?<strong>Chapter 454:</strong>


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    “Vrining’s political structure is worlds apart from ours. Their military operates in fragments, so it’s likely that a powerful figure is pulling the strings behind Fleeinnd,” Roderick said, his face growing even more severe.


    “For years, whispers have circted in the ck market that Fleeinnd is a ce from which no one returns.”


    Allison felt her veins run cold, the grim reality seeping into her bones. She couldn’t let herself imagine the horrors her mother might be facing if she were there.


    No, she wouldn’t allow herself to fall into that spiral. She needed answers, whether her mother was alive or not, and she wouldn’t give up until she found the truth.


    Steadying herself with a deep breath, Allison finally spoke, resolve hardening in her voice.


    “Thank you. I’ll have something investigate further.”


    This time, she wouldn’t overlook a single clue.


    When Allison eventually left the appraisal office, dusk had already settled in.


    She paused at the top of the steps, her gaze distant and cold as she stared into the evening sky.


    A familiar figure emerged from the fading light beside her.


    “Let me drive you home,” Ken offered, his dark eyes watchful, his expression unreadable.


    He had remained silent in the office, but from her conversation with Roderick, he had gathered enough to know her mother could be in real danger.


    “Alright,” Allison replied, her voice neutral.


    Her mind was a maze of scattered thoughts, each more unsettling than thest.


    She allowed Ken to open the car door for her and lean in to fasten her seatbelt.


    As the car pulled away from the cultural center, the buildings and streets blurred by, but Allison’s thoughts remained locked on a single purpose.


    The silence in the car was thick, lingering until they approached the Muisvedo intersection, where the red light began its slow countdown from forty-five.


    Ken nced at her, his voice cutting through the quiet.


    “If you’re open to it, I can help. We can start with the earring, see what it uncovers. I’ve got a few contacts in the ck market, maybe we can get something useful.”


    “Thank you,” Allison said, her voice steady with resolve, the tension in her chest slowly lifting.


    Fleeinnd.


    The word alone made her blood boil. That dark,wless ind wouldn’t escape her reckoning. She’d dismantle every corner of it if she had to.


    “You’re nning to head straight to Vrining, aren’t you?” Ken’s statement wasn’t really a question. He’d seen enough to understand her intentions from the start.


    “Yes.” Her answer came out firm and unwavering.


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