Ivy had barely taken a few steps when Daniel hurried forward and stopped in front of her, his movents rushed and slightly unsteady as if he feared she might disappear if he hesitated even a second.
"Ivy... please wait," he called out, his voice trembling faintly.
She paused, raising her hand gently to stop him from coming any closer, her expression calm yet attentive.
Daniel struggled to steady his breathing, his chest rising and falling unevenly as tears began to gather in his eyes.
"It’s my fault," he admitted, his voice cracking under the weight of guilt. "I’m the one who failed to raise him properly. If I had done better... he would never have caused trouble for you."
His shoulders slumped as if the burden he had been carrying had finally beco too heavy to bear.
"I failed as a father, and now you had to deal with the consequences of my mistakes."
For a mont, Ivy simply observed him.
Then she lifted her hand slightly and dismissed his apology with a small, casual gesture.
"It’s not a big issue," she said in a composed tone, her voice neither cold nor particularly warm.
However, her expression shifted subtly as she focused on sothing more important.
"Tell one thing clearly," she continued, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. "Does your son actually own half of this land?"
Daniel stiffened imdiately, as though the question had struck a sensitive nerve, and he shook his head without hesitation.
"No, he doesn’t," he replied firmly.
He let out a slow breath, as if he had already anticipated this question and prepared himself to answer it.
"I can tell what you’re thinking, that I’m trying to avoid responsibility by making excuses," he added, his tone turning slightly bitter.
"But the truth is... those shares were never real to begin with."
Ivy’s gaze sharpened slightly, signaling him to continue.
"Explain everything properly," she said.
"My son has been addicted for a long ti," he confessed, his voice growing heavier with each word. "Drugs, bad company, reckless decisions... he has been spiraling out of control."
His jaw tightened as frustration and disappointnt flickered across his face.
"If I had actually handed over any real property to him, he would have sold it imdiately just to fuel his habits."
He paused briefly, lowering his voice as if admitting sothing he was deeply ashad of.
"When he started insisting on having land in his na, I understood exactly what he was planning."
"So I gave him what he wanted, at least, on the surface," Daniel continued. "I made him believe that I had transferred half of the land to him, but in reality, there was nothing under his na at all."
Ivy gave a slow, almost indifferent nod before speaking.
"If that’s the case, then it doesn’t matter. You just need to submit the papers stating that you haven’t transferred half of the property to your son."
Daniel felt his shoulders loosen.
’I really didn’t think of sothing so simple...’ His chest rose and fell with a quiet breath of relief before he responded without hesitation. "I’ll do it right away."
But peace never lingered for long.
Outside, near the towering gates of the base, another storm was brewing.
Marcus and Kate had just arrived, their appearance drawing imdiate attention.
Dust clung to their clothes, their hair was disheveled, and the exhaustion on their faces was so heavy it seed to drag their very bodies down.
Marcus’s missing hand was impossible to ignore, the empty sleeve swaying slightly with each step, while Kate looked so drained that it seed as though she might collapse at any mont.
"Call Angelina," Marcus demanded, his voice hoarse yet forceful.
The guards exchanged quick glances before straightening their posture.
The mont they heard Angelina’s na, their attitude shifted entirely. One of them nodded respectfully and gestured toward a nearby chair. "Please, sit. We’ll inform her imdiately."
Kate and Marcus paused, a flicker of disbelief crossing their faces before they slowly sat down.
’We’re being treated like this... because of her?’
They had seen others co here, desperate people asking for siblings, relatives, loved ones, and those people had been forced to stand in long lines, waiting endlessly for even a chance to speak.
Yet here they were, offered seats and prompt attention.
’She must have done well for herself...’ Kate thought, her fingers tightening slightly against her lap.
It did not take long before Angelina arrived.
The mont her eyes fell on them, the faint smile on her lips vanished as if it had never existed. Her expression hardened, and a chill crept into her gaze.
"What are you doing here?"
Kate imdiately lifted her chin, "We ca to ask about the progress of the mission."
She carefully avoided ntioning Arthur, as if saying his na aloud would shatter sothing fragile.
Angelina stared at her for a long mont, her eyes sharp, almost piercing. Then she spoke, "He is dead."
Silence followed.
Marcus’s jaw tightened, and Kate’s fingers trembled slightly before... Smack.
The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the area.
Angelina’s face turned slightly with the impact, her cheek stinging, but she did not retaliate. She stood there, unmoving, her expression eerily calm.
’They lost their son...’ she thought, her gaze lowering for a brief mont. ’I understand... but that doesn’t change anything.’
She had tried.
She had begged Ivy more than once, her voice breaking, her pride discarded, but Ivy’s answer had always been cold and unwavering.
"I can spare his life, but you have to give away yours, would you agree?"
Angelina had refused. She loved her brother, yes, but not to the extent of sacrificing her own life.
And deep down, she knew that if their positions were reversed, Arthur would have made the sa choice.
So she stayed silent.
She visited him, again and again. Each ti, he would look at her with arrogance or desperation, sotis even pleading in a tone that carried both pity and resentnt.
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