By the time Raiden returned to Aurora, the night had already passed into early morning, but he had no intention of sleeping yet. The events at the warehouse had changed something between him and Johny. Before that night, Raiden had known that someone was using Johny to pursue him, but Johny had always remained behind layers of other people and hired men. Now that he had appeared personally, there was no longer any doubt that he was directly involved.Raiden sat in his room with his tablet in hand and reviewed the information he had gathered over the past few weeks. He was not looking for another way to track the organization behind Johny. The security around the facility he had escaped from had already been strengthened, and attempting to force his way into their network again would only expose him unnecessarily. What interested him now was Johny's position.A search through public corporate records revealed something Raiden had not known before. Several assets and financial facilitie

Johny knew something had changed the moment the door opened again.The same man who had questioned him earlier entered the room, but this time he carried no folder and did not bother taking the empty chair across from him. Johny had spent the last several hours trying to understand what had happened after the warehouse operation, yet nobody had given him any information. He had no idea where he was, whether his people were still searching for him, or whether anyone from Randal Group even knew that he had disappeared.He stood as the man approached.“I can explain what happened,” Johny said. “Raiden prepared everything. He knew about the warehouse, and he manipulated the evidence to make it look as though I tried to access your system. I can find him if you give me another chance.”The man stopped a few steps away and looked at him without expression.“You had your chance.”Johny's face tightened. “I can still be useful.”“You have already become a liability.”Johny's breathing became

The memorial descended into chaos the moment the recording ended.People who had been sitting quietly only minutes earlier were now standing and talking over one another, while several guests demanded to know who had placed the footage in the presentation. The large screen had returned to black, but the image of Johny striking his own hacker remained fresh in everyone's mind, making it impossible for the room to return to the solemn atmosphere it had held before.The arrival of several reporters made matters worse. They had been waiting outside for an opportunity to cover Johny's funeral, but the commotion inside quickly drew their attention. Cameras were raised as soon as they entered, and within seconds, Angeline found herself surrounded.“Ms. Wood, is that footage authentic?”“Did you know your fiancé attacked his employee?”“Who provided the recording?”“Was Mr. Randal involved in other illegal activities?”Angeline could barely process the questions. She looked toward the screen

Angeline sat quietly in the examination room, keeping both hands together on her lap while the two officers reviewed their notes. She had been expecting difficult questions, but knowing what they were likely to ask did not make it easier to answer them.One of the officers looked up.“How long had you known Mr. Randal?”“Several years.”“And you were engaged to him?”“Yes.”The officer made another note before asking about Johny's behavior during the weeks before his death. Angeline told them that he had been under considerable pressure and had become more irritable than usual, although she claimed she had assumed it was because of problems within Randal Group. She did not mention the nights when Johny had returned looking frightened or the occasions when he had left without explaining where he was going.Then came the question she had been expecting.“Did you know about Mr. Randal's conflict with Raiden Bolt?”Angeline's fingers tightened slightly against each other.For a brief mome