Staring at the message on her screen, Aria was confused at first.The word fingerprints jumped out at her, setting her thoughts racing. It didn’t take long before everything clicked—the message was connected to the thumbprint plan they had been carefully working on for a long time.A slow smile spread across her face.This is it.Without wasting another second, she typed a reply.> “Wow! This is such good news. Meet up with me at the garage. I’ll see you there!”Moments later, her phone buzzed.> “Okay, no problem! On my way there!”As Aria slipped her phone back into her hand, Tyler noticed something was off. She was no longer walking beside him.He slowed to a stop, turned around, and saw her standing a few steps behind, completely absorbed in her phone.“Aria,” he called, concern creeping into his voice. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you walking in? Did something come up?”Aria lifted her head and nodded quickly, her grip tightening around her phone.“Yes. Something came up,” she said,

As Aria hurried to meet up with Marvel, she moved with deliberate haste, constantly glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her—especially Tyler, whom she suspected wasn’t ready to let her go anywhere alone.Hopefully, no one had tailed her to the park.When she finally arrived, she pulled out her phone and sent Marvel a message.Hi, I’m in the said location. Where are you?It didn’t take long before her phone buzzed.Turn!Aria turned instantly.She spotted him.Marvel stood a short distance away, watching her closely. Without saying a word, he gestured for her to follow him and walked toward a less visible area of the garage. When they got there, Aria immediately slipped on her shades, adjusting them carefully.She didn’t want anyone around to recognize her—especially not now, when she had too many things to cover up and her name had been flying from one news source to another.Once they settled into position, she subtly adjusted her glasses again, then lifted h

Aria sat alone, turning everything over in her mind. She thought carefully about what Marvin had said, and the more she reflected on it, the more it made sense. She was certain now—he had been telling the truth. Marvin was right when he said he would be doing most of the work. As a census officer, he had access, experience, and knowledge that she simply didn’t. Even though he worked privately, he still had a far better chance of gathering useful information than anyone else involved in the case. Aria exhaled softly. There was no way she could handle all of this on her own. She needed someone skilled—someone who understood the system well enough to navigate it without drawing unnecessary attention. And considering Marvin’s position, private or not, he was the best fit. She hated how easily the truth settled in her chest, but she couldn’t deny it. Marvin was the only person she could trust with this. Just as she was about to give in to the decision she had already made in her heart,

Brantley was completely astounded by the question. For a moment, he couldn’t process what Olga was saying. Aria marrying another man was already difficult to swallow—and now she was asking him what they should do about it?A harsh scoff escaped his lips as disbelief washed over his face.“Are you really serious right now, Mrs. Acosta?” Brantley asked, his tone laced with sarcasm. “You’re asking me what we should do? As in, what the both of us should do?” He paused, shaking his head. “Are you for real?”Olga didn’t hesitate. Her voice came fast, firm, and urgent.“I am not joking with you, Brantley,” she replied sharply. “At this moment, we have to join hands and figure out what exactly needs to be done to fix what Aria has broken.”Brantley scoffed again, but this time, the faint smile on his face vanished instantly. His jaw tightened as anger surged through him. Without warning, he slammed his hand against the wall, the sound echoing through the room as he yelled at Olga.“You should

If it were entirely up to her, Olga would never—ever—have glanced at that video. She didn’t want to see whatever Tyler had in his possession. From the confidence in his voice, it already sounded as though he was right, and that alone made her chest tighten.Shame held her back. It wouldn’t let her accept the truth staring her in the face. Still, Tyler reached forward and calmly adjusted the phone, angling the camera until it faced her directly.That was when she saw it.The real video—the very one Tyler had been talking about.On the screen, she appeared clearly, speaking to Brantley. Every single word she had said during that phone call had been recorded. Her voice, her tone, her intentions—nothing was missing.Olga’s breath hitched.The question thundered through her mind: How on earth did Tyler gain access to eavesdrop on her? And worse—if this recording existed, then it meant Tyler must have been standing there for quite some time, silently listening.The realization ignited somet