Anya stared at the image of the security officer's blurred face, the unique Thorne Security Chief's ring glinting, and the certainty that the perpetrator was connected to Ms. Lin. Her heart pounded with a mix of fury and fierce determination. The true danger wasn't the Lombardi Group waiting outside; it was the viper nestled within the Thorne family's defense.
She couldn't call Lucien. If Ms. Lin was indeed a high-ranking mole, every secure line Lucien was currently using to direct the defense was likely monitored. Telling him would only jeopardize the entire Group Pampering circle and expose her true intentions before she could strike.
I have to go back.
Anya carefully wiped the tablet screen clean and retrieved the Matriarch's memory stick, placing it back in her coat lining.
Anya found Jax in the suite's living area, calmly playing a high-stakes mobile game, his silver hair catching the light.
"Jax," Anya's voice was steady, betraying none of the chaos churning inside her. "I need your help. Not as a distraction, but as a smuggler."
Jax lowered his phone, recognizing the cold, serious steel in her eyes—a look that belonged only to the Qilin Guardian, not the former delivery girl.
"Spit it out, Xiao Bao. You've seen something on the stick, haven't you?"
"The leak isn't the data; it's the security," Anya explained quickly, showing him a quick sketch of the Security Chief's ring. "The man who poisoned the Dragon's Breath Pine was an internal security officer, working for someone in the Thorne inner circle—likely Ms. Lin. Lucien is safe in the vault for now, but the true threat is operating inside the estate, ready to betray him when the Lombardi Group attacks."
Jax's face hardened. His loyalty to his brother was absolute. "If there's a traitor inside, the last thing we should do is go back there, especially since Lombardi is looking for this exact signature." He touched the counter-signature pendant around her neck.
"Exactly," Anya countered, her plan already crystalizing. "Lombardi is looking for me to flee to a neutral zone. My counter-signature is currently masking my real energy, but it's sending a massive fake signal toward Zurich. If I suddenly leave Zurich and travel back toward the Thorne estate, the energy signature reversal will confuse the Lombardi tracking grid just long enough for us to sneak into the underground tunnels."
Jax stared at her, then his reckless grin returned. "A rogue Qilin abandoning the master's orders to charge back into the danger zone? This is so much better than a world tour."
Within two hours, Jax and Anya were back on the high-speed submersible, moving covertly beneath the Atlantic, but this time, they were headed east, toward the Thorne estate.
As they submerged, Jax contacted his brother through a highly encrypted, one-time-use channel.
"Lucien, buddy, bad news," Jax whispered into the mic. "We hit a snag in Zurich. Anya's fake passport was flagged. We're doubling back to Lisbon and lying low."
Lucien's voice was a low growl of controlled fury. "Jax, you are incompetent! Bring her back immediately! The Lombardi Group is mobilizing on the European coast! If you lose her—!"
"Calm down, Ice King. I got this. Trust your rogue rock star brother," Jax cut the connection before Lucien could explode.
Anya watched the calculated lie work, generating the necessary chaos and misdirection. Lucien now believed his beloved Qilin was still hiding somewhere near Lisbon, diverting his focus—and his security detail's attention—away from the estate's main perimeter.
The journey back was tense. Anya spent the time poring over the internal security schematics of the Thorne estate that Jax provided, focusing on the hidden entrances and the private surveillance hub.
They arrived under the cover of a thick, cold fog just after midnight. Jax, using his unique knowledge of the estate's neglected sea tunnels, guided Anya through a maze of damp, abandoned conduits. The air was thick with the scent of brine and old stone.
They eventually emerged into a small, sub-level utility closet just outside the main security hub—the very place Ms. Lin (or her associate) would be monitoring.
"I need you to cause a twenty-second blackout in the main security hub," Anya instructed Jax. "Just long enough for me to slip inside and access the central surveillance server. I need to find out who the Security Chief in that video was reporting to."
Jax nodded. "Don't worry. Jax Thorne is excellent at causing catastrophic electrical malfunctions."
He slipped away through the shadows. Anya waited, the silence amplifying the frantic rhythm of her heart. The scent of disinfectant and cheap cologne was suddenly faint but present, carried on a subtle draft of air. She was close.
Crack!
The lights in the hallway outside the utility closet blinked once and died.
Anya moved instantly, bursting out of the closet and into the darkened security hub. She raced toward the central server rack, her fingers flying across the controls. She was downloading the internal access logs when the lights flickered back on.
Standing in the doorway, blocking her escape, was Ms. Lin.
She wasn't wearing an assistant's blouse. She was wearing a perfectly tailored dark suit, and the cold, professional veneer had melted away, revealing a chillingly confident malevolence.
"I knew the Master's little pet wouldn't stay away," Ms. Lin purred, her voice low and utterly unlike the clipped tones of the executive assistant. "But I didn't expect the Qilin to be so stupid as to return to the heart of the snake's nest."
Anya gripped the server rack for support, realizing the depth of the betrayal. "You. It was you. You orchestrated it all."
"Not all of it," Ms. Lin corrected, her smile widening into a terrifying smirk. She raised her hand, and the light reflected off a familiar piece of metal. She was wearing the Thorne Security Chief's signet ring.
"The poisoning was necessary to cripple the Thorne luck," Ms. Lin continued, taking a step toward Anya. "And the moment you returned, I knew I had to act quickly. Your sudden appearance saved Lucien from the Lombardi Group's financial traps, but I ensured he paid for it. He's so busy worrying about the 'Lombardi predator' outside, he hasn't noticed his loyal assistant has handed them the keys to the kingdom."
Ms. Lin reached into her pocket and pulled out a high-frequency jamming device—a miniature version of Dr. Zuo's technology.
"This will neutralize your counter-signature emitter, Qilin. The Lombardi agents, now swarming the perimeter, will instantly detect your powerful energy signature and breach the estate." Ms. Lin raised the device. "You were the Master's weakness then, and you are the Master's bait now. The true traitor, you see, has always been the one closest to the throne."
The silent battle for the Thorne family's fate was about to become very, very loud.