The office felt a bit cramped with five people packed into the space.
Zayden was sitting behind his desk, his piercing blue eyes scanning the room.
Aylin was in the chair to his right, her laptop open with a bunch of tabs shining in her big glasses.
Leo leaned against the wall by the window, arms crossed, his usual chill vibe replaced by a more alert attitude.
Reyes took the other chair, sitting up straight like a soldier, his eyes taking in everything around him. And then there was Selina, lounging on the edge of Zayden’s desk with her legs crossed, looking way too comfortable for soone who had just flipped sides.
The tension was thick in the air.
This wasn’t just another eting to brainstorm; it was about digging into mysteries that dated back years, photos, kidnappings, and secrets that wouldn’t stay buried.
Aylin was the first to break the silence, stopping her fingers on the keyboard as she turned to Selina.
"Selina, listen," Aylin said, keeping her voice steady even though her golden-brown eyes had a spark of emotion. "Rember when Alpha kidnapped us two years ago?"
Selina tilted her head a bit, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "Hard to forget. You were quite the handful, even while tied up."
Aylin brushed off the comnt. "There was a photo. Alpha showed a pic of Ayla and , with our dad." She leaned forward, her intensity ramping up. "Where did he get that picture?"
The room went completely still.
Leo’s eyes narrowed, Reyes shifted in his chair, and Zayden’s fingers drumd once on the desk before stopping.
Selina’s smile widened, but there was sothing sharp in her expression. "Oh, so you’re talking about that photo."
"Yes, that photo," Aylin pressed. "The one with our dad. How did Alpha get it? How did he even know to look for us?"
Selina casually examined her nails like they were chatting about the weather instead of a kidnapping that nearly took two lives. "That picture," she said slowly, "we got it from your sister’s Instagram."
Aylin blinked. "Instagram? My sister’s Instagram?"
"Yep." Selina popped the ’p’ sound with satisfaction. "Here’s the deal: when you blew Alpha’s whole operation, you covered your tracks so well it was almost too good."
"That was the plan," Aylin replied dryly.
"Clearly." Selina waved a hand like it was no big deal. "Our whole team searched everywhere for you, digital footprints, money trails, travel logs, known contacts, nothing. You hid yourself so perfectly that Alpha was losing his mind."
Leo chid in, his voice protective. "So you thought it was a good idea to go after her family instead?"
Selina shrugged, looking totally unbothered by the accusation in his voice. "Actually, I was the one who suggested it to Alpha. I told him, ’We can’t find her, but she has to have family sowhere.’ So we started digging into the family on social dia."
"On social dia?" Aylin repeated, her tone totally flat. "You tracked down through Instagram?"
"Not just any Instagram," Selina leaned in with a conspiratorial grin. "We found a girl who looked kind of like you, sa face shape, sa build, but different colors: brown eyes, brown hair, and longer hair."
Reyes jumped in for the first ti, his military training clear in his sharp tone. "That was Aylin. She didn’t hide who she was."
"Right," Selina agreed. "At first, we weren’t sure. The girl in the photos didn’t match the description we had of Lunel; you were known for having different features. But then it hit ."
Aylin’s jaw tightened. "You edited the photo."
"Bingo!" Selina snapped her fingers. "We changed the eye color, ssed with the hair color, and switched up the length. When we first found you, you had black hair and different colored eyes. Hair extensions and colored contacts, right?"
Aylin didn’t say anything, but the tension in her eyes said it all.
"That was your cover," Selina went on, almost impressed. "Pretty clever, honestly. Change your whole look to blend in. But in that family photo with your dad, you had your real features: brown eyes, brown hair, and longer hair. So we adjusted the image to fit what Lunel was supposed to look like, and boom! Facial recognition confird it was you."
Zayden spoke, his tone icy. "And then you tracked down Ayla."
"Exactly," Selina said without a hint of remorse. "Ayla was going to IT Tech University in Istanbul, living there and studying Computer Science. She wasn’t hiding at all. Once we got her location, finding you was just a matter of ti. Sisters usually stay in touch, you know."
Aylin’s hands turned into fists on the armrests of her chair. Leo noticed and stepped a bit closer to her, just a quiet gesture of support.
"Okay," Aylin finally said after a mont, trying to keep her voice steady. "I get how you found us. But Alpha actually printed out those photos? He did that?"
Selina nodded casually. "Yeah, we printed them out. Alpha preferred having physical copies of important info. He called it his ’insurance.’ He had tons of printed docunts and photos locked up."
"Where?" Zayden asked sharply. "Where does he keep those files?"
"Multiple places," Selina admitted. "Warehouses, safe houses, and encrypted storage facilities. So were digital, so were physical. Alpha didn’t trust putting everything in one spot. It was paranoid, but pretty smart."
Zayden nodded slowly, taking it all in. "Alright, let’s talk about the second topic." He leaned forward, locking eyes with Selina. "You know Marcus Alston?"
Selina looked a bit thoughtful. "Yeah, Marcus Alston. He’s Aylin’s dad."
Zayden shook his head, a bit frustrated. "No, that’s not what I ant. Forget about Aylin for a second. I’m trying to find out if Alpha knew Marcus Alston. Did he ever bring him up?"
Selina frowned, genuinely confused. "Not that I can rember. Why’s that?"
Aylin chid in, her voice tense. "When Alpha had us trapped in that warehouse, he never ntioned our dad at all. He didn’t use him as a threat or anything. It was like Marcus didn’t even matter to him."
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