?<strong>Chapter 948:</strong>


    “Stop trying to provoke me,” Rnd muttered, though the conflict in his tone was evident.


    Wade had given up everything for his safety, and throwing that away now felt like a betrayal.


    Yet, the pride and stubbornness of youth refused to let him back downpletely.


    They stared each other down, locked in a silent battle of wills, until the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. Rnd tensed, quickly shoving the gun back under the covers, and the room was swallowed by a heavy, oppressive silence.


    The door opened, and the local police chief walked in, followed closely by embassy officials.


    Wade had connections with terrorists before his death, and Rnd was the only person who could potentially testify against those criminals.


    But Rnd refused to cooperate. There was no way he would point a finger at his father.


    “Mr. Miller, Sheriff Hooper Banner has summoned Rnd multiple times. He needs to tell us what he knows to help us dismantle this crime syndicate,” said one of the officials.


    Rnd turned his back to them, curling up on the bed and refusing to acknowledge their presence.


    Adrian, unshaken as always, leaned back in his chair. “He’s just a child. Are you sure he knows anything?”


    Beneath the covers, Rnd was slightly surprised when he heard Adrian turn them down.


    “He is Wade’s only son. He must know something.”


    Adrian’s expression didn’t falter. “Please leave. Give him some time. He’s just lost his father, after all.”


    The finality in Adrian’s tone silenced any argument. The officials exchanged uneasy nces before reluctantly exiting the room, leaving Adrian and Rnd alone.


    As the door clicked shut, Adrian turned to Rnd, who stilly under the covers, his body stiff with defiance. “Did you hear everything?” Rnd remained silent.


    Adrian knew he was listening. “Joelle said you don’t have to cooperate with the interrogation if you don’t want to. When you’re ready, we’ll take you home.”


    Rnd had heard simr words from Joelle before—he didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to. But how could they im to care about him when they had left him with Wade for so many years? And how had his uncle, Chris, died?


    Rnd trusted no one but himself, shaped by the things he’d seen and heard over the years.


    It was Wade who raised him, who risked everything to keep him safe. Wade was the only person he believed in.


    Joelle and Adrian couldn’t return to the country for a while, so Aurora and Lucas were busy preparing a wee party for Rnd at their home.


    Upstairs on the terrace, balloons and streamers filled the air, creating a lively scene.


    Molly, the head organizer, ran the operation with the precision of a drill sergeant. No one was exempt—Aurora, Michael, and even Dulce’s twins, who had only just started school, were all put to work.


    Kalel had been assigned the task of tying the balloons, but afterpleting just a couple, he decided to rope Sariah Kelly, Bobby and Fannie’s daughter, into his n.


    “Kalel, what’s the matter?”


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