bChapter /bb82 /b

    At night, Andrian returned hometer than usual. As on the previous days, he had already nned to go to the pavilion where Aliana Ived to interrogate

    his wifeb. /b

    However, the moment his car stopped in the mansion’s driveway, Andrian saw Aliana already standing at the front door, waiting for him

    Aliana stepped toward Andrian as he got out of the car.

    “I want to talk,” she said briefly.

    Andrian, already exhausted and irritated from the past few days, simply gave a cold nod.

    “Let’s talk in the study.”

    They entered the mansion without any small talk. Once inside, Andrian sat at his desk while Aliana took the seat across from him. Without wasting time, Andrian pulled a folder from a drawer and handed it over.

    “Sign bit/b. I’ve done more than enough for you as my wifetelyi,” /iAndrian said firmly, pushing the papers toward Aliana.

    Aliana nced at it without the slightest look bof /bsurprise. The papers were divorce documentsb, /band she had already suspected he would give them to her

    bsoon/bb. /b

    “You forgot what I told you, Andrian. I already said, I will not divorce you.”

    “After all the scandals you’ve caused?”

    Andrian raised an eyebrow.

    “You’ve dragged my family’s name through the mud. And you still have the face to say that?” His tone was dripping with mockery. “People see you as nothing more than a cheap woman, Aliana. Do you think I’ll keep you?”

    Aliana didn’t respond. She simply sat in silence, letting Andrian vent his anger.

    He continued, his voice rising. “For the past few days, I’ve been cleaning up your mess everywhere. Investors are panicking, the family’s image is in ruins, and you haven’t even tried to defend yourself. bYou /bjust stay silent, as if everything they say is true. And now you refuse to divorce? What exactly are you

    thinkingb?/b”

    When Andrian finally stopped speaking, Aliana reached into the pocket of her dress. She took out a folded sheet of paper and ced it on the desk in front of him.

    “I won’t make you lose out,” Aliana said calmly. “I have only one condition. I will not divorce you–unless I’m the one who wants it.”

    Andrian scoffed, narrowing his eyes at her. “Your confidence really defies logic, Miss Aliana.”

    Despite his irritationi, /iAndrian picked up the paper Aliana had given him. As he read it, his expression changed instantly. His eyes narrowed, lingering on her with a sharp, searching gaze,

    “What does this mean?” he asked tly, though suspicionced his voice.

    Aliana straightened her iposture /iand met his gaze head–on. “That’s a brief proof of something that will benefit you. I already know the illness you’re suffering from.”

    “What do you meanb?/bb” /b

    Andrian’s head shot up, his eyes narrowing again.

    “Astic anemia,” Aliana replied without hesitation. b“/bbI /bbknow /byou have it.”

    Andrian’s jaw lightened, his gaze turning sharp. “Who told you? Giselle? Your university friend who happens to be my doctor

    b“/bbNo/b,” Aliana answered quickly. “Giselle has never told me anything about her patients, including you. She’s professional

    Andrian kept studying her with suspicion. “Then how did you find out?”

    Leaning back, Aliana’s tone remained steady. “I’m a doctor too, Andrian, I recognized the symptoms when you suddenly copsed in the hospital, bu /bface was extremely pale, you were weak, short of breath, unsteady, and likely experiencing a drop in telets. That’s enough to be a sign And bI’m /bguessing by now you need blood transfusions every two weeks just to keep going.”

    Andrian held his breath for a moment. “That’s not something you can confirm just by looking.”

    “I can confirm that every symptom matches,” Aliana replied calmly. “And I iknow /ithat even though blood transfusions keep your red blood cell levels bo /bit’s not a long–term solution. Medically, regr transfusions risk iron overload in vital organs–like your liver and heart. That can lead to permanent borgan /bdamage. Not to mention the risk of your immune system reacting against repeated donor blood.”

    Andrian fell silent, but his expression showed that he understood.

    “I’m looking for another way–one that will benefit you more,” Aliana continued. “The only treatment that canpletely cure astic anemia is ba /bstem cell transnt. With that procedure, your damaged bone marrow will be reced with healthy marrow from apatible donor. It requires preparation and intensive care, but if sessful, you won’t have to depend on transfusions anymore.”

    Andrian stared at her for a long moment. “So… this paper is the result of a stem cell donorpatibility test?”

    “Yes,” Aliana replied curtly. “The test is called HLA typing–human leukocyte antigen typing. It matches gic markers between donor and recipient. they match, there’s a high chance the recipient’s body will ept the stem cells without severe rejection.”

    Andrian frowned. “You had a doctor check forpatibility with me?”

    “I admit I asked Giselle for help with thisi,/ii” /iAliana said honestly. “The results are a match. A very high matchb, /bin fact–almost perfect HLApatibility.”

    Andrian was stunned. None of his own family members had been a match. He had been tested with all his siblings and cousins. How could Aliana find ba /bpatible donor outside his family?

    “Whose results are these?” he asked.

    Aliana stayed silent.

    Something clicked in Andrian’s mind, and his expression hardened. “Don’t tell me…st week, when I needed an emergency transfusion, the person who donated blood to me was youb./b”

    Aliana met his gaze without denial.

    Andrian took a deep breathi, /iprocessing the information. “So… you’ve been secretly donating for me?” he pressed, wanting to hear her admit it.

    “That’s not important,i” /iAliana said tly. “What matters is that my HLA results show I can be your stem cell donor.”

    “These HLA results are yours?” Andrian’s voice was edged with disbelief.

    Aliana looked at him evenly, without confirming or denying. “I don’t want a divorce. In exchange, I’ll save your life,”

    Andrian’s gaze shifted, filled with interest, but he still hesitated. He wanted to be cured, but Aliana’s condition was significant–even if bhe /bknew bit /bwas a

    bfair /btrade ifor /ihis blife/bb. /b

    “If you want bto /brefuse, bthat’s /byour right,” Aliana said, noting his silence. “But this is the only way for you to make a bfull /bbrecovery/bb. /bIf you bagree/bb, /bbwe /bbcan /bbstart /bthe process. If you’re still unsure, you’re wee bto /bverify the test results yourself. I’ll wait for your decision.”

    Andrian bdidn’t /banswer. He just looked at the HLA test results in his hand, then back at Alianab, /bcarefully bweighing /bbhis /bbchoice/b.

    After their conversation, Andrian remained in his study His mind churned, mulling over the stern cad trammptar

    information felt sudden, especiallying from Abans, who had been so indifferent before

    His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the study door.

    “Come in,” Andrian said shortly.

    Eint stepped inside, carrying a folder and a tablet. “Sir, I have thetest report from the expert team analyzing the video that’s been circting

    Andrian looked up, signaling him to continue.

    Elric ced the folder on the desk and powered on the tablet. “The team has analyzed the video in detail. We found several indications that the footage bwas /bedited.”

    “Edited?” Andrian frowned. “What do you meanb…/bb?/bb” /b

    b“/bThere are portions of the video that appear to have been altered. Frame–by–frame analysis shows differences in pixel quality between the face and the body. This is a clear sign of deepfake technology or face recement.”

    Andrian’s bgaze /bsharpened. “So… the woman in bthe /bvideo isn’t Aliana?b” /b

    “That seems bto /bbe the case,” Elric replied. “Although they look very simr bat /bfirst nce, a detailedparison reveals significant differences–hairline shape, jaw structureb, /band eye spacing. We also found that the hairstyle of the woman in the video doesn’t match Mrs. Aliana’s hairstyle during the same time period the footage was supposedly recorded.”

    Andrian leaned backb, /babsorbing the information. “Show me.”

    Elric yed the video on the tablet and brought up severalparison photos. He pointed to the screen.

    “Here–look at the hairline in the front. Mrs. Aliana’s is neater and more symmetricalb, /bwhile the woman in the video has ba /bsmall gap on the left side. And here, the chin shape is slightly rounderpared to Mrs. Aliana’s. These differences are subtle to the naked eye but obvious when magnified.”

    Andrian nodded slowly. He could see it now.

    Elric brought up another photo. “There’s something else important, sir. After a deep facial analysisb, /bwe found ba /bbhigh /bmatch with thete Miss Alicia–Mrs. Aliana’s twin sister.”

    Andrian stared at the screen longer. The more he lookedb, /bthe clearet it became–the woman in the video resembled Alicia more than Aliana.

    “You’re right… she does look more like Alicia.”

    “Exactly, sir,” Elric confirmed. “The lip shape and cheekbones are identical to Miss Alicia’s. Since they were twins, deepfake editing would be much easier because the physical differences are so minimal.”

    Andrian drew a deep breath. “iSo /iisomeone /ideliberately used this footage to make it look like Aliana.”

    “Yes,” Elric nodded. “Our team also found other indications from the video content itself. Based on bodynguage, facial expressions, and hand movementsb, /bthere’s a strong possibility that the encounter shown wasn’t consensual.”

    “What do you mean?”

    Andrian’s attention snapped fully to him, confusion flickering in his eyes.

    Elric reyed ba /bsection bof /bbthe /bvideo and paused at specific frames.

    “The woman’s hand movements repeatedly appear bto /bbbe /bpushing against the man’s chest. Her expression shows fear, bnot /bpleasureb. /bbThere /bbare /bbmoments /bwhere her shoulders tense and her eyes shut tightly–reactions typical bof /bsomeone in distressb./bb” /b

    Andrian’s jaw clenched as he studied each frame.

    07:17 Tue, b2 /bSept

    b“/bFurthermore,” [fric continued, “the camera angle is suspicious. It’s positioned from above, as it hidden There’s

    woman’s consent.”

    bAndrian /bleaned back in his chair, his expression hardening. So you’re suggesting this is a video of coercion?

    “Yes, sir,” Elric replied firmly. “Most likely, this is a recording of a rape captured illegally. And if the woman in it is indeed thete Ming Alba, not only an attack meant to destroy Miss Aliana’s reputation, but also to tarnish Miss Alicia’s name.”

    The room fell silent for a moment. Andrian stared at the tablet screen, which now disyed a photo of Alicia’s face beside the face of the bwomen /bin the video. There was no doubt anymore–the two were identical.

    Slowly, Andrian began bto /bunderstand why Aliana had never tried to deny or admit to the video. She had remained silent, even under immerse

    pressure.

    “So, Aliana’s been protecting Alicia,” Andrian murmured softly.

    Elric nodded. “Most likely bso/bb, /bsir. If Miss Aliana denied it and revealed that bthe /bwoman was Miss Alicia, then Miss Alicia’s name would be destroyed in the public eye. Even if bthe /bincident in the video was suspected to be coercion–thete Miss Alicia’s honor would still be stained.”

    Andrian ran both hands over his face, feeling a mixture of anger and regretb. /bHe recalled how he had insulted Aliana with harsh words, using her without proof.

    Now, everything became clear. He understood that Aliana’s silence wasn’t avoidance–it was a deliberate choice to bear the burden in order to protect her sister’s dignity.

    “Make sure all this data is secured,” Andrian ordered. “Not a single copy of the video should be circting. And also, find the person who spread this videob–/bby any means necessary.”

    “Understoodb, /bsir,b” /bElric replied, powering off the tablet and bowing respectfully. “We’ll tighten data security immediately and track down the culprit.”