Lucien's silence was a devastating admission. He couldn't meet Anya's eye, confirming her suspicion: the Qilin's disappearance was tied to a secret he was desperately trying to protect.
Anya held her ground, her stance firm despite the fear churning inside her. "I don't need the whole story, Lucien. I need a sign of respect for my soul. Not as your pet, but as your equal. Who was responsible for the Dragon's Breath Pine being cut down? Tell me that, or I walk."
Lucien finally raised his head, his face a mask of controlled agony. "Anya... Xiao Bao," he used the cherished name like a desperate plea. "I swear on the Thorne name and all its power, I will tell you. But not yet. Not until I can guarantee your safety, because the person responsible is still a threat to you."
He stepped forward, but this time he didn't grab her. He knelt slowly, a gesture of submission that shocked Anya and the Matriarch alike.
"Listen to my vow," Lucien said, his voice husky. "You are the Thorne Guardian. You are my most precious treasure. I will use every resource—my brothers, my grandmother, Dr. Zuo, and the entire Thorne Group—to uncover the full truth and protect you from it. I will not rest until the one who harmed you is destroyed. If you leave me now, you will face them alone. Stay, and let us spoil you, protect you, and fight this battle for you."
The sincerity in his eyes was staggering. He was admitting his fear, sacrificing his cold image for her.
"My answer is simple, then," Anya said, her own voice softening. "I stay. But only to find the truth. And when I find the person who destroyed my tree, I will deliver the final face-slap myself."
Lucien rose, his face grim but resolute. "Very well. From this moment, we operate under total security lockdown. Jax, Mother, Dr. Zuo—no one leaves the estate until we trace the movements of Vane Industries before their collapse. Anya, come with me. You will stay in the vault suite."
But as Lucien turned, his highly secured phone chimed—an alert tone reserved for catastrophic events. His eyes scanned the screen, and his jaw dropped.
"Impossible," he whispered, dread chilling his voice.
"What is it?" Madam Thorne demanded.
"Elara Vane," Lucien spat out the name with hatred. "She wasn't just attempting to shame Anya. She wasn't just trying to save her company. Minutes before her family's assets were liquidated, she executed a massive data transfer. She sold the highly sensitive, proprietary data of the Alpha Project—the Qilin scale data—to our biggest rival, the ruthless Lombardi Group."
The air went cold. This was not a petty social squabble; it was industrial espionage that bordered on treason, and the stakes were raised to an international level. Elara, desperate and ruined, had just handed over the key to unlocking Qilin magic to the mistery.
The Group Pampering circle didn't panic; they instantly mobilized with terrifying efficiency.
Lucien : He was already on the phone. "Seal the financial markets. I want the Lombardi Group's primary subsidiaries frozen before the sun rises. We hit their supply chain. No mercy."
Madam Thorne (The Social Blade): "I will personally contact the three major world leaders who rely on Thorne technology. They will apply political pressure to Lombardi's overseas dealings. Elara will be treated as an enemy of the state."
Jax (The Global Communicator): "I'm scheduling another live broadcast. This time, it's not slander—it's industrial terrorism. I'll expose the Lombardi CEO's connection to Elara's data theft and incite a global boycott of their media holdings."
Dr. Zuo (The Shield): He rushed to Anya, pulling a small, black, metallic chip from his pocket. "Anya, this is a counter-signature emitter. It masks your Qilin resonance from outside detection. If the Lombardi Group uses our stolen data to hunt you, this will make you invisible. Wear it. It's for your protection."
The collective, overwhelming response was an expression of total commitment to Anya. They weren't just protecting a loved one; they were protecting the family's magical core.
Lucien grabbed Anya's hand, leading her toward the heavily reinforced, underground vault suite. "We are going underground until we neutralize this threat. The Lombardi Group knows you are the key to the data they stole. They will come for you, and we will be waiting."
As they descended into the secure bunker, Anya placed Dr. Zuo's counter-signature emitter around her neck. It was cool metal, heavy with protection.
"Lucien," Anya asked, looking up at him as the massive steel door hissed shut, isolating them from the world above. "If they know I'm the key, how will they find me if I'm hidden?"
Lucien's obsidian eyes were alight with a cold, terrifying cunning. "They won't find you. They will find me. They will think they can pressure me—the grieving Master—into handing over the Qilin. But they will find out," he leaned in, his voice a low, fierce promise, "that they cannot take the Xiao Bao from the Thorne family again. We will use ourselves as the bait to lure the Lombardi Group and the traitor Elara Vane into a trap you and I will set together."
The steel door locked, plunging them into the soundproof darkness, marking the beginning of the intense, close confinement that would either forge their bond or break their trust forever.