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Ronan’s face turned red with fury.

His cane slammed hard against the marble floor.

“HOW DARE YOU?!” he roared. “This is the Nelson family home! You filthy animals think you can come here and touch my granddaughter?!”

The thug leader only laughed.

“Old man, calm down,” he said mockingly. “We’re just discussing payment.”

“Payment?!” Ronan barked. “You dare speak such nonsense in front of me?!”

His sharp eyes burned with anger.

“I may dislike Olivia,” he growled coldly, “but she is still part of the Nelson family! No outsider has the right to insult her!”

Olivia froze slightly.

She looked at Ronan in surprise.

Even Emma looked shocked.

The thug who had spoken about Olivia smirked and took another step forward.

“Well then,” he sneered, “if the old man cares so much, maybe you’ll pay the debt for her?”

“Dream on,” Ronan snapped.

The thug’s expression darkened.

“You got guts, old man.”

At that moment—

A small figure suddenly rushed forward.

“Don’t touch my mommy!”

Lily spread her tiny arms wide and stood in front of Olivia.

Her little face was pale, but her eyes were full of courage.

The entire room went silent.

Olivia’s eyes widened instantly.

“Lily!” she cried.

The thug blinked, then burst into laughter.

“Well, look at this,” he mocked. “A little hero.”

The other men laughed loudly too.

But Lily did not move.

Her small body trembled, yet she still stood there stubbornly.

“You’re bad people!” she shouted. “You can’t bully my mommy!”

The thug leader looked down at her with amusement.

“And what are you gonna do about it, little girl?”

Lily bit her lip tightly.

At that moment, Conor sensing the danger, frowned and immediately pulled Olivia and Lily behind him.

Ronan’s entire body trembled with rage.

He pointed his cane straight at the men.

“Now get the fuck out of my house,” he thundered, voice echoing across the hall. “And stop harassing my granddaughter!”

The room fell deathly silent.

Even the servants standing in the distance froze in shock.

The thug leader’s eyes turned cold.

Without warning—

SLAP!

The sound rang sharply through the mansion.

Ronan’s head snapped to the side as the brutal slap landed across his face.

His cane nearly slipped from his hand.

Shocked cries erupted instantly.

“Grandpa!”

“Father!”

“Chairman!”

“Mr. Ronan!"

Emma gasped in horror, covering her mouth.

Olivia’s face went white.

Even the other Nelson family members standing nearby looked utterly stunned.

Nobody had expected someone to actually hit Ronan Nelson inside the Nelson residence.

The atmosphere exploded.

“You bastard!”

Several younger Nelson men immediately surged forward in fury.

But before they could act—

“STOP!”

Carl suddenly stepped out arrogantly, raising one hand.

His expression was dark but composed as he adjusted his suit calmly.

“Everyone calm down,” he said coldly.

Then he looked at the thug leader with narrowed eyes.

“You’ve got nerve,” Carl said slowly. “Do you even know where you are?”

The thug leader smirked lazily.

Carl continued proudly, “The Norman family has connections in the underworld too. If this is some gang dispute, we can still mediate it peacefully.”

He straightened his collar confidently.

“So tell me,” he asked, “which gang do you belong to?”

For a second—

The thug leader stared at him.

Then he suddenly burst into laughter.

The other men laughed too.

Some even looked at Carl like he was an idiot.

Carl’s expression stiffened slightly.

“What’s so funny?” he demanded.

The thug leader wiped the corner of his mouth mockingly.

“Gang?” he repeated with amusement.

Then his face turned cold.

“We’re not some street trash gang.”

He slowly pulled out a black badge from his pocket and flashed it toward them.

The moment the silver emblem appeared—

Several people in the room instantly paled.

Titan Group.

The thug leader grinned darkly.

“We work for Titan Group.”

BOOM.

The entire Nelson family froze.

Emma’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Carl’s confident expression instantly cracked.

Even Ronan’s furious face stiffened slightly.

In River City—

Everyone knew what Titan Group represented.

Power.

Violence.

Money.

And absolute ruthlessness.

Unlike ordinary gangs, Titan Group controlled countless underground businesses across the city. Even powerful families avoided provoking them unnecessarily.

Titan Group may appeared legitimate, but everyone knew its chairman was once the city’s biggest mafia boss.

Compared to them, the Norman family had no standing.

The Nelson family had tens of millions in assets, but Titan Group was worth over a billion.

Aside from DragonTech, no one dared provoke them.

The thug leader sneered at Carl’s pale face.

“So,” he mocked, “you still wanna mediate?”

Silence.

Olivia’s hands trembled uncontrollably.

Her face had already gone pale as snow.

Titan Group…

Just hearing that name was enough to make ordinary people despair.

She looked around instinctively.

Emma avoided her gaze.

Several Nelson family members quietly stepped backward.

Even Carl’s expression had become ugly and uncertain.

Nobody wanted to provoke Titan Group.

Nobody dared.

A bitter chill spread through Olivia’s chest.

So this was it…

In the end, she had still been abandoned.

The thug leader clearly noticed the change in atmosphere.

His smile grew wider and wider.

“That’s more like it,” he sneered.

Then his eyes landed greedily on Olivia.

“Come with us obediently,” he said darkly. “Don’t make things difficult.”

Emma clutched her own hands tightly.

Her face looked frightened, but deep inside—

She felt relieved.

If Olivia disappeared tonight…

Then there would be one less person competing for the Nelson inheritance.

No one would need to worry about her anymore.

The thug leader stepped closer.

Olivia’s body stiffened instantly.

Conor’s eyes narrowed coldly from the side, but Olivia gently grabbed his sleeve weakly.

“Don’t…” she whispered shakily.

She knew what Titan Group was capable of.

If Conor acted… He might die.

The thug reached out toward her arm.

Olivia slowly shut her eyes.

Despair filled her completely.

Her family would never risk offending Titan Group for her.

No one would save her.

Then suddenly—

“AAAAAHHHHH!”

A bloodcurdling scream exploded through the hall.

BANG!

A huge figure flew several meters through the air like a broken sack.

The thug smashed violently into a marble pillar before collapsing onto the floor coughing blood.

The entire mansion froze.

Everyone’s eyes widened in horror.

Olivia’s eyes snapped open.

And there—

Standing in front of her… Was Conor.

His tall figure blocked her completely.

One hand was still extended from the punch.

His face was terrifyingly cold.

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet instantly.

The remaining thugs stared in disbelief.

Even the Nelson family was stunned speechless.

Nobody had seen him move.

Conor slowly lifted his eyes toward the thug leader.

His gaze was sharp enough to cut flesh.

“You want to take my wife?” he asked icily.

He took one slow step forward.

“Did you ask me first?”

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  • 132

    Nick immediately shook his head. “No.” Conor looked at him. Nick stepped forward. “It’s obviously a trap.” “I know.” “Then you’re not going.” Conor gave him a faint smile. “I didn’t say that.” Nick frowned. “Boss…” Conor turned toward Olivia. She was still crying silently. He gently took her hand. “There’s something you need to know.” She looked up. “What?” Conor’s gaze became cold. “Your father’s death may be connected to the reason I disappeared five years ago.” Olivia stared at him. “And if we find the truth?” Conor looked toward the black crown on the screen. “Then we’ll finally know who started this.” The clock on the wall showed 10:47 PM. Just over an hour remained. And somewhere beneath the ruins of Facility Seven… Someone was waiting for the Ghost to return.The silence on the other end lasted several seconds.Then the voice changed.It became sharper.Almost disbelieving.“Conor?”Conor looked out over Golden Sparrow City.“Yes.”The man took a breat

  • 131

    The underground facility fell into complete silence.Olivia continued staring at the frozen image on the screen.Her father stood beside Ronan.Behind them was a massive Phoenix insignia.She shook her head slowly.“No…”Conor looked at her.Olivia stepped closer to the screen.“That can’t be Phoenix.”“It is.”“How do you know?”Conor pointed toward the upper corner of the photograph.A small identification code was visible.“Every Phoenix facility has a unique designation.”Nick zoomed in.His eyes widened.“Facility Seven.”Conor nodded.“Exactly.”Nick stared at the photograph.“Facility Seven was destroyed five years ago.”“Officially,” Conor replied.Olivia looked between them.“My father was there?”“Yes.”“With Ronan?”“Yes.”Her breathing became unsteady.“But why?”Conor didn’t answer.Olivia turned toward him.“Conor, please.”He looked at her.“I need to know.”“I don’t have all the answers.”“Then tell me what you do know.”Conor remained silent for several seconds.Then

  • 130

    The Hale estate remained completely dark.Not a single light came back on.The silence was almost unnatural.Daniel stared at his father.“What did you do?”Arthur didn’t answer.“Father.”Still nothing.Daniel stepped closer.“You said Ronan knew what you did.”Arthur slowly closed the old safe.“Enough.”“No.”Daniel’s voice hardened.“You can’t just say that and expect me to stay quiet.”Arthur looked at him.“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”“Then explain it to me.”Arthur’s jaw tightened.“Some truths are dangerous.”Daniel glanced at the photographs scattered across the desk.“Is Conor one of those truths?”Arthur looked at the photograph of the young Conor.“Yes.”“Was he really the Ghost?”Arthur nodded.“He was.”“And you knew?”“I suspected.”“You met him before?”Arthur remained silent.Daniel’s eyes widened.“You did.”Arthur finally sighed.“Years ago.”“How many?”“Six.”Daniel stared at him.“That was before he disappeared.”“Yes.”“What happened?”Arthur

  • 129

    The room remained silent after the screen went black.Olivia stood frozen in front of it.For several seconds, she couldn’t move.Then she slowly turned toward Conor.“Twenty years…”Her voice was barely audible.“He said twenty years.”Conor nodded.“Yes.”“My grandfather has been building this place for twenty years?”“Apparently.”Olivia looked around the underground facility.Thousands of documents.Hundreds of photographs.Entire sections dedicated to powerful families.She walked toward one of the shelves and pulled out a file.Her fingers trembled.“Why would he do this?”Conor took the file from her and opened it.Inside were financial records.“Because this wasn’t just an information center.”Nick approached.“What is it?”Conor looked at the documents.“An intelligence operation.”Nick’s expression darkened.“Ronan was running his own intelligence network.”“Not just that.”Conor pointed at the records.“He was monitoring money.”Nick studied them.“These are bank transfers.

  • 128

    The old Nelson warehouse stood at the edge of Golden Sparrow City, surrounded by abandoned factories and empty roads.It had been unused for years.No lights.No guards.No employees.Just a massive concrete building sitting beneath the darkness.Conor’s convoy stopped several meters away.Nick stepped out first.He immediately raised his hand.“Everyone stay alert.”Phoenix operatives spread out around the building.Olivia stepped out of the vehicle.Conor immediately looked at her.“Stay close to me.”“I will.”Nick approached.“Boss, there’s no movement.”Conor studied the warehouse.“That’s what worries me.”Olivia looked toward the dark building.“Maybe Ronan isn’t here.”“He was here.”“How do you know?”Conor pointed toward the ground.“His car.”Ronan’s vehicle sat abandoned beside the warehouse.The driver’s door was open.The keys were still inside.Olivia’s expression tightened.“Why would he leave his car?”“He didn’t.”Conor walked closer.“He was taken.”Nick immediately

  • 127

    The room fell into a terrifying silence.Olivia stared at the screens.The words remained frozen against the black background.WELCOME BACK, GHOST.Her breathing became shallow.She slowly turned toward Conor.“Ghost?”Conor didn’t answer.“Conor…”His eyes remained fixed on the screen.“Who is the Ghost?”Still nothing.Olivia took a step closer.“Why did they call you that?”Conor finally looked at her.His expression was calm.Far too calm.Olivia’s voice trembled.“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”“No.”“But you knew something was wrong.”“Yes.”“You knew about my grandfather.”Conor nodded.Olivia’s tears finally fell.“Why didn’t you tell me?”“Because I wanted to protect you.”“Protect me?”Her voice broke.“You kept something like this from me because you wanted to protect me?”Conor stepped closer.“Yes.”Olivia shook her head.“I have spent my entire life believing my grandfather was simply a difficult old man.”She laughed bitterly through her tears.“He was greedy.

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