The scandal surrounding Aliana not only kept Andrian busy trying to contain the media coverage, but also dragged the Zavier family into heavy pressure Ethan, as head of the family, became the primary target of demands from rtives and close kin

    Since yesterday, calls and messages had been pouring in, demanding that he give a statement. That night, several of Ethan’s rtives gathered in the Zavier family’s living room. Their faces were tense, their tone sharp and filled with demands.

    “Ethan, you need to confirm whether the video is real,” said one cousin. “If that really is Aliana, at least tell her to apologize publicly. This is humiliating for our family.”

    Another chimed in. “That’s right. Our name is at stake. Staying silent only makes people think the video is real.”

    Ethan, seated in the main chair, listened with his jaw set. His sharp gaze swept over everyone speaking. Just as one of them was about to add anotherment, Ethan raised his hand, cutting the conversation short.

    “Enough.” His voice was low but firm. “If you’re not going to help contain the problem, then keep your imouth /ishut. Stay silent. Don’t make things worse

    The room went still. Several exchanged nces, shocked by Ethan’s tone.

    “I don’t want any of you bothering Aliana,” Ethan continued, his gaze hardening. “If anyone dares to pressure or icorner /iher, I will make sure your names are erased from the will. And don’t expect to have a ce in thepany.”

    Ethan’s words froze everyone in ce. They knew he was not a man to make idle threats. As head of the family and leader of thepany, their lives depended heavily on him. Losing his support would mean losing both ie and influence.

    One rtive tried to ease the tension. “Ethan, we were only-”

    “I don’t want to hear another word that corners my daughter,” Ethan cut in sharply. “Do you think I’ll let my daughter be destroyed just like that? Zavier Corporation is mypany, and protecting the family’s good name is my responsibility. If you’re not willing to help, get out and deal with your bown /blives.”

    The tension in the room spiked. The rtives who hade intending to pressure Ethan now chose silence. No one dared to argue. They nodded, some looking away, iand /islowly left the room without furtherment.

    Ethan remained in his chair, breathing heavily as he held back his anger. This was the first time he had defended Aliana so fiercely. Even during the previous scandal linking Aliana to Rafe, he had not spoken up for her. His change this time shocked everyone.

    Not long after the rtives left, Olivia entered the living room. Her face was still flushed, her eyes swollen from crying. She hurried toward Ethan.

    “I’m sorry,” Olivia said, holding back sobs. “Sorry that this happened. Sorry I couldn’t protect our daughter.”

    Ethan stood, stepped closer, and wiped her tears with his fingers. “Neither you nor the children have anything to apologize for. This is not our fault. It’s the fault of the person who dared to target Alicia, and now drag Aliana into it.”

    Ethan’s voice was firm, but his eyes carried the same determination and thirst for revenge that Aliana had.

    “I will make them pay for every tear shed by our family. I don’t care who they are. I will make sure they regret ever touching our daughter.”

    Olivia sobbed harder, her head bowed in her husband’s embrace. She knew the weight of the situation.

    If Ethan or Aliana denied that the woman in the video was Aliana, everyone would know it was Alicia. And Alicia’s name, though she was gone, would be destroyed. That was why they chose silence–no confirmations at all.

    The best they could do was let the public believe whatever it wanted. Only Ethan’s family would know the truth.

    Ethan let go of the embrace bbut /bstill held Olivia’s hands tightly. “I’ll use everything I have to pressure anyone trying bto /bfan bthe /bmes of this story. No one will dare keep spreading it.”

    112

    Olivia looked at her husband, trying to convince hersell he enuld do it. Ethan had the power and connections–enough to pressure the mind, bthu /b

    authorities, even business rivals.

    “I’ll make sure they stop talking.” Ethan continued. “And if anyone still dares, I’ll make sure they lose plenty”

    Olivia only nodded. Her tears hadn’t stopped, but Ethan’s embrace gave her a small sense of safety. She knew he was truly angry this time—not just because of the scandal, but because someone had dared trample on the dignity of both his daughters.

    Several days had passed since the scandal video involving Aliana first spread. Although Ethan and Andrian had been working to block the video’s distribution through various channels, the news hadn’tpletely died down.

    At present, the video could no longer be found on the inte. Howeverb, /bconversations iabout /iit remained active on social media. Comments, spection, and gossip kept surfacing, questioning the truth that had never been confirmed.

    Andrian, whenever he was at home, never missed a chance to press Aliana–wanting to hear from her own lips whether the video was real or not. But Aliana still chose silence. She refused to say “yes” or “no.” She saw no need to exin, let alone defend herself, because the truth of the video would only bring Alicia’s name–her deceased sister–into the light. And that was thest thing Aliana wanted.

    Though she remained silent before Andrian and the public, Aliana was far from idle behind the scenes. Over the past several days, she had reached out to trusted contacts of her adoptive father, Gabriel Corvo–contacts withworks of digital forensics experts and professional hackers–to help halt the spread of the video. They deleted it from every server that might be storing it and cut off every source still trying to re–upload it.

    Gabriel, too, was not idle. With the resources at his disposal, his team traced the video’s distribution path across the inte, including the dark web and anonymous forums. It took days, but results began to show. The video no longer appeared on major sites or mainstream tforms–though the original perpetrator remained unidentified.

    That afternoon, Aliana sat in her closed–off study, holding her phone as she called Gabriel. The man’s deep voice came through the line, apanied by faint background noise–he was likely at his base of operations.

    “How about Rafe?” Aliana asked, her tone serious. “Any news?”

    Gabriel sighed before answering. “None. I’ve sent everyone, including Emilio. We’re tracking through the undergroundwork, but so far, only one clear ipiece /iof newsb–/bJulian was found dead.”

    “Dead…?” Aliana lowered her head, her fingers tapping the desk lightly “Could it have been Kestrel?”

    “Possibly,” Gabriel replied. “No one knows who did it. Some say the execution was cleanb, /bquickb–/blike the work of a professional. But there’s no evidence or witnesses willing to talk.”

    Aliana was silent for several seconds.

    “Could it be… that Rafe is hurt? There’s no way he’d disappear without a word unless something happened to him. Or…” her voice dropped, “maybe he’s already dead.”

    “Don’t think that fari,/ii” /iGabriel cut in quickly. “Rafe’s tough. He’s not the type to go down easily. I’m sure he’s alive. What you need to do now is stay focused. I’ll find Rafe, I promise.”

    Aliana drew a long breath but didn’t answer.

    “Listen, my childi,” /iGabriel continued, his tone softening slightly. “You’ve already got enough on your shoulders. Don’t add to it with unnecessary worry. Emilio and I will find Rafe and Lucas. If there’s any development, you’ll be the first to know.”

    “Alright, Father,” Aliana replied shortly. “Thank you.”

    The call ended. Aliana remained seated, staring at her phone screen. Rafe’s name was disyed in her contact list, and she gazed bat /bit for a long moment. All this time, she had considered Rafe like her own brother–someone always ready to protect and help her, without expecting anything in return. Losing Alicia had already been devastating. She didn’t want to feel that same kind of loss again, losing a brother, even if they weren’t rted by blood.

    “I hope you’re alright, Rafe,” Aliana murmured.

    213

    07:17 Tue, b2 /bSept

    After a few minutes calming herself, Aliana shifted her thoughts. She dialed Giselle’s number. The call connected immediately, and Elshe’s coope voice came through the line.

    b“/bAliana, I was just about to call you. The test results you requested are in,” Giselle said.

    “How are the results?”

    “A match. No doubt about it. Everything is exactly as you suspected,” Giselle replied firmly.

    Aliana closed her eyes for a moment, feeling ba /bsmall sense of relief.

    “Good. That’s what I was hoping for. Ohb, /bandb… /bcan you send the results to me via emailb?/bb” /b

    “Of course,” Giselle answeredb, /bthen paused briefly. “Aliana… if I may ask, what’s your next step? Are you going ito /itell your husband?”

    Aliana stayed sitent for a moment. Her mind was filled withyers of ns. She didn’t want to move too hastily

    “I’m still considering it. There are many things I need to confirm firstb. /bBut you should be ready–I might need your help sooner than you thinkb./b”

    “Don’t worry. I’m always ready whenever you need me,” Giselle replied without hesitation.

    “Thank youb,/b” Aliana said briefly. “Stay alert. Don’t let anyone else find out about this.“,

    “Of course. I understand.”

    The conversation ended. Aliana set her phone down on the table, then leaned back in her chair. The room was silent except for the ticking bof /bbthe /bwall clock.

    She looked out the window, watching as thete afternoon sky began to glow red. Her gaze was nk, but her mind was working tirelessly. Unlike bthe /bprevious days, this time Aliana was actually looking forward to her husband’s return.

    弓

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