"She may very well be the sa woman Uncle Haines once knew. But I think... she was either an impostor — or my mother’s twin."
Another wave of silence fell over everyone, the weight of Zoren’s words palpable. All eyes were fixed on him, thoughts swirling with unease.
"If so, does that an your mother is alive?" Atlas’s cold voice finally cut through the heavy air. Zoren slowly turned to et his gaze.
"Probably," Zoren shrugged. "But it also suggests she may have known about what happened."
He paused, shifting his attention to Charles and Haines. "She may know who that woman was and why she’s so important, or why she did what she did. That is if she is alive, which I highly believe she is."
Another mont of tense silence followed his words, all eyes on him.
"According to Mint’s reports, she suspected that the woman caught in the crossfire might actually be soone involved in the lethal drug trade on the black market," Hugo mused, rubbing his chin while leaning against the wall. "From what she gathered, she concluded they needed to find her body because she had the formula imprinted beneath her skin."
He paused, looking at them. "If not there, then sowhere inside her organs. Intense, but plausible. I’ve encountered worse on the battlefield."
"I heard from Penny," Charles nodded. "It explains why those n needed her body even after her death."
"But that’s not our main concern right now," Atlas interjected. "We’re dealing with multiple won who share the sa face. Including Naylani, who hanged herself, the woman who died in the special ops, and Uncle Haines’ forr lover... I believe there may be more than one or two."
"It’s possible there are three or more," he added.
"I know it sounds absurd, but could these be... clones?" Haines blurted out, finding the idea of twins or triplets too much to comprehend.
Atlas nodded thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea, Uncle. I like the sci-fi angle—it’s more plausible than so of the other theories we’ve considered."
"Haines—" Charles started, then stopped abruptly, catching himself. "Uh, never mind."
Haines raised an eyebrow, observing as Charles silently recollected himself. He sighed softly, shifting his gaze to the others.
"I believe I still have so of her belongings in storage," Haines said, eting Atlas and Zoren’s eyes. "I’ll see if I can find anything that might help us. Perhaps a DNA sample or sothing that could link her to you."
"If she’s a twin, her DNA should match Zoren’s in so way," Hugo agreed. "But if not, Uncle, it’s okay. Don’t bla yourself."
Haines nodded at Hugo, then looked back at Atlas and Zoren. eting their eyes and then Charles’, Zoren, Atlas, and Charles exchanged understanding glances.
While they hadn’t uncovered much, knowing that Charles and Haines were kept inford was reassuring. They were rely trying to gather any information Charles and Haines might have about this woman.
"Dad, Uncle, let us know if you rember any details, if any mories resurface," Atlas remarked as he pushed himself up from his seat. "I need to et with Penny and find out what she’s learned about Nina’s mother."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Haines and Charles furrowed their brows.
"What?" They both reacted simultaneously.
Atlas blinked, then blinked again. "Ah, I forgot to ntion, didn’t I?"
"Atlas, what do you an about Nina’s mother?" Charles quickly stood up. "Did Penny find her?"
"More or less," Atlas nodded. "She’s been with them since last night, and I’m sure they’re questioning her with Mint by now."
"I want to see her."
Atlas nodded. "Sure, but it’s not my call, Dad. You need to call Penny quickly. Anyway, since that’s settled, I’m heading out."
With that, he turned to his father and uncle, nodding his head respectfully. However, just as he was about to leave, Zoren spoke up.
"First Brother, I have so other matters I’d like to discuss," Zoren said, causing Atlas to arch an eyebrow.
"Are you just bringing this up now that I’ve already said goodbye?"
"It wasn’t a decision made lightly," he explained briefly, then turned to Haines. "Uncle Haines, I know you ntioned what happened to your leg. When you talked about it, you and Penny downplayed the incident."
Haines pressed his lips together, glancing at Atlas, who clearly had no intention of sitting back down. "Penny and I didn’t think it necessary to go into detail. As long as we conveyed the possible causes, which we believed were related to my investigation into the baby swap."
Charles frowned, a trace of bitterness flickering in his eyes. They were all aware of the incident and felt bitter about it; they knew it was bad. Bad enough to leave Haines limping until now. But what Zoren was about to show them would make them realize it wasn’t just bad—it was far worse.
"I understand," Zoren nodded, pulling a small printed photo from his suit pocket and placing it on the table. "But I also felt... I shouldn’t be the only one angry about this."
With that, he placed the photo on the table, causing everyone to lean in to see it. Atlas took a step closer, craning his neck, only to freeze with wide eyes. Charles leaned forward, his eyes widening slowly.
Hugo, seeing their reactions, furrowed his brow. Curious, he peeled himself away from the wall and approached them. Stopping near Charles’s seat, he stretched his neck to look at the photo. Like his father and brother, he felt as though he had been doused with ice water.
There on the photo was a child, badly bruised and swollen. The injuries were so severe that they almost didn’t recognize her. If they had seen this photo without context, they might not have recognized the child at all.
"That’s Penny," Zoren stated coldly, sensing the growing tension from his wife’s father and brothers. "That’s... what she went through."
And that was also why Zoren couldn’t find peace in his heart at that mont.
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