Karl looked down at his phone and frowned.

He didn’t understand why his brother would suddenly call him.

Could he have found out...?

The possibility had barely crossed his mind when he shook his head, dismissing it almost immediately.

There was no way.

They couldn’t have found anything so quickly.

The call was about to disconnect when he finally decided to answer it.

Pressing the phone to his ear, he spoke, "Jasper!"

"I heard that instead of taking your bike, you took the car out. Don’t tell me you’re planning to sell it off?" Jasper’s voice came from the other end.

Karl paused for a second, then glanced back at his car. It wasn’t parked far —he could still see it clearly.

"So what if I am?" he replied rebelliously. "It’s my car. I bought it partially with my savings."

"Partially," Jasper emphasized the word before continuing, "Good that you remember you only paid half. The other half came from us. So don’t forget that."

Karl pursed his lips.

He had no intention of selling the car in the first place.

But really —was this what his brother called him for?

Couldn’t he call to ask how much money he needed instead?

"Do I need to remind you further?" Jasper teased when he didn’t hear a response.

Karl’s fingers tightened around his phone as he spoke through gritted teeth, "No need ... I remember everything. And you don’t need to worry. I just took the car out because I brought Eira along."

"You took Eira out?" Jasper’s tone shifted instantly, laced with concern.

"Yes. She was getting bored at home. I couldn’t bear to see that, so I brought her out. Any problem?"

Jasper didn’t scold him. It wasn’t the first time Karl had taken the little one out.

"Since you’ve taken her out, you’d better take proper care of her. Otherwise, you’ll only add to your list of mistakes."

Karl forced a smile. "You don’t need to worry. I’m her uncle too. I know how to take care of her."

And with that, he ended the call without waiting for another word.

As he slipped his phone back into his pocket, he glanced at the little girl—

Only to find her looking up at him quietly.

His expression softened. Smiling, he said gently, "Uncle Jasper was asking about you. He told me to take good care of you. So later, when we go inside, stay close to me, alright?"

Eira nodded, obediently.

The attendant nearby couldn’t help but ask, just to confirm, "You’ll be taking her with you inside?"

Karl frowned slightly and looked at him. "Why? Is there a problem?"

The man quickly shook his head. "Not exactly a problem. But the crowd inside might make the child uncomfortable."

"Oh, that won’t be an issue," Pier chimed in before Karl could respond. When the man turned to him, he added, "We’re planning to book a private room instead of sitting outside. She’ll be fine."

Although it still didn’t sound entirely convincing, the man nodded anyway.

After all, private rooms didn’t come cheap.

Since the guests were willing to pay, there was no reason to object. Especially to the one who drove here in an expensive sports car.

His gaze darted to look past them towards the car, standing not far away.

Karl noticed his gaze and was about to follow it.

However, before he could —

The man distracted him.

"That would be perfect then," he said, gesturing inward. "Please, come this way."

Pier followed him without hesitation.

Karl, however, remained slightly cautious. His gaze swept the surroundings before he tightened his grip on the little girl’s hand.

"Little Eira," he said quietly, "stay close to Uncle later."

Eira didn’t fully understand, but she nodded nonetheless.

—————

At the same time —back at home —

After finishing his work in the study, Dylan finally stepped out.

He paused briefly, scanning his surroundings, before heading toward Eira’s room.

The door was open.

The room ... empty.

A faint frown appeared between his brows.

Turning around, he descended the stairs and walked into the living room.

It was empty as well.

He looked toward the housekeeper nearby and asked, "Where is she?"

The old woman smiled politely. "Little Young Miss is not at home. Fourth Young Master took her out to play."

The frown on Dylan’s face didn’t ease.

"How long has it been?" he asked.

The housekeeper glanced at the clock, mentally calculating the time before answering.

At that moment—

Asher walked in, his brows furrowed and expression serious.

"Boss."

Dylan turned to him.

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he studied him for a moment before speaking coldly,

"If you weren’t able to find anything, don’t bother reporting to me."

And with that, he turned and walked back upstairs.

Asher frowned.

He had tried tracing the masked spy—

But it had led nowhere.

Frustration lingered within him, but he didn’t stay.

Turning on his heels, he walked out.

Ford was already outside, as if waiting for him.

When he saw Asher step out, he said calmly, "Blaming yourself won’t help. Your failure didn’t lead to a dead end —it’s just that the enemy was prepared. They made sure they wouldn’t get caught."

Self-combustion...

Cruel, but effective.

The perfect way to erase every trace of one’s existence.

And their enemy had chosen exactly that —even at the cost of their loyal subject’s life.

Asher looked at him seriously and shook his head. "I’m not blaming myself. I’m trying to understand who it could be. And why now? Why would they come looking for us after all these years? Haven’t we already cut ties with that world?"

"Cutting ties doesn’t erase Boss’s identity, Asher," Ford replied. "They’ll keep coming until they’re certain he’s no longer a threat." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His words only deepened the crease in Asher’s brows.

—————

Meanwhile —

Back at the restaurant—

After leading Karl and Pier into the private room, the man stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him.

The moment it shut—

His expression changed.

The polite smile vanished, replaced by something far more calculating.

Pulling out his phone, he quickly made a call.

The line connected almost instantly.

"A group just arrived," he said in a low voice. "They look like a good catch. Send someone who can make the most out of them."

A chuckle came from the other end. "How good could they be? Don’t exaggerate. Anyone can handle a few amateurs."

The man frowned slightly and replied, "I saw it myself. The car he drove alone is worth millions. So send someone capable —unless you want to regret it later."

There was a brief pause.

Then—

"Fine," the voice replied. "If that’s the case, I’ll send the best player. Until then ... keep them entertained."

The man’s lips curled into a sly smile.

Ending the call, he glanced back toward the closed door of the private room—

His eyes gleaming with quiet greed.