CHAPTER 266: CHAPTER 266; SHE IS DEAD

Tang Fei turned around in her seat, gazing at Qingqing, no, Aryana’s—tear-streaked face.

The girl was shivering, her knuckles were turning white as she clung to the rabbit and to Minghao’s small, protective embrace.

"It’s okay, you are not going back there until you decide to, I promise you." Tang Fei whispered her voice firm but kind. "You are staying with us, little one. You are safe now. And we will make sure no one finds you unless you want them to."

Aryana looked up, eyes glassy with disbelief, then slowly nodded, barely perceptible, but it was enough to show her reaction. The trust had been broken once, but maybe... just maybe, it could be rebuilt.

For her not wanting to go back shows something must have happened with her family members, they could be the first ones who had betrayed and caused her pain the most. There was nothing more painful than your family betraying you.

Behind her, Huo Qi’s fingers flew across his device. "All data cleared. Any trace of her image from the public grid has been scrubbed off completely, even from private surveillance databases. No one will find her by accident and neither would her image be found in the internet, every time they try to search, it would only bring error and no face." With this, her little life was saved until further notice.

Huo Wu spoke up next, glancing from his screen. "I have booked a private consultation under a coded alias with Dr. Lin Qiao at the Polaris Medical Pavilion. He’s the best in facial reconstructive work, and completely off the radar. No leaks. He will handle it discreetly."

"Hair dye, temporary facial adjustments, and a new identity are needed as soon as possible." Huo Ting Cheng instructed them. He had the capabilities to protect her, and he knew someone wouldn’t try to attack her in his territory. If they dared, he would completely erase them from the world.

"She will be registered as a citizen of Taizhou under the name Huo Anran. Aged ten. Adopted just like Twilight and they are siblings. No affiliations." Twilight was of unknown origin and it would be the same if Huo Anran became her sister on the official records. Whenever someone tried to check up on Twilight’s origin, they would only meet a deadlock.

Tang Fei turned back and gazed at Aryana. "Do you like the name, my dear? Anran. It means peaceful. Safe.... It’s a befitting name." She was glad that her husband was handling everything so discreetly and she would soon have an identity. There at the orphanage, it was easier to be found and they would attack her.

Aryana hesitated. Then, quietly, barely more than breath, she nodded again. The name was good but the most important thing is she had an identity and was safe.

A hush fell over the car, heavy with emotion.

Suddenly, Huo Zhen leaned forward gazing at Huo Qi’s tablet, his expression darkening slightly. "What if the Kingdom of Aerithya is already watching her every move? Won’t they notice she is gone from the orphanage? What if there’s someone who already knows her whereabouts?"

Huo Wu nonchalantly responded, "They didn’t search that long for her, meaning she was of no importance, or probably she was being used as a bargain, and they couldn’t risk it. And they already declared her dead far too quickly which seems suspicious and skeptical to me. My bet? Someone wanted her gone, not just missing. The funeral was a formality, a cover-up they orchestrated to calm the citizens. And she was supposed to be on the final page. Kingdoms have their own deep dark secrets, darker than you can imagine."

"She wasn’t supposed to survive, and to them, she is dead... she must have been smuggled so far away... this is the last country they would search for her." Huo Ting Cheng muttered thinking out loud. From the border, there were two other countries’ borders before getting over to Aerithya Kingdom. Just imagine all that distance and the ocean along the way.

They wouldn’t think she was alive and wouldn’t expect she was there.

"Exactly," Huo Qi added. "And if word gets out she’s alive, whoever arranged her disappearance will come hunting for her life."

Tang Fei loudly sighed! It wasn’t easy to be born in such kinds of homes, more so the royalty ones. That place was entwined between mysteries upon mysteries. Danger upon danger and schemes upon schemes.

While she was Assassin Ice, she had traveled to that country, and did two or three missions; she doesn’t recall much, but she could recall one of the missions she had received was from the palace anonymously. But she had never dealt with kids, and what she had gone to steal were some delicate information and records; they were submitted to the secret vault of the assassin camp, and of course, she had seen the content of it. Since it was never her job to know what was happening, she had minded her own business.

The van swiveled through the highway into the sub Highway.

They came across the street where so many Street children and abandoned people were taking shelter in their carton-made houses; the guards distributed the fruits while they were in motion. They were actually disciplined. They lined up, received the packaged fruits and money that could sustain them for a while, and moved out of the line; they didn’t repeat.

It felt bizarre that the street people were more disciplined than the privileged ones.

"Why can’t they go over to the orphanage? It would be safer there, right? It’s unsafe to stay out there in the streets like that!" Zhihao wondered what they were doing there instead of orphanage homes where they could have roofs under their heads and food to eat.

"Many orphanages aren’t genuine and they can be the most dangerous place for them! The streets are way safer." Tang Fei subtly responded and didn’t explain further; she knew that most kids who showed up in the assassin camps came from the orphanages, and those Directors cashed in a good amount of money. Some children ran away from those orphanages because of danger. They didn’t inquire any further and they just watched from the sidelines.