"And in the end, Naylani Pierson... won the war?"
After a long silence, Atlas’s voice slashed through the thick silence in the study room.
Everyone (Penny, Slater, Hugo, Finn, and Dean) glanced at Atlas before moving their eyes to Zoren. What they had just heard was Naylani’s backstory and the Zorken Family, which none of them had ever heard about until now.
Zoren shook his head. "It’s not just winning or losing."
"Even with Naylani being able to convince other families to give her support and aid her, Nathalie was already a step ahead," he continued. "So of those who had given support to Naylani were already in agreent with Nathalie."
"Like I said, Nathalie has been more involved with their family affairs. That includes a vast network," he added.
"That’s weird," Hugo knitted his brows. "If Nathalie won, how co Naylani is still alive? If the war was that bad, then that could only lead to death—Nathalie’s or Naylani’s. Besides, I don’t think Naylani is the good guy, considering she’s not really nice."
Zoren nodded. "But there was more than just pulling out their guns and shooting each other."
"During this entire period, Noel was concocting a silent killer drug. The plan was, since Noel had been on Nathalie’s side the entire ti since the battle started, Noel wanted to end it all," he explained. "The plan was, Noel was trying to poison everyone at a banquet."
He paused. "However, before Noel could put that into action, she was already found. In fact, Nathalie had always known about Noel’s reasons for staying with her instead of Naylani."
"I can’t say, fortunately, but sohow, Naylani managed to rescue Noel. After all, Nathalie delayed her execution with her sister to draw out Naylani. So, as a safety asure, Naylani sent Noel into hiding. One place after another, a new na, a new identity in every place."
"So that’s how she and Uncle Haines t?" Hugo blurted out, and Zoren nodded.
"Possibly," Zoren remarked. "Noel moved from one place to another. I’m not saying she got into relationships in every place. In fact, she was very aloof and never tried to make friends. But sohow, she and Uncle Haines got close."
"But Noel also knew that she couldn’t stay even if she wanted to. After all, she never forgot about the dangers of her life. Nathalie was always coming after her, and Naylani could barely do much with the forces she had to keep an eye on."
"Eventually, Nathalie caught up to Noel." Zoren stopped again as he recalled everything, making sure he wasn’t leaving anything out. "And Nathalie heard that Noel was with a man."
Zoren wanted to add that he didn’t know who that man was because he found out about the man’s identity a little late. But he chose not to say it out loud, because they already knew. Moreover, Dean was present. So, all of this was under the pretense of Zoren’s "investigation."
Atlas, Hugo, and Slater nodded.
"That’s why Noel is in that place where my dad’s last special ops occurred?" Penny remarked, and Zoren nodded at her.
"Noel was ant to et Nathalie, confront her, and perhaps negotiate. Unfortunately, the military had been eyeing that location for so ti, as their target lived in the area," Zoren clarified. "Noel was caught in a crossfire."
"That’s too much of a coincidence," said Atlas sternly. "On the sa night Noel and Nathalie were going to et, the military decided to execute their plan."
"It’s not a coincidence." This ti, Hugo chid in. "I checked the records of that, and I’ve always found it odd that the orders for that operation were so abrupt. I even confird it with Dad."
"That’s right." Suddenly, Charles’s voice was heard.
Everyone’s eyes slowly turned toward the two phones on the table between them.
"I even questioned my colonel at the ti, but he said it was an order from above. The reason I was given was that our target was planning to move to another location. And if that happened, it would ruin everything we’d planned for months of surveillance," Charles explained through the call.
After all, during his ti, they were not only investigating or monitoring this terrorist leader, but also the location where the battle could rage. Not knowing every terrain and route would put the military at a disadvantage.
And so, they did.
"But with all this information..." Charles added, his tone changing. "... it’s clear it’s not just that."
Zoren shook his head. "Yes," he breathed out. "Nathalie didn’t plan on eting Noel that ti. The second Noel agreed to et Nathalie, she was already dead."
"Nathalie had already missed taking her life the first ti," Penny whispered. "She’s not going to make the sa mistake twice."
"Noel is not ant to leave that place," Zoren remarked, eyes falling on the other phone where Haines was listening.
Haines hadn’t said anything from the beginning, but none of them tried to get him to talk.
"I get it." Hugo nodded, leaning forward as he rested his arms on his legs. "But still, if she was planning to kill her, why need her body? From what I heard and what Mint and I concluded, it’s because Noel had written the formula for this lethal drug under her skin or sowhere in her organs."
Zoren shook his head. "Silencing Noel was all part of Nathalie’s plan at that ti."
"Then, why the change of heart?" Atlas asked. "Why did they need her body? For what?"
"What Noel hid is not a formula for a drug," Zoren clarified. "It’s all just to divert everyone from the truth. What Noel hid in her body is a passcode."
Everyone furrowed their brows as this new information scratched off everything they knew about everything they had concluded so far.
"Before the head of the Zorken Family died, he called Noel for sothing," Zoren began. "Like I said, the Zorken Family was the most powerful among all the families living in the shadows. But what made them powerful was not only because of their connections or wealth, but rather, it’s the power of being able to mobilize a large organization that was only heard of as a legend."
"And they answer only to Mr. Zorken," he added. "And the person who would have this passcode or perhaps, a coordinate of where they hide, will be considered Mr. Zorken’s heir."
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