Chapter 328 Hidden Shadows
Chapter 328 Hidden Shadows
Quinn leaned in, elbows brushing the edge of the coffee table, eyes like pinpoint lasers over the rim of her cooling espresso. “Can you track down every detail of Leander Fane’s past from three years ago–every job, every alias, every whisper?”
Julius drummed two fingers against the glowing tablet, scanning lines of code as though sheer willpower could make them unfurl faster. “We’re digging, but remember, he’s the Fanc family’s illegitimate son. Even in the last three years, he’s barely shown his face in public. Anything before that feels deliberately scrubbed. It’ll take time.”
Quinn then recounted how, earlier that night, she had slipped into Leander’s suite and, beneath the amber glow of a bedside lamp, showed him Rowan’s photo.
Julius‘ brow knotted, the faint scar at his temple tightening like a warning line. “You went in alone? What if something had gone wrong–have you even thought about that?”
Quinn offered a measured shrug, the faintest ghost of a smile–skating across her lips. “Going solo made it easier to slip in unnoticed. A bigger team would have set off alarms. Besides, I’m standing here in one piece, aren’t I?”
Julius let out a sharp breath. “And what if you weren’t standing here right now?”
“I set a timed message to Harlan. If I wasn’t back by three in the morning, the alert would hit his phone automatically. He’d know what to do.”
She never stepped into a mission without a failsafe–and tonight had been no exception.
“Leander keeps insisting he isn’t my brother, but I still want a DNA test. When I brought it up, he refused outright. Getting a usable sample won’t be easy. I could knock him out and take what we need–would you be able to tidy up the aftermath? Or maybe we catch him drunk enough to pull a few stray hairs.”
Quinn shrugged out of her jacket, tossing the leather onto the armrest while she floated each possibility aloud.
Had they been back home in Azania, she could have filed a request with the military, and a mandatory DNA swab would have followed almost automatically.
But they were in Doria now, a nation wrapped in different red tape. Worse still, Leander was shielded by the formidable Fane family, their influence seeping into every corridor of power.
When she finished speaking, silence pooled in the room, thick enough to taste. Then Julius voice cut through it like a knife unsheathed in the
“Why Harlan?” He stepped closer, the air between them crackling with unspoken accusation. “Of all the people you could rely on, why choose Harlan instead of me?”
Quinn said nothing. She simply looked away, lips pressed so tight they lost their color.
“You know I have more ways to keep you safe here in Doria than Harlan ever could. Even if things went sideways, I could protect your
She should have chosen me.
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Chapter 328 Hidden Shadows
Quinn sighed, shoulders settling. “Harlan and I have run countless missions together Our rhythm second nature, so I set the timer to him–nothing more
She had canceled the alert the moment she reached the hotel.
“You’ve never partnered with me–how can you be sure we have no rhythm?” he asked.
“You’ve already helped me more than enough, Julius. I can’t keep piling everything onto you.”
Julius let out a hollow laugh, the sound brittle as cracked ice. Helping her? As if I weren’t helping myself just as much.
Julius stood by the window, city lights flickering against his suit sleeve, shoulders knotted with worry. I hope Quinn finds Rowan soon, and I hope he’s safe.
“Quinn, stop using flimsy excuses just to keep me at arm’s length. If Rowan’s rescue needs my power, then take it all–use me without holding back.”
“Julius, let’s be honest–I’m not merely borrowing your strength. I’m exploiting it, exploiting you. I know ! shouldn’t, yet to find Rowan quickly, I’ll do it anyway. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t owe me an apology. Borrow me, use me–it makes no difference. I give willingly.
“But what if I still refuse to go back to you? I know your feelings let me use you, yet I…”
“Stop.” Julius‘ voice cracked, slicing through her words before they could wound them both.
“I’m sorry. If ever you need anything–say the word. I’ll be there. I will repay every kindness you’re giving me now.”
Julius closed the gap between them, his shadow swallowing the lamplight. “Repay me? Then answer this: when insomnia keeps me awake, will you take my hand and stay until I fall asleep?”
She frowned. “If you’re that sleepless, you should see a doctor.”
He shot back, “And how do you know I haven’t?”
Quinn’s gaze locked on the bruised smudges beneath his eyes. So the insomnia was real, not another of his dramatic ploys.
“Or is your so–called repayment nothing but sound? If that’s the case, don’t insult me by saying the word again.”
Making him taste hope only to rip it away hurt worse than never hoping at all.
“If you truly can sleep when you’re near me, then while we’re abroad, you can stay here at night.”
When they returned home, he could begin proper treatment, structured and systematic.
“You mean it? You’re agreeing?
“Yes. I’m agreeing.”
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Chapter 328 Hidden Shadows
This, she figured, was a different kind of repayment, one that cost her nights instead of cash. That felt fan enough.
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