"Where?" Jonah demanded, his voice taut with anxiety.


    "In the basement parking lot of the hospital that originally belonged to him," Cyrus replied, his tone unsteady as he suppressed his worry for Mandy.


    "Is Julien still at the hospital?"


    "No. He vanished. We traced the signal and conducted a search. His cellphone was found in a trash can in the parking lot."


    Cyrus'' voice turned rough. "Jonah, Julien may already have been attacked. My team is pulling surveince footage from every hospital entrance and the surrounding perimeter. We''ll track him down as soon as possible."


    The words struck Jonah like a physical blow. His phone nearly slipped from his grasp.


    So Julien had tried to answer his call earlier. He had wanted to hear his voice. He simply hadn''t been able to—someone had overpowered him.


    "Don''t panic," Cyrus continued, forcing steadiness into his tone. "There are traffic cameras everywhere now. Even if someone abducted him, they wouldn''t have had time to wipe all the footage. We''ll find him."


    Despite his own anguish, Cyrus did his best to reassure his eldest brother. "You have to stay calm, Jonah. If you lose your footing too, our family will crumble. Don''t worry about my mom. I''ll handle Julien''s case as well.


    "Don''t forget-I am a highlypetent police officer."


    "Who... Who would want to hurt Julien?" Jonah pressed a feverish palm to his forehead, drawing in a shaky breath that did nothing to ease the suffocating pressure in his chest. "He can be arrogant. He does things his own way. But at heart, he''s gentle and kind. He''s never made enemies..."


    Cyrus fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "Maybe the attacker wasn''t after him."


    Jonah froze. A cold light red in his eyes. "If they weren''t after him, then there''s only one possibility-they were after me."


    Both possibilities were disastrous. Yet if Jonah himself was the true target, then Julien had been abducted as leverage the love of his life used as bait. They might force him to trade his own life for Julien''s, or coerce him into some kind of deal.


    If that was the case, Julien might still be alive—for now.


    Even so, time was their greatest enemy. The longer they dyed, the greater the danger Julien would face.


    "Whatever it is, just wait for my update, Jonah."


    Remy walked toward Amber''s ward alongside the subordinate who had received Sheryl''s order.


    Suddenly, he stopped. "Come with me for a moment, No. 72."


    No one in the research base used real names. They addressed one another solely by numerical codes, The identities and backgrounds were kept strictly confidential.


    It was a precaution. If anyone were arrested or targeted by authorities, the organization would immediately sever all ties, ensuring no one else would be exposed.


    After all, the base was an underground operation that had to remain off the grid. Everyone answered to only two superiors-Remy and Sheryl.


    And both of them were Justin''s right hand. As long as Justin stood, no one could touch them.


    Remy led the man to a secluded corner, carefully avoiding the surveince cameras.


    "Do you have instructions for me, Remy?" No. 72 asked, puzzled.


    Remy was never one to waste words. His face remained expressionless. "I want you to stop administering all drugs to that woman."


    No. 72 stared at him in shock. "What? I can''t do that! That''s Ms. Gillis'' direct order. She''ll punish me to death if I disobey her!"


    "No. 72," Remy said evenly. "Or should I say-Finnegan Barnes."


    He locked eyes with the man. "I looked into you. I know why you joined the


    organization. Your father was diagnosed with Alzheimer''s. You came here to save


    him.


    "You believed Sheryl''s


    promises that if you devoted


    vel


    yourself fully, you''d eventually


    receive a bottle of the costly


    medication once it was sessfully developed


    Finnegan''s eyes widened in disbelief. His mouth fell open, but no words came out.


    Here, no one used his name. His father-the only family he had left-had already forgotten him. Other than that fading memory, no one called him Finnegan anymore.


    In truth, he had nearly forgotten his own name.


    And yet, Remy had spoken it.


    In this cold, deste world, that simple utterance felt like a spark of warmth.


    "What if I told you something?" Remy stepped closer, his gaze darkening. "What if I told you the so-called new drug has never existed? That this entire research base is nothing but an abyss carefully constructed lie?"