The figure stepped out into the light.

Liam straightened up.

His breath hitched. His eyes widened. His whole body went tense with surprise.

"Dad?"

The word came out as just a whisper.

Charles paused at the door. "He looked older than in the pictures, with gray hair on the sides and lines around his eyes, but it was definitely him.

"Liam," Charles said, his voice thick with emotion.

And that was all it took.

Liam rushed across the warehouse floor to his dad, wrapping him in a tight hug.

He’s really here.

Charles held him back, instinctively wrapping his arms around his son and squeezing him tight.

"Dad," Liam said again, his face pressed against Charles’s shoulder. "I can’t believe it. I’m really glad you’re here—"

"I get it," Charles murmured. "I know, son. It’s so good to see you too."

They stood there for a moment, father and son, just holding on to each other.

Everyone else was frozen in place behind them.

Zayden had seen Charles before, but only for a few moments. He had looked at pictures, video feeds, and security footage, but never face-to-face.

Aylin recognized him right away. She had met him once as a kid, barely remembered it, but more importantly, she had seen the recent photos during her investigation. The face was spot on.

Reyes had never seen Charles before. He stood completely still, his hand close to his weapon, watching closely.

And Azalea... she observed the reunion with a gentle look.

Finally, Liam and Charles pulled apart. Liam quickly wiped his eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Don’t apologize," Charles said firmly. "Not for that."

Zayden cleared his throat. "We can’t have this talk in a warehouse. Everyone’s heading back to the tower. Now."

Azalea nodded right away. "Agreed."

No one argued.

*****

The group of cars moved through the city in tense silence. Zayden was driving the first SUV, with Aylin next to him and Azalea and Reyes in the back seat. Liam and Charles were following in the second vehicle.

About twenty minutes later, they reached the underground garage at Hazard King Tower.

The building towered above them, sleek, modern, and pretty intimidating, like a fortress pretending to be a corporate office.

They stepped into the private elevator and headed straight to the top floor, Zayden’s office.

Leo was already there when they showed up. He looked up from his laptop, saw the group walk in, and immediately stood up.

"That took longer than—" he paused, staring. "Is that Charles?"

"Yeah," Zayden replied with a nod.

Leo glanced over at Liam, who confirmed with a nod of his own.

"Well," Leo said slowly, "this just got interesting."

They all filed into the office. Zayden plopped down behind his desk, while Aylin took the chair next to him. Azalea and Reyes stood by the windows, and Liam and Charles settled onto the sofa. Leo stayed standing, leaning against the wall.

For a long moment, nobody said a word.

The silence was heavy as everyone wrapped their heads around what just happened.

Eventually, Charles broke the silence.

He looked at his son. "How are you doing, Liam?"

Liam gave a small smile. "I’m okay, Dad. Better now that you’re here."

"You look tired."

"I haven’t been sleeping much."

"Why not?"

"Because Ayla was in the hospital," Liam explained. "She collapsed from stress and exhaustion. We’ve been taking turns watching her, making sure she’s alright."

Charles straightened in his seat. "Ayla? Aylin’s sister? Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Is she okay?"

"She’s doing better now," Liam said. "It was a close call. We were really worried."

Charles processed this. "And you’ve been here the whole time with them," he said, motioning toward Zayden and Aylin.

"Yeah."

"Working with Hazard King?"

"Yep."

Charles went quiet for a moment. Then he said, "You could have come to me. Let me know."

"I couldn’t risk it," Liam replied. "Not until I figured out whose side you were on for real."

That statement lingered between them.

Charles nodded slowly. "Fair enough."

Zayden leaned in a bit. "Charles, we have to chat about Alexander."

The mood in the room felt like it dropped.

Charles looked at Zayden. "What about him?"

"Everything," Aylin said softly.

Charles turned to look at her, really focusing. "You’re Sibel’s daughter."

"Yep."

"You look just like her," Charles said, a hint of pain in his voice. "Same face, same eyes, even the same voice."

Aylin didn’t really know how to respond. He still remembers her.

Charles continued, "Your dad messed up my life. Did you know that?"

"That’s your opinion," Aylin said carefully. "But you’re mistaken."

"Mistaken?" Charles raised his voice slightly. "I was framed for crimes I didn’t commit. I lost it all: my career, my reputation, my freedom. Marcus Alston did that. The evidence was solid."

"The evidence was fake," Zayden jumped in.

Charles shot him a look. "What?"

Aylin quickly took out her laptop and opened it. "Uncle Charles, you really need to listen. Like, really listen. Because everything you think you know about my dad and what happened to you, it’s all a lie."

"A lie," Charles said flatly.

"Yep," Aylin replied, turning the laptop to show him. "Check this out."

On the screen were some documents: financial records, messages, and timestamps.

"This," Aylin pointed out, "is the original evidence they used to frame you. The transactions that supposedly proved you were embezzling and the messages that said you were leaking secrets."

Charles leaned forward, squinting at the screen.

"And this," Aylin added, pulling up another window, "proves it was all fake. Alexander Kane set this up. He planted the evidence, forged your signature, and made it look like you were guilty."

Charles stared in disbelief. "That’s... no. It can’t be..."

"It is true," Zayden said. "We double-checked everything."

Aylin pulled up more files. "And look at this, Alexander also framed my dad. The evidence that supposedly showed he was working with criminals? Totally fake. Also planted by Alexander."

Charles stayed completely still. "Why?"

"Because Alpha Dark ordered it," Aylin explained. "You and my dad were getting too close to something Alpha wanted to keep secret. So Alexander set you both up, got you out of the way, and turned you against each other so you wouldn’t team up to uncover the truth."

Leo added from his spot by the wall, "Divide and conquer. Classic move."

Charles shook his head slowly. "All this time. All these years. I thought Marcus ruined me. I blamed him. I hated him."

"He didn’t," Aylin said gently. "My dad was innocent, just like you."

Charles looked up at her, his eyes glistening with tears. "I was after you. You and your sister. I wanted revenge. I thought if I could hurt Marcus’s kids, I could finally make him pay for what he did to me."

The room went quiet.

Aylin stood up and walked over to Charles. Without thinking, she pulled him into a hug.

Charles tensed in surprise.

"I’m sorry," he whispered. "I’m so sorry. I was going to hurt you. I was going to—"

"But you didn’t," Aylin said firmly. "You didn’t hurt me. You didn’t hurt Ayla. And now you know the truth."

Charles slowly lifted his hands to return the hug. "How can you ever forgive me?"

"Because you were played," Aylin said, pulling back to look him in the eye. "Alexander tricked you. He messed up your life and made you think it was my dad’s fault. That’s not on you, Uncle Charles; it’s on him."

Liam watched his dad cry, feeling his own throat tighten up.

Over by the window, Azalea glanced at Reyes, who was taking it all in with an unreadable look.

When he caught her looking, he met her gaze for a few seconds before quickly focusing on the wall like it was the most interesting thing ever.

Azalea held back a smile. This was interesting.

She turned her attention back to the conversation but tucked that little moment away for later.

Charles wiped his eyes. "You’re just like your mom, you know?"

Aylin smiled a bit. "People keep saying that."

"Sibel was the bravest person I ever knew," Charles continued. "She never backed down. She wouldn’t let anyone push her around, and she was kind, even when she didn’t have to be."

"That sounds like Aylin," Zayden said quietly.

Aylin glanced at him, softness in her expression.

Charles looked between them. "You two. You’re together."

"Yeah," Zayden said simply.

"Good," Charles replied. "Marcus would’ve liked that."

Aylin’s breath caught in her throat.

For a second, she couldn’t move.

Then her vision blurred, and the tears spilled over.

Leo cleared his throat. "So, now that we’ve figured out that everyone got played and manipulated by Alexander Kane, can we talk about the big issue?"

"What big issue?" Liam asked.

"The forest," Leo said. "Someone saved Aylin in that forest two years ago, someone who knew exactly where she was and when to show up."

Everyone turned to Charles.

Zayden leaned forward. "That was you."

Charles nodded. "Yep."

"How did you even find her?" Zayden asked.