The car rolled quietly down the empty highway, the city lights fading behind them. Inside, the air was heavy with silence and unspoken events that happened within past few hours.

Amanda gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the road. Beside her, Luxy sat in the front seat, staring out the window, her reflection flickering with each passing streetlight.

In the backseat, Ren leaned against the corner, eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Misa had her arms wrapped around him, hugging him sideways like a plush toy, while Meiling sat on the opposite corner—back straight, gaze locked entirely on Ren.

The silence was almost painful.

Ren's thoughts raced, though his face stayed calm.

'What the hell is Meiling doing here?' he screamed internally. 'Did she have to come now of all times? Now I have to answer about my relationship with her.'

He could feel her eyes drilling into him. Her stare alone could have burned through his fake calm. But he stayed still, letting his head rest on Misa's shoulder, pretending to breathe steadily.

Misa, unaware of his inner panic, whispered softly, "My poor baby…" and hugged him tighter.

Ren's brain short-circuited for a moment. 'Okay, that's soft… not bad, but—focus, Ren. Focus!'

Meiling's eyes narrowed slightly at Misa's words. Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't say anything. She just kept staring at Ren like she could read his mind.

Amanda finally broke the silence. She glanced at Luxy and sighed. "Luxy right… I'm sorry for dragging you into all this. You got into legal trouble because of me. I really didn't know who you were back then. If I knew you rescued Ren I wouldn't have pointed my gun at you."

Luxy turned slightly, her tone calm but tired. "It's fine. I was there for my own reasons anyway."

Amanda blinked. "Your reasons?"

Luxy's hands clenched in her lap. "My brother was kidnapped the same way those victims and Ren were. He was sold… and sexually abused." Her voice cracked just slightly. "I wanted revenge. That's when I met Ren. In that warehouse after I followed leads I got."

The car grew silent again for a moment. Even Meiling shifted her gaze from Ren to Luxy.

Amanda's eyes softened. "I see… so that woman who escaped was the supplier, right? But if she's just the supplier, who's the main leader running this whole thing? Do you have any idea?"

Luxy muttered under her breath, "Obviously someone powerful. Probably from a special family… the kind that has enough connections to cover their tracks. Big shots with deep pockets and darker secrets."

Meiling's fingers twitched slightly. She turned toward Luxy, her expression tightening.

Amanda didn't notice, still focused on the conversation. "A special family, huh…? That would explain a lot."

But Meiling couldn't ignore the words. Her family had countless businesses—shipping, trading, even international partnerships. If something like this was happening under their nose… under her second mother's watch…

Her chest tightened.

Amanda continued, "What about your brother? Is he still…?"

Luxy lowered her gaze, pretending to fight back tears. "He was raped and killed."

Amanda's grip on the steering wheel softened. "I'm sorry. He didn't deserve that."

From the backseat, Ren's inner voice piped up again. 'Good job, Luxy. Keep it up. You're doing just fine.'

He kept his eyes closed, trying not to grin. Misa shifted slightly, making him rest more comfortably against her chest. Warm, soft, and unfairly comforting.

'Okay,' he thought, 'I should be focusing on the investigation, but… man, this is heaven. Literally heaven.'

Meiling's voice broke the moment. "Luxy," she said suddenly.

Luxy turned halfway. "Hm?"

"Where were you before you moved here?" Meiling's tone was calm, but her eyes were sharp. "I heard you appeared very recently. Even though I heard about new hotshot hunter...I never heard much details about you."

Ren's heart skipped a beat. 'Oh, crap. Meiling's starting to pry. Luxy, please don't mess this up.'

Luxy blinked innocently. "Oh, I'm from… uh… Heavnari."

Amanda raised a brow. "Heavnari? That's a country?"

Ren almost choked on his fake breathing.

Meiling frowned. "Never heard of it."

Luxy smiled nervously. "It's… not really a country. More like a small town. In… Canada."

"Canada?" Meiling repeated, her brows easing slightly. "You're the first Canadian I've met."

Amanda let out a small laugh. "Well, that explains your accent. It did sound a bit different."

Ren mentally facepalmed. 'Hevanari… really? Out of all the names in the world, that's what you came up with?'

Still, he kept still, forcing himself not to move even as Misa's soft breathing brushed against his neck.

Misa finally spoke up again, her voice gentle. "Luxy, you should stay with us tonight. It's already late, and you helped a lot. I need to thank you properly."

Luxy looked surprised for a second but quickly nodded. "I'd love to. If that's okay."

Ren's inner voice cheered. 'Nice! Exactly as planned. Keep being sweet. Misa's guard will drop soon.'

Amanda smiled slightly. "Good idea. My place is closer, but the guest room in your house is more comfortable anyway. She can stay there."

Misa nodded, still holding Ren close like she had no plans to let go.

The car continued quietly for a while, the engine's hum filling the silence. Streetlights passed one after another, their glow flickering over each face in turn as they went back to Misa's home.

***

The grand Lan estate was filled with nothing but conflict and panic, as the Lan family was being attacked on all fronts—both financially and physically. News of two Lan daughters being attacked, with one dead and the other missing, had already spread throughout the entire estate, driving everyone into a frenzy.

But today at the far end of the hall, upon a throne-like chair of carved jade and gold, sat Lan Ying, the Second Mother of the Lan family—elegant, cold, and commanding.

Before her, Lan Xue knelt with her head lowered, her hair spilling across her shoulders. The faint tremor in her hands betrayed her calm facade.

Lan Ying's voice cut through the silence. "Do you take me for a fool, Xue?"

Xue flinched. "M-Mother, I don't understand what you mean. You are the most beautiful, intelligent woman I've ever known. You are anything but a fool—"

"Shut your trap. I didn't allow you to answer." Ying's tone turned sharp. "Do you think your honeyed words will hide your filth from me?"

Xue swallowed hard, keeping her head bowed. She stayed silent until Ying allowed Xue to talk. "I would never—"

"You think I don't know about your association with Lady Qian and Madame Huo?" Ying interrupted, her voice low but slicing like a blade. "Their little cycle of human trafficking? You think I wouldn't notice my daughter mingling with likes of them?"

The words hit Xue like a thunderclap. Her heart pounded, sweat forming at her temples. "M-Mother, I—"

"Silence."

The single word froze the air.

Lan Ying leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes glowing with quiet fury. "You really thought you could play in the mud and I wouldn't smell the stench? Our family's name is carved into the foundation of this district, and you—my daughter—drag it through filth."

Xue trembled. She knew the family forbade any association with human trafficking. Such a crime could mean expulsion or worse. But then Ying's voice changed.

"I knew about it," Ying said suddenly.

Xue's eyes widened. "W-What…?"

"I knew," Ying repeated, her gaze turning distant, almost reflective. "And I allowed it."

Xue looked up slightly, shocked.

Ying continued coldly, "Because it brought money. And influence. The Lan district thrived from the dollars that flowed through those filthy hands. I turned a blind eye for the sake of power."

Her voice dropped again, icy and dangerous. "But what infuriates me is not the business itself. It's your incompetence in managing it."

Xue's lips parted, but no words came out.

Ying rose from her throne, her robes sweeping across the marble floor as she approached. The sound of her heels echoed with authority. "You come to me crying about being attacked? You dare mutter that an unknown group struck you? Where are their heads, Xue? Where are the trophies a true Lan should have brought me?"

Her voice rose, each word slamming like a hammer. "Instead, you escaped like a coward! You burned the entire place—destroyed the merchandise, killed the servants who were loyal to the cause, and now you stand before me asking for pity?"

Xue's knees felt weak. "Mother, they were powerful. I couldn't—"

"Shut up!" Ying's voice roared, echoing across the hall. The guards at the door flinched but didn't move.

Ying's eyes blazed with contempt. "Why are all Lan children of this generation so weak?"

Xue's heart clenched.

Ying's tone lowered but dripped with venom. "First Lan Hua's daughters—killed like insects. Now you, trembling like a leaf. Lan blood was once the terror of the provinces. We conquered cities, broke clans, and ruled with iron. But you… you disgrace that name."

Ying's hand gripped Xue's chin, forcing her to look up. Xue met her mother's gaze—those cold, piercing eyes filled with hatred and disappointment.

"Listen to me well," Ying whispered, her voice calm now but far more terrifying. "Lan children do not lose. We bring death to our enemies. That is what it means to bear our name."

Xue's breath shook. "Mother, please… I only wanted to—"

Ying released her, shoving her back down to the floor. "Enough excuses."

She turned her back, her tone now deliberate and final. "You have one week."

Xue blinked. "O-One week…?"

"One week," Ying repeated. "Bring me the heads of the people responsible for that attack. Every last one of them. I want their corpses as proof that the Lan name still commands fear. Burn the country if you want without involving Lan name directly."

Her voice grew colder with each word.

"And if you can't…" Ying turned her head slightly, her shadow stretching across the floor toward Xue. "Then do the family a favor."

Her next words were slow, cruel, and heavy as iron.

"Kill yourself."

Xue's eyes widened in horror.

Ying continued, her tone like a queen passing sentence. "Because a worthless Lan who cannot avenge her losses has no place in this family. You'd bring us nothing but shame."

The silence that followed was unbearable. The crackle of incense seemed deafening.

Xue's body trembled violently. "Mother, please, I—"

Ying raised her hand, silencing her instantly. "Do not beg. Begging is for the weak. Either bring me blood or your own."

Her gaze softened slightly, but only with scorn. "I gave you life, Xue. Don't make me regret it."

A faint, cold smile curved on her lips. "Let's see what kind of daughter I truly raised...a looser or a dragoness."