Arthur Hale finally received the complete background report on Conor Grey just before noon.He had been waiting for it since the previous evening.Two investigators stood silently in front of his desk while Daniel sat nearby, watching his father open the thick black folder.Arthur removed the first page.Then the second.Then the third.His expression remained unreadable.“That’s all?”One of the investigators swallowed.“Yes, sir.”Arthur slowly looked up.“You spent an entire night investigating this man and this is what you brought me?”“We searched every available database.”“Apparently not.”The investigator lowered his head.Arthur turned another page.Conor Grey.Age.Marital status.Residence.A few insignificant business records.Several employment entries.Nothing remarkable.Arthur frowned.“His employment history says he worked for three different small companies.”“Yes, sir.”“And none of those companies can confirm he actually worked there.”“That is correct.”Arthur’s e

“Let him speak.”Carl nodded gratefully.“Conor is influencing Olivia. He’s convincing her to destroy the Norman Family.”Arthur’s fingers tapped against the desk.“And why would Conor want to destroy your family?”“Because of me.”“Why?”Carl hesitated.“He hates me.”Arthur’s eyebrow rose.“That seems personal.”“It is.”“So you’re saying Conor destroyed an entire family because he dislikes you?”Carl’s face reddened.“He’s capable of it.”Arthur stared at him.“Is he?”Carl nodded.“Yes.”Arthur was silent for a moment.Then he asked,“If Conor controls Titan Group, why would he hide it?”Carl froze.“What?”“You heard me.”Arthur leaned forward.“If Conor truly controls Titan Group, why would he allow Olivia to remain the public face?”Carl’s mind raced.“Because…”He couldn’t find an answer.Arthur continued.“Why wouldn’t he simply take control himself?”Carl remained silent.“Why maintain the appearance of an ordinary husband?”No answer.“Why allow people to underestimate him?

The Phoenix headquarters fell silent as the recovered footage began to play.Conor stood in front of the large screen, his arms folded across his chest.Nick stood beside him, watching carefully.The footage was damaged.The image flickered every few seconds, distorted by static.“That’s the only copy we recovered,” Nick said.Conor’s eyes remained fixed on the screen.“What happened to the original?”“Deleted.”“All of it?”“Almost everything from that period.”Conor’s expression hardened.“Convenient.”Nick nodded.“We recovered this from an old backup server. The file was partially corrupted.”“Can you restore it?”“We already did.”The screen flickered again.A hospital corridor appeared.The timestamp was several minutes before Lily’s kidnapping.Nick pointed toward the screen.“There.”A figure appeared at the end of the corridor.A man dressed entirely in black.He walked slowly toward Lily’s room.His face was impossible to see.A hood covered most of his head, while the poor

Conor’s voice became dangerously quiet. “Then they know something about my past.” “And if they know your past…” “They know what I forgot.” Nick’s expression hardened. “Then this isn’t just about revenge.” “No.” Conor looked at Victor Kane’s photograph. “This is about something that happened five years ago.” He paused. “Something they desperately don’t want me to remember.” Nick stared at him. “And Lily?” Conor’s gaze hardened. “She’s the key they used to turn the lock.” The room fell silent. Conor picked up his phone. “Continue the investigation.” “Yes, Boss.” “And Nick…” “Yes?” “Find Victor Kane’s real history.” “We have his military records.” “Not those.” Conor looked directly at him. “I want everything that happened before he became a commander.” Nick nodded. “Understood.” “And find out who he was working for.” “Before the Black Crown?” “Before everything.” Nick left. Conor remained alone. He looked at the photograph one final time. Victor Kane was

“Daniel?”Her secretary nodded.“Yes, Madam.”Olivia slowly sat down.“No.”Daniel had been with her since she took control of Titan Group.He had helped her understand the company’s structure.He had protected her during several difficult meetings.She trusted him.“You’re certain?”“We found several encrypted messages on his computer.”Olivia frowned.“To whom?”The secretary handed her another file.“An unknown contact.”Olivia opened it.There were screenshots.Financial transfers.Encrypted messages.Records of her movements.Everything seemed to point toward Daniel.Her heart sank.“How long?”“We believe the communication began three weeks ago.”Olivia stared at the evidence.Three weeks.That was around the time Titan Group had begun making aggressive moves against the Norman Family.Could Daniel have been feeding information to the Black Crown?Her expression became complicated.“Bring him here.”“Yes, Madam.”Daniel entered ten minutes later.He looked confused.“You wanted