?Chapter 704:

    Frustration still burned in Adah’s tone. “So we’re supposed to just sit here and let them walk all over us?” she asked, her indignation clear. “They’re using their power to hurt you for no reason. Why should we just take it?”

    Elliana took her time, making sure Adah understood. “You and I have been through the Delta together longer than I can count. After all the things we’ve survived, I’d expect you to see how things really work. Why do you still sound so innocent? This world’s always yed by the rules of the strong. It’s never been about right or wrong.”

    There was no need to remind Adah of this. She grasped the truth well enough. Only her concern for Elliana pushed her into protest.

    After Elliana’s words sank in, Adah swallowed her anger and kept her temper in check. “Elliana, we’ve never crossed the Campbell family. But their reputation is no secret. Everyone knows how ruthless they are. If they’ve set their sights on you, they won’t rest until you’re gone.”

    A short nod from Elliana confirmed her fears. “That’s exactly it. The Campbell family must already have people watching the Regal Grove. I feel like I’m walking a wire every single day. Anyone close to me is caught in the same danger.”

    Clifton, Kieran, Heather, and Damian all spoke up at once, their voices steady. “We’re not going anywhere. You can count on us.”

    Instantly, Adah added, “Elliana, you know I’d follow you anywhere. We’ve been best friends since we were kids. There’s nothing I wouldn’t face for you.”

    The loyalty surrounding her filled Elliana with gratitude. Her voice softened. “This isn’t about bravery. What matters now is making sure no one pays the price for something that isn’t worth it. I have responsibilities bigger than romance. If we confront the Campbell family head-on, the efforts I’ve poured into building Thorn Rose could fall apart just because of one careless mistake.”

    After a quiet moment, Elliana made herself perfectly clear. “I won’t throw away my life fighting over a man. There’s too much at stake.”

    Her words cut deep, reminding everyone that life was too valuable to waste. It dawned on Adah and the others just how serious things had be. Elliana’s true purpose was never about love or revenge. Finding her mother came before everything else. Years of training, dangerous missions in the Delta, and the birth of…

    Thorn Rose—every bit of it had been for that one goal. Her mother was still missing. To gamble all of that away for a fleeting romance made no sense at all.

    Lost in her anger, Adah had let her focus slip—she also had to locate her own mother. The truth of Elliana’s words brought her back to her senses.

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    “So what do we do now, Elliana? Should we leave Ublento before it’s toote?”

    With the Campbell family closing in, staying meant certain death. The safest path forward meant disappearing from Ublento entirely—erasing every trace of Elliana and starting over somewhere new.

    “No need to rush. Let’s watch and adjust as things unfold. Honestly, I’m curious too. I want to see the Campbell family’s next move. When they finally act against me, that’s when we’ll disappear from this city,” Elliana said.

    Elliana nced at herpanions. “Remember, none of you can reveal your identities. No one should know you belong to Thorn Rose. The Campbells have influence everywhere. Once I abandon my identity as Elliana, the Thorn Rosebel will be our safest shield.”

    “Understood,” Clifton, Kieran, Heather, and Damian responded in unison.

    Elliana stood and made her way upstairs. “Adah,e with me. I have something for you.”

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