins hummed. “Which one do you want to hear first<b>?</b>”
“Collins,” Axel said slowly, his voice dropping into a cold edge, “don’t test my patience. I’m not in the mood for your chitty chatty today.”
On <b>the </b>other end, Collins sounded as if he had straightened instantly from his chair. “<b>Sorry</b><b>, </b>Boss. <b>I </b>just wanted to lessen your worries. Lighten up your mood.”
“Then straight <b>to </b>the <b>point</b><b>!</b>” <b>Axel </b>said coldly.
The teasing vanished from Collins’s tone<b>. </b>“Boss<b>… </b>I found something significant. Over
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366 Find Them!
the past two days, someone has been trying to investigate you. They are paid hackers on the dark web market, not just one person. A few.”
Axel inhaled quietly. His hand lifted to pinch the back of his neck, a rare sign of restrained irritation. He knew exactly what this meant. Attempts to breach hisworks. Attempts to find a weakness. Something he did not tolerate.
“And why didn’t you notice it before?” Axel asked, his voice calm but colder.
‘If Evelyn hadn’t warned him…, a thought flickered through his mind, but he kept it buried.
“Sir,” Collins replied quickly, “because those hackers only broke through the thirdyer of my nineyer firewall defense. The system only notifies me if the fourthyer ispromised. So technically, they didn’t even reach the danger zone.”
There was a brief silence.
Collins immediately regretted the faint pride in his tone.
Axel, however, was not amused.
“Do you know who they are?” he asked.
“I’ve identified the hackers,” Collins replied. “But I haven’t discovered who hired them yet. I need more time.”
“Damn it.” The curse left Axel’s lips before he could stop it. “Collins, why are you slow
now?<b>” </b>
“Boss, I will give you an answer today,” Collins swore. “I promise you I will deliver it with my life.”
“Good,” Axel said. “Because I may not spare your life if you fail, Collins.”
“Yes, Boss,” Collins replied, swallowing audibly.
Then, as <b>if </b>trying to soften the tension without crossing the line again, he added <b>carefully</b>, “And about the young boy… I mean, Noah Henry Davis, I’ve started looking into him. But the incident happened in the Sunflower Country. Records from that time are old and scattered. It will take some time to dig out and put everything into useful information.”
“No need to rush that,” Axel said. “Focus on the people trying to dig for information about me.<b>” </b>
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366 Find Them!
“Yes, Boss.” Collins hurriedly said.
Axel leaned back in his chair, gaze drifting toward the closed door of the bedroom down the hall. His wife was sleeping peacefully. His son was likely pestering his grandma and aunt again. The house was calm, warm, and safe.
Yet somewhere beyond these walls, someone had started to move.
Trying to look into him.
Trying to uncover something they should not.
Axel’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.
“Collins,” he said quietly before ending the call, “find them!”
“You’ll have their names before the sun sets,” Collins promised.
The call ended.
Axel ced the phone on his desk and folded his hands, eyes sharpening with
purpose.
Whoever had started this game had no idea what kind of opponent they had just provoked.
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<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.