Soon, Atlas and I arrived at the warehouse area he mentioned. It was more of a concealed complex situated ten miles from Foswood’s southern mountains. The place was more extensive and organized than I had imagined. No wonder Atlas referred to it as the storage area.Although it was late at night, the place was as bright as day and resembled a tiny city. Even a Foswood native wouldn’t know about such a massive warehouse. Atlas wasn’t exaggerating when he described the place as heavily guarded.As he got out of the car, he explained, “This is the central hub for all ATL Empire goods. We distribute our products from here to various regions in Torado, making this place of utmost importance.”I understood this place’s significance. I looked around and then exclaimed, “It subverts my understanding of warehouses!”Then, I noticed small private planes and helicopters in the distance under the soft glow of streetlights. I finally realized why there were helicopters during our mission to res
I could see the man trembling and gulping. Deep down, I had a hunch that this person had something to do with me. Otherwise, Atlas wouldn’t have brought me to meet him in the middle of the night.Atlas didn’t answer me but looked at the man and asked, “Clark, do you know who she is?”The man gulped and kneeled before us. He looked pitiful as he pleaded, “Please spare me, sir. I deserve all the punishments you give me.”“I’m asking you a question. Do you know who this is?” Atlas asked sternly.Clark moved backward and looked at me again, stammering, “Y-You’re Ms. Stella.”I tensed when he spoke my name. I stared at him and wondered about his frightened and helpless gaze. I then turned to Atlas, wanting to confirm who Clark was.“Clark is the man who poisoned Hailey. He’s also the one behind the car accident that led to our separation,” every word Atlas spoke shocked me.“What?!” I exclaimed in disbelief.“We later discovered that he switched Rory’s briefcase. It led to the biddi
I suddenly froze in place, my heart pounding. I urgently looked up at Atlas and asked, "Is he alive?"Atlas tightened his grip around my waist, subtly signaling me to remain calm. He turned his gaze toward Clark, silently urging him to continue.Clark, noticing our pause, spoke, "Sir, before I tell you, you must promise to release my son. As long as he's safe, I assure you, I will reveal Rory's current hiding place. I-If it's too late, I can't guarantee...""You have no right to bargain with me," Atlas said, ready to turn away.I was nervous, unable to breathe. What would happen if we were too late? He's alive, but what if…Atlas's hand signaled me again, his expression conveying an air of invincibility."Sir… Let Jarvis go. Sir, please…" Clark became anxious, crawling forward.He stretched out his skinny hands, tugging at Atlas's pants. Atlas glared at him, and Clark froze. "Back then, did you ever think our families would end like this?" Atlas's voice dripped with menace, as
I held my breath and looked at him. His eyes remained fixed on the tablet screen, where the agonizing screams continued.Clark sat dejectedly on the floor, looking at Atlas in shock, finally revealing an address.Atlas glanced at Dylan, who promptly left the room.Clark, seemingly resigned, lacked any spirit. He muttered, "I deserve this. I'm sorry, Mr. Atlas. I'm sorry for betraying Rory's trust."In a moment of desperation, his gaze focused on Atlas. "None of this is under my control. It was one wrong step after another. She only asked me to switch that bag, but I didn't expect her to force me..." His eyes looked helplessly at Atlas. "She coerced me...""If you hadn't been greedy, reaching out for things you shouldn't have, how could the Pierce and White families end up like this? How dare you pretend to be innocent?" Atlas's tone was intimidating."Sir, I was wrong! She caught my mother and threatened me. I dared not refuse... But I didn't expect her to later..." He trailed of
The echoing footsteps reverberated through the tunnel-like corridor, each step pounding on my heart. Anxiously, I replayed the address Clark had mentioned, sensing it wasn't a location within our borders.I couldn't discern whether it was the cave-like environment, the doors we encountered, or perhaps everything we had experienced.There were still many questions I wanted to ask the man we just encountered, but those were now facts of the past. There was no way to change everything.After we emerged, Atlas gave Dylan some instructions. I had lost the excitement I felt coming in.My mind was filled with the news that Rory was still alive. My emotions were in an exhilarated state, bordering on impatience.On the way back, I asked Atlas, "Atlas, do you think the address he provided is real? Can we really find my father?"While saying this, my hands clenched tightly.Atlas reached over, holding my hand. "It's a small town on the border of a small country. The place is quite complica
The news left me utterly flabbergasted. How did he take me away?"Yes, we finally located the only eyewitness, an elderly man gathering herbs on that mountain back then. Fate played its part, taking so many years to trace the one witness who saw the entire tragic incident.""Did he really witness the whole thing?" I found it hard to believe. Atlas and his team must have put in tremendous effort to find the needle in a haystack after so many years."According to the old man, he was descending the mountain at the time, taking a break on a flat terrace. Then, he witnessed the scene on the road below. You should know that, abroad, very few people engage in herb picking."Atlas sounded proud. "Our brothers worked tirelessly, year after year, investigating the incident site. They left no trace unexplored."I nodded, acknowledging the challenging nature of their work."The old man said the situation was dangerous back then. The crashed car was on the verge of tumbling down, then it ex
Atlas glanced at me, nodding with confidence. "Yes, at that time, no one expected how clever Lucille was. She had installed a hidden camera in a statue. She only entrusted this secret to Chelsea, telling her to put it away in case of trouble and to hand it over to a reliable person someday."Tears welled up in my eyes. "It seems she must have sensed the danger approaching."Atlas's expression also became more solemn, and his voice became somber. "Lucille told Chelsea that if something happened to her, Chelsea should take the children to the Cross family."Tears finally rolled down my cheeks, and I quickly sniffed.Atlas tightened his grip on my hand, his handsome face showing signs of pain. "Unexpectedly, everything happened as she anticipated, and the video captured everything. However, Chelsea couldn't successfully take both of us away in time and send us to the Cross family."Out of desperation, she sent a message to the Lively family, but she wasn't fast enough. They had alr
I looked at Atlas's expression with some concern.He frowned and continued, "Later, when we found the elderly witness and investigated Clark in detail, we discovered that Clark left ATL Empire after all these events took place. As you know, ATL Empire was still under Celine’s control at that time.""Are you suggesting that he might have had a fallout with Celine, and no one got what they wanted in the end?" I speculated."We found some strange clues during our investigation. At one point, Celine was actively looking for him and even issued a killing order against him. That was strange. Why would Celine want Clark killed?"Clark must have known something or been involved in something," I replied.Atlas nodded. "There must be some kind of secret here. It’s just like when Ian was killed. Our people followed these clues and discovered that Clark was acting suspiciously. His son, Jarvis, also escaped with him.""It seems there's another factor at play here," I said, sinking into thoug
Four months later, at a hospital in Foswood.After being wheeled out of the delivery room, I saw my entire family waiting for me outside.My grandmother, supported by Hana, walked up to me, trembling. "Chlo, my Chlo, you've been through so much!"Beside my grandmother was a girl who looked a lot like me, standing silently beside my grandmother. She was the one who had been crafted to be my counterfeit.What was even more dramatic was that the DNA test results had revealed that she was actually my parents' daughter. When we found out, we cried tears of joy. It was truly heaven-sent. From then on, I gained another sister, who was like a twin to me.Feeling a little weak, I looked at her kind smile and said, "Grandma! It's two boys!""We all saw them. They’re very handsome and healthy! I can finally rest assured. My daughter has a life partner now," Ivanna said as she eagerly squeezed by my side.Everyone burst into laughter. Jared reached out his long arm and pulled her back. "Com
I closed my eyes, trying hard to recall my dreams. Usually, this scenario always appeared in my dreams, but now I couldn't remember any details.Atlas looked at me indulgently. "Take your time, don't rush. Your mom will help us."I took a deep breath, clearing all the distractions from my mind. I seemed to see my mom holding my hand, eagerly walking into the woods, looking around and at the treetops. As we ventured deeper into the woods, I asked, "Where are you taking me, Mom? The woods are so dark. I'm scared! Don't go in, Mom. There might be wild animals!""Don't be afraid. I'm here with you. We need to find the tallest tree.""Why do we need to find the tallest tree?""So you can remember!""But I can't walk anymore. I'm scared!""Go sit on that rock for a while. I'll come to you.""A rock," I murmured as I suddenly opened my eyes.I quickly stood up, searching for a place with rocks."Search where there are rocks," Atlas instructed the others.Everyone dispersed quickly,
I gazed at Atlas's anxious face, his features wavering before my eyes. "Chlo... tell me what's wrong," he said, concern etched on his handsome face. I glanced around the room, noticing all our loved ones present, their faces filled with worry, both inside and outside the door.Closing my eyes, I nestled into Atlas's embrace. I felt exhausted like never before. With a soft murmur, I confessed, "I'm... I'm okay." My head throbbed fiercely with an unbearable sensation."I'm fine," I repeated before settling back into his arms, still as a statue. In my ears, the echoes of my dream lingered.A team of medical staff rushed in. Atlas patted me gently. "Let the doctors check you out, sweetheart. You've been out for 48 hours! Let them examine you, okay?"He eased me onto the bed. After the doctors finished their examination, they briefed Atlas on the results.I drifted back to sleep, this time for real, unaware of anything.When I woke up again, the room was bright. Blinking, I look
Ernest was truly shaken by the sight before him, visibly trembling in fear."Everyone in the car, get out! You have one minute." After Atlas's words, several red dots appeared on the foreheads of the people inside the car.The driver immediately wet himself in fear, raising his hands. "N-No... please!..."As his hand reached for the door handle to exit the car, Kenzie shot him dead. I screamed in terror, but at the same time, the man in the passenger seat slumped over, also dead.However, that shot came from a sniper outside.The others were dumbfounded. The two men beside me immediately grabbed their heads and crouched down."Get out of the car!" Kenzie shouted loudly.The two men beside me acted as if they had been granted clemency, reaching to open the car door and shouting, "Don't shoot!" Then, they rolled out of the car, clutching their heads."Kenzie... release Chloe... save me!" Ernest wailed, his appearance filled with disdain.Kenzie's voice trembled. "Ernest...""
"I really haven't seen anything. What are you talking about? My dad never told me about this!" I gritted my teeth, holding onto this secret, but it was clear they already knew about the existence of the survey maps."If you want your children to live, you better tell me the truth. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to show you no mercy. Let me tell you the truth, I didn't plan on leaving alive!" Kenzie's admission was chilling."Then if I die, bitch, I'll take you down with me. Oh... no, scratch that. It'll be you and your children. Haha… So, tell me!" She hit me with the back of the gun."Kenzie, you know how Atlas feels about me. He wouldn't let me be harmed. Do you really think he'd tell me too much? About those maps you mentioned, not only do I not know, but I haven't even seen them. “Even if they exist, my father would only tell him..." I appealed to Atlas's protective feelings toward me, a reasonable plea since most men would be protective of their loved ones, especially Atlas.Ju
I adjusted my breathing and asked, "What do you want to know?"Although I asked this, my mind raced. "He's been back for some time now and has said too much... You've got to tell me, what exactly do you want to know?""Louis and Rory had a secret between them. What was it?" Kenzie said, her voice dripping with malice."They…" I deliberately gasped loudly, buying myself some time. I knew Atlas would come to rescue me. My priority was to protect my children."They... two of them had a... sizable sum of money..." Since that money was already in our hands, I thought it would be futile even if they knew.Kenzie completely released her grip and then shoved my head forward abruptly. My body plunged forward, but quick reflexes saved me as I grabbed onto the front seat, steadying myself."What money? How much?" Kenzie seemed very interested."The amount is significant, but I don't know exactly." I played coy with her. After all, everyone was interested in money matters.Of course, Kenzi
The screech of brakes pierced the air, and a gray car halted right in front of me. Instinctively, I stepped back, unable to discern the make of the car before two individuals leaped out and swiftly pulled me into the vehicle. Simultaneously, a panicked cry sounded from behind me, "Chlo…"Before I could even assess the situation inside the car, it bolted forward."What do you want? Who are you people?" I struggled and shouted.Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind, gripping my neck tightly, and a chilling voice whispered, "Enough."With just those words, I instantly recognized the person. The voice was all too familiar.I steadied my nerves and spoke with feigned calmness, "Kenzie, you've got some nerve, attacking me in broad daylight. It seems like you're really desperate. What? Your plan failed, didn't it?"My neck was forcefully pulled backward. The sudden suffocation drove me to claw at the arm, choking me instinctively."Don't move! If you don't want to die so soon, beh
Atlas's face darkened as he uttered a curt "Hmm" and hung up the phone.Turning to Tristan, he said, "Escort Mrs. Chloe back to the office."He looked at me and softened his tone, "You go back to the office first, I'll come to pick you up later." Atlas expressed a hint of apology."Okay." I nodded.Tristan escorted me to my office and gave me some instructions before leaving.Then, my phone rang. It was a call from Trinity. I quickly answered, "Chlo, I'm about to head to the airport, I’m going to Yare. Do you have any messages for the old lady?"Her sudden question caught me off guard. I really didn't know what message to convey. After all, the old lady of the Avila family to me was just an impression from a photo."No. Let's talk after everything's settled. I'll arrange a time to visit her," I said lightly.Although the travel ban for me had been lifted with the situation becoming clearer, Yare was in turmoil, and I was pregnant. I didn't want to make any promises to the old l
Atticus carefully watched the agitated Mia as he sat in the wheelchair. He pulled out a document and held it out for the media to see."ATL Empire invested 10 billion in Echelon Group a month ago, intending to work together to build a new real estate development and construction field in Zydan. I regret to inform you that you’re no longer a significant shareholder in Echelon, Miss Mia."Even I was shocked by that investment certificate. I looked at Atlas, who seemed confident."To be more accurate, Echelon Group had already signed this agreement before I went to Celestis Island. The real largest shareholder of Echelon Group is ATL Empire. I’m just a partner."As you planned, the shares had long been diluted, but unfortunately, not by you, but by ATL Empire. But I still want to thank you for helping me remove the scum from Echelon Group and purifying Echelon’s ranks."Mia suddenly stood up and banged her fist on the table. She shouted, "Impossible! Atticus, are you playing me?""Y