CHAPTER 143: THE HIDDEN TRACKING

"Handled?" Sophia narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly do you know about these threats?"

"I received a letter—from an anonymous source. It warned me that Harper’s life was in danger, and that she could be targeted anytime, anywhere. I couldn’t ignore it, so I stayed behind after we parted ways last time. The message said the danger would last only a week."

"A mysterious letter?" Sophia murmured, tapping her fingers against her cup. That was strange.

"Harper doesn’t seem like the kind of person who makes enemies," she said. "Who’d want to hurt her?"

"I’ve been thinking the same thing," Ryan admitted. "That’s why I don’t think the threat is actually about her. I think it’s about someone close to her."

Sophia’s eyes sharpened as the realization hit. "You mean... me?"

Ryan nodded slightly. "I’ve looked into everyone in her circle. To be honest, the only close female friend she has is you. She doesn’t care much for anyone else. So yes, I suspect the real target is you. I just wanted to warn you in person.

I don’t know who’s behind it—the letter was sent anonymously, and every trace leads to a dead end."

Sophia arched a brow. "So let me get this straight—someone I don’t know sends you a warning that Harper is in danger. Yet Harper’s closest person is me, which means the real target is me. He warns you but wants to go through her to get to me? What’s the point of that?"

It didn’t make sense. If someone truly wanted to go after her, why take such a roundabout approach?

"I don’t know either," Ryan admitted. "But I figured you should be careful, just in case. Since I ran into you today, I thought I’d tell you directly."

Sophia nodded slowly. "Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll keep my guard up. I’m leaving on July 28th for an international judging event. When I come back, I expect you’ll have better news for me."

"I will," he promised.

Sophia stood and glanced toward the door where Harper had disappeared. "And about Harper—think things through carefully. You already know what she likes and what she doesn’t.

She’s drawn to maturity. The more you hover around her, the more she’ll think you have nothing better to do. She wants someone who can protect her, not someone who keeps joking and chasing her like a kid.

If you really want to be with her, remember one thing—know when to stop."

Ryan met her gaze and nodded. "Got it. And... thanks."

"I’m only saying this for her sake." Sophia picked up her purse and stood. "If that’s all, I’ve got work to finish."

"Alright," he said softly as she turned to leave.

Sophia stood up and walked toward the exit.

Back in her car, Ryan’s words kept echoing in her mind.

Someone wanted to harm her—but instead of coming after her directly, they were targeting Harper.

Was it a warning? Or a threat?

Were they trying to remind her of the danger, or deliberately taunt her by showing that anyone close to her could be hurt because of her?

She shook her head. Thinking too much wouldn’t help. Whatever the truth was, she would face it when it came.

If someone really was planning to come for her, they’d show their hand soon enough.

She started the engine and drove away.

...

Later that night.

When Lucas came home, he found all six of his children sitting stiffly on the couch, their faces unusually serious.

"What’s going on here?" he asked.

"Daddy, you’re home," Angela murmured. Then she fell silent again.

Lucas frowned. "Angela, what happened?"

"Daddy," she said quietly, "after school today, we realized someone was following us."

Normally, the kids were picked up by professional bodyguards—and the guards hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. But apparently, the kids had.

"Following you?" Lucas repeated, his voice low. "Are you sure it wasn’t just your imagination?"

Angela shook her head firmly. "No. Whoever was following us was trained. They used multiple cars and surrounded us in a circle. It wasn’t random—they knew what they were doing."

Billy chimed in, "They were using a rotating formation. Some cars dropped off halfway, but others took their place. Every time we reached an intersection, a few would disappear, but others would appear behind us again. It was coordinated, Daddy. They planned this ahead of time. The scary part is... the bodyguards didn’t even notice. The tailing technique was almost invisible."

Lucas’s expression hardened, the warmth in his eyes fading into steel.

He never underestimated his children. They had inherited his sharp instincts—and their mother’s intelligence.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

Damien’s box.

The one he had given to Sophia.

The strange writing inside it.

Could that warning have been real?

"Daddy, we didn’t tell Mommy yet," Angela said softly. "We didn’t want her to worry."

Sophia wasn’t home yet.

Lucas immediately pulled out his phone. "Get me all the surveillance footage," he ordered. "Every camera from Noble Primary School downtown to the entire route back to Blackstone Manor. Now."

After hanging up, he looked at his children, his tone low but steady. "I’m going to place a tracker on each of you. If anything happens, I’ll know right away."

He crouched down to their level, gently patting each of their heads. "You’re still young—but you need to start learning how to protect yourselves. Starting this weekend, I’ll be enrolling you in a private training program. You’ll meet with an instructor who’ll teach you basic survival skills."

Charles looked up. "Daddy... should we tell Mommy?"

Lucas shook his head. "No. Your mommy doesn’t need to worry about that. She doesn’t need to learn how to survive—I’ll protect her. But you’re different. Someday, you’ll be the ones protecting others—or the ones your loved ones rely on for protection."

They didn’t fully understand, but he didn’t care. The words needed to be said.

Because if someone was moving against them from the shadows—Lucas Hilton wasn’t about to sit back and wait.

If they wanted to play games, he’d send them straight to heaven—to meet their so-called god himself.