"Hmm, ma’am. How can you be so sure about this?" Ana questioned softly, her voice tinged with curiosity.
But before she could even process the weight of her own words, she found herself ensnared by Riley’s piercing gaze—intense, unyielding.
Then, just as unpredictably, the sharp edge of that stare lted into sothing far more dangerous—a slow, knowing smirk curling at the corner of Riley’s lips, laced with mischief.
"Tryson thinks I’m too dumb to see through him, that I wouldn’t catch on to what he’s doing," Riley murmured, her voice carrying an eerie calm. "But what he seems to forget is that I knew him before anyone else ever did. Tryson is dangerous, the kind of man you don’t cross—and yet, here he is, going after a pregnant woman of all people. Doesn’t that strike you as strange? I an, why her? Why soone carrying a child that, if my instincts are right, belongs to Arthur?"
She let those words linger, heavy and charged, before shifting her gaze toward the television screen.
The press conference Arthur had held was still playing, flickering in the dim light, as if mocking the tangled web of secrets unraveling before them.
"Isn’t it insane? She’s pregnant by both of them—how is that even possible?" Riley mused, her voice laced with intrigue. "This isn’t just about Angel anymore. There’s sothing bigger at play, sothing neither Tryson nor Arthur is willing to reveal. And think about it—Tryson went back for the sa woman his own family cast out. Why? Doesn’t that feel... complicated? Almost like he’s crossing a line he shouldn’t?"
As she spoke, a slight furrow crept onto her brow, her mind turning over the implications, piecing together fragnts of a puzzle that felt more sinister with every second.
"Ma’am, you said both Sir Tryson and Sir Arthur are after the sa girl... could it have sothing to do with the boss?" Ana asked cautiously, watching Riley’s reaction.
Riley’s gaze snapped to Ana, her expression unreadable—yet in her eyes, there was sothing unsettling.
A flicker of realization. A confirmation that she, too, had been considering the exact sa possibility.
"Co to think of it... I really hadn’t considered this before." Riley’s voice was low, almost to herself, as a frown deepened on her face. "But if this is all about that girl... why? What could the boss possibly want from her that would make Tryson and Arthur so desperate to get to her first? It doesn’t add up."
Then suddenly—like a switch flipping—sothing clicked in Riley’s mind.
"Ana, my phone. Now."
Without hesitation, Ana swiftly handed over the device, watching intently as Riley pressed it to her ear and dialed.
The air in the room felt charged, thick with anticipation as Riley waited, her expression unreadable.
A click. The call connected.
"Boss." The woman on the other end greeted her, her tone sharp and knowing.
Riley wasted no ti. "I want every single detail on Angel—everything about her before she ever t Tryson. Find out what you can and report back."
She ended the call in one decisive motion, the weight of her request hanging heavy in the silence that followed.
After ending the call, Riley turned her gaze toward Ana, her expression unreadable. Then, with an air of casual amusent, she spoke.
"You know what’s funny, Ana?"
Ana remained silent, sensing that Riley wasn’t expecting an answer—just listening, just thinking.
"I did so digging into the person behind that video that went viral online," Riley continued, her tone laced with sothing almost cynical. "And guess what? It was Arthur. He was the one who had it uploaded. But here’s where it gets interesting—why did the boss specifically ask to ntion his na to Angel and Tryson instead? He knows Tryson would have conducted his own investigation anyway... so why involve ?"
Ana’s brows furrowed, the weight of Riley’s words settling over her like a dense fog. "Maybe there are things we’re just not ant to understand yet. Maybe... there’s more to Angel than we realize."
Riley let out a slow breath, her fingers absentmindedly tapping against her phone. "Oh, I know that, Ana. But here’s the real question—why does the boss want her? Why the hell would Alexander Johnson be after Angel?"
For the first ti, a flicker of uncertainty crossed Riley’s face—sothing rare, sothing unsettling. Because for all the sches and secrets she had unraveled, this one... this one didn’t make sense.
Just the thought of it all made her wonder what crucial detail she was overlooking.
Riley pulled her phone close to her lips, absentmindedly tapping it against them as she sank deeper into thought.
*
Three years ago...
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the hospital room, mingling with the quiet beeping of the machines that worked tirelessly to keep her stable.
A woman lay on the bed, her body frail yet her spirit unbroken. Despite the tubes and wires tethering her to life, a gentle smile graced her lips as she turned her gaze toward the visitor who had just entered.
Her eyes softened, a flicker of warmth lighting up their depths. "You ca," she murmured, her voice weak but filled with gratitude.
The visitor stepped closer, exchanging quiet words with her—words that carried weight, unspoken truths hidden beneath the surface.
The conversation stretched on, lingering between monts of silence and fleeting laughter, a delicate balance of hope and inevitability.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the visitor finally rose to leave. A parting glance. A quiet farewell.
And just like that, she was alone again, the rhythmic hum of the machines her only company, the echoes of their conversation lingering in the air like a whisper of sothing unfinished.
She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, allowing the exhaustion to pull her into rest. But just as sleep was about to claim her, the quiet creak of the door jolted her awake.
Her eyelids fluttered open, heavy with fatigue. "Oh? Why did you co back?" she murmured, expecting to see the familiar face of her previous visitor.
But the mont her gaze landed on the figure standing in the doorway, her breath hitched.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, a surge of panic spreading through her veins.
"You?" she gasped, her voice trembling with shock.
A cold dread settled over her as she struggled to process the sight before her. She tried to move, but fear held her frozen in place. The air in the room grew thick, suffocating, as she realized—this was no ordinary visit.
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