Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 90

The clinic became tense after Michael confirmed that several people were outside. Olivia was still holding the childhood photograph. She did not look at the people outside. Her attention remained on her mother. She raised the photograph. “Who is this?” Her mother refused to answer immediately. Olivia’s voice became firmer. “You know him.” Her mother finally admitted, “Yes.” Olivia felt betrayed. She asked why her mother never told her. Her mother explained that she believed telling Olivia the truth would expose the person who had protected her. Olivia responded, “You keep calling it protection. All I ever got was silence.” Lucien remained beside Olivia. He did not speak for her. Instead he allowed her to demand the answers herself. Michael checked the security cameras again. The four people outside had separated. Two were moving toward the main entrance. One was approaching the rear entrance. The fourth remained beside the vehicle. Adrian immediately realized t

The phone went silent. Nobody moved for several seconds. Olivia continued staring at the receiver. Samuel’s final words repeated in her mind: Don’t trust anyone who was there that night.She slowly turned around. Everyone in the room had some connection to that night: her mother, Richard, the mysterious protector, Jonathan (though deceased), and the people who inherited Jonathan’s protection network. Olivia did not want suspicion to destroy the people who had been helping her. But she also could not ignore Samuel’s warning. Lucien noticed the conflict on her face. He quietly told her, “You don’t have to decide who to trust tonight.” Olivia looked at him. “But someone already decided who I shouldn’t trust.” Lucien took her hand. “Then we’ll find out who.” Michael immediately checked the call. The number Samuel used was not a normal phone number. It was routed through an old encrypted communication system. Michael explained that Samuel deliberately avoided revealing his

Michael turned the phone so Olivia and Lucien could read the message. If Olivia opens the archive, Lucien will learn what his father really did to her mother.The words hung between them. Olivia’s face remained controlled, but her fingers tightened around the edge of the table. “We haven't opened anything yet,” she said. “We investigate first.” Michael traced the message. The signal had passed through a server connected to the private legal archive. Someone was monitoring their investigation in real time. Adrian searched the remaining index entries and found a reference to an unfiled Ashford security report from the night Olivia’s mother disappeared. Lucien recognized the signature of his father’s former security director. Using his father’s old credentials, Lucien accessed a private storage facility linked to the archive. Inside was a single note, written in precise handwriting: The woman has agreed to leave. The child must remain protected. Do not allow the Benefactor to

Olivia held the photograph of the recovered document under the light. At the bottom, clearly written, was a name she had not expected to see again so soon. Victor Ashford. Lucien’s uncle. The man who had shaped so much of the Ashford family’s public story. The man whose voice had once encouraged Lucien’s hatred of the Carters. Lucien stared at the signature for a long moment before speaking. “We’re going to see him.” Victor received them in a private study that still smelled of old paper and polished wood. He did not pretend surprise when Lucien placed the document on the desk. “I approved an emergency relocation order,” Victor said. His voice was steady, but his hands remained still on the armrests. “I was told it had already been authorized by Jonathan. The paperwork presented to me carried the correct codes. I did not know the child was Olivia.” Olivia watched him carefully. “You signed an order that took me away from my father and you claim you didn’t know who I was?

Olivia called Richard again. The line rang and went to voicemail. She tried a second time, then a third. Each unanswered call tightened the fear in her chest. The message on her phone still glowed: come alone, or her father would pay for the truth. Lucien took the phone from her hand. “We do not answer that demand without a plan.” “His safety matters more than the investigation,” Olivia said. “Walking into another trap puts both of you in danger,” Lucien answered. “We move carefully, or we lose him and the truth.” Michael traced the message. It had come through the old N-17 channel the same system tied to Olivia’s childhood transfer. Someone with that access was still active. A security alert had also been registered at Richard’s residence. They could not yet confirm whether anyone had entered the property. Olivia insisted they act quickly. Lucien agreed, but made one condition clear: she would not face the situation alone. She was terrified of losing another person to