---Michael leaned close to Victoria's ear. "Aunt Victoria, this guy is a former convict. He only got out of prison today.""What?" Victoria's eyes went wide. "A reform through labor prisoner? I knew there was something off about him!"She rounded on Reginald. "Look what you brought into this house!"Then her attention snapped back to Michael, all softness again. "Come here, let me see your face. Does it still hurt?"Michael squeezed out a couple of pea sized tears on command. "It hurts. It's been hours and the swelling won't go down."Victoria practically melted. She pulled him to the sofa, had him lay his head in her lap, and began dabbing medicine across his cheek with exaggerated tenderness. The whole display was uncomfortably intimate, the kind of thing that made onlookers wonder exactly what kind of relationship this was supposed to be."Look at this poor face," she muttered, glaring at Reginald the entire time. "And you wanted to hand our daughter over to a criminal instead of

---Trevor turned back to Diana before stepping out."Stay in the car no matter what happens. Don't get out.""Brother, what are you—"He was already out the door.The driver reversed immediately as instructed. The moment the car began moving backward, the black robed figure surged forward with terrifying speed, both daggers raised.Straight for Trevor."Targeting me specifically?"Trevor's eyes narrowed slightly. He flicked his foot against the road surface and sent a loose stone shooting forward like a bullet. The whistling it produced cutting cleanly through the night silence.The assassin's expression shifted. He crossed both daggers in front of his chest on pure reflex.Clang.The stone connected with the blades and shattered into powder on impact. The force behind it was enough to stop the assassin's momentum completely and push him back several steps.In that single moment of stillness Trevor moved.He closed the distance in an instant, appearing directly in front of the man be

---The woman's expression curdled instantly."Look at yourself. Why would you even try something like this on? This dress costs several thousand dollars. If you damage it, can you actually pay for it?"Diana's patience snapped cleanly."You're judging me before I've done anything. I saw this dress first and I'm trying it on. That's final."She moved to step around the woman.The heavyset man beside her reached out and slapped Diana across the face before she could.Diana stumbled, hand flying to her cheek. Her eyes went bright with tears she refused to let fall."How dare—""How dare nothing," the woman cut in, hands on her hips with the confidence of someone who had never once faced consequences for her behavior. "Hand over the dress or I'll have the staff throw you out. You're in the wrong store, beggar."The noise had already drawn the shopping guides from across the floor. They gathered at a distance, watching without moving. Professionally they couldn't intervene. Privately most

---Scarlett glanced at Margaret without particular interest."Don't worry. Just cooperate with the investigation."She signaled her team. Two officers stepped forward and the group moved out together."Brother!"Diana reached for Trevor's arm as they led him toward the door.Trevor looked back at her with a calm smile. "Stay home and wait. I'll be fine."Diana watched the vehicle pull away and immediately pulled out her phone."Sister Elizabeth! They just took my brother!""What happened?" Elizabeth's voice sharpened instantly. It was the first time Diana had called her directly in three years of having the number.Diana ran through everything quickly, her voice tight with urgency. "Please help him. You know he didn't do anything wrong."A pause."I can't promise anything until I understand the full situation." The line went dead before Diana could respond.She stared at her phone for a moment, then started walking toward the security office herself. Sitting at home and waiting was n

---The detention room door swung open hard enough to announce itself.The officer inside, Deputy Garrett, turned with a ready scowl that dissolved the moment he saw who had walked in.Elizabeth crossed the room without acknowledging him and stopped in front of Diana."Have they touched you?"Diana grabbed her arm immediately. "Sister Elizabeth, please get my brother out. They're planning to bury both of us in here permanently, Frederick and Anne are behind it—""Slow down." Elizabeth looked at Garrett directly. "Deputy captain. Using your position to process arrests without proper investigation. That's a serious charge."Garrett's hands came up. "Sister Elizabeth, this is a complete misunderstanding. She attacked first and caused injury to—""She is my friend." Elizabeth's voice didn't rise. It didn't need to. "So I know exactly what happened. Don't explain things to me that I already know are false."Garrett went quiet immediately.Frederick, standing slightly behind him, had gone v