Thinking of this, Charles Yates’ hands clenched into fists, his body beginning to tremble. He had watched his mother just like that, smiling at him from inside the ze.


    He had tried to rush in and save her, but the Yates family had held him back.


    The more he thought about it, the more suffocating it became. Cold sweat broke across his forehead, the air around him sinking into a heavy, oppressive stillness.


    From the front seat, Kevin Quinn could feel the grief and fury radiating off him.


    “Mr. Yates, we’re here.”


    The car stopped at the entrance of Lavender Court. Kevin’s voice cut through the memory.


    Charles slowly opened his eyes. Hatred and grief swam in the depths of his gaze.


    He closed his eyes again, and when he reopened them, only coldness and indifference remained. It was as if everything before was just an illusion.


    Charles got out of the car and said to his driver, “Go home.”


    Kevin hesitated for a moment. “You haven’t had dinner yet, sir? Want me to bring Helen over to cook for you?”


    “That won’t be necessary.” Charles replied, walking toward the vi.


    Therge iron gate opened. Charles walked in, and the gate closed behind him.


    From outside, Kevin sighed. It seemed Charles Yates and Samuel Yates had fought again. What was it that kept father and son at odds like this?


    When Charles entered the vi and saw the enormous space standing empty except for him, a wave of loneliness crashed over him.


    He missed his mother. He missed… Alicia.


    He walked over to the sofa and sat down. From his pocket, he took out the brooch Alicia had given him. His thumb brushed lightly over the cold metal.


    This was the brooch. The one he’d ripped from that person’s clothes all those years ago. It was supposed to be his only clue. But it had vanished. He never thought he’d see it again. And now… it was with Alicia. The little girl must’ve just thought it looked pretty and taken it to y with.


    In a way, Alicia had helped him. After his mother died, he hadn’t returned to the Yates family, but had stayed in their rented house for a while.


    Back then, his grandfather George Yates had sent someone to protect him, so his life wasn’t in danger. But every time he went out and came back, he would notice signs that the ce had been searched-even though everything had been put back exactly as it was.


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    If Alicia hadn’t taken the brooch, they would’ve found it long ago, and it would never have made its way back to him. And if he had kept it on him, he might’ve been targeted.


    After all, this brooch could’ve led him to the kidnappers’ identity. They had been so careful-even stayingpletely silent-so he wouldn’t find out who they were. It had to be someone he knew, someone afraid of the Yates family.


    When the brooch was lost, he had been quite desperate. There was no way he could find his mother’s killer on his own.


    Later, at his grandfather’s suggestion, he finally went back to the Yates family.


    He had thought the people who wanted him dead would try again. But after the brooch was lost and he returned to the Yates family, no one hade after him since.


    This could only mean one of two things. One, they thought the brooch was lost and they were no longer at risk of being exposed. And with his grandfather’s protection, they stopped targeting him.


    Or two, their goal from the very beginning wasn’t him, but his mother. With her death, they no longer had a reason to kill him.


    If it was the first reason, then Alicia taking the brooch back then had, in a way, saved his life.


    But if it was the second reason… then the person who killed his mother was likely Samantha Hunter. As long as his mother was alive, his father could never divorce her, and Samantha could never be the legitimate wife. She would always remain an unacknowledged mistress.


    That must have been why she struck at his mother. Still, it was only a guess.


    When he had first returned to the Yates family, Samantha hadn’t treated him well. But as she grew older and remained childless, she gradually softened toward him.


    Because of his suspicions, however, he could never bring himself to get close to her.


    After returning to the Yates family, his grandfather had him trained in various skills and even sent him to the military for experience. He could now protect himself. He reopened the old case to investigate, but still found nothing-no clue who those people were or why they had kidnapped him.


    He had even drawn the brooch’s pattern and gone to various ces to inquire about it. But the final result was that the pattern was the mostmon one. Brooches like that were sold everywhere on the streets. After a long search, he had found nothing and had no choice but to give up.


    He turned the brooch over in his hand. If it were truly ordinary, those people wouldn’t havee looking for it. It had to hold something more. Back then, the pattern alone hadn’t led him to any clue. But now that it was back in his hands, he was sure he could trace it to them.


    A faint smile tugged at his lips. Alicia was truly his lucky star.


    He recalled the way she had tried to show him the brooch in the car and couldn’t help but smile again.


    He had seen the brooch the moment Alicia revealed it. The brooch was too important for him to miss. But he


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    couldn’t let it show. There had been a third person in the car, and although Kevin had been his driver for years, there was no guarantee he wasn’t one of them, lurking around him in secret.


    Maybe he was just being paranoid. But when it came to Alicia’s safety, he had to be cautious.


    He put the brooch away, took out his phone, and opened WhatsApp. Typed in Alicia’s number, and hit “Add”,


    For all these years, he had been worried that his kidnappers would harm Alicia, so he had never contacted her. But he had always kept tabs on her. He had her number the whole time and desperately wanted to add her as a friend but never had the right opportunity.


    To see her life and her Moments, he had even joined her alumni group and quietly watched her posts as a stranger. But she was different from other girls-she rarely posted. Aside from a few school events, her private life was almost nonexistent.


    Now, he had the ability to protect her, and he could finally add her as a friend with a proper reason.


    The moment he pressed “Add”, his eyes were fixed on the screen. He felt incredibly nervous. Would she ept?


    A light sweat was forming on his palms.


    He found itughable. Back in the special forces, when facing a notorious crime lord, he had never felt this


    nervous.


    Now, his heart was racing.


    At that moment, Alicia was lying in a soft, warm hospital bed. Though exhausted, she couldn’t sleep-maybe it was just the new bed.


    After tossing and turning for a bit, she picked up her phone, ready to scroll through Moments or watch some videos.


    But the moment she opened WhatsApp, a friend request popped up.