Chapter 179: The Edge of the Blade

Justin’s POV

My posture instantly hardened, my eyes narrowing. "What about her?"

"What is your stance regarding her involvement?"

"She isn’t innocent," I said without a single second of hesitation.

My lawyer raised an eyebrow. "She is Diane’s biological daughter."

"Exactly." I leaned across the table, my tone icy. "I’m not saying we drag her name through the dirt for something she didn’t do. But I am absolutely not going to sit here and assume she’s a harmless victim simply because she shares Diane’s blood."

He gave a sharp nod. "So you want her full background investigated as well?"

"I want everyone connected to Diane investigated," I demanded, my knuckles turning white. "Every single person."

My lawyer studied the raw determination in my face for a long beat. "Understood."

"And I need Harper and Ava protected," I added, my voice tight with protective fury. "Whatever legal barriers or physical security measures we need to put up, do it immediately. If anyone linked to Diane or her family’s network has been watching us, I want them shut down."

"We can coordinate with a security firm right after this meeting," he reassured me.

I leaned back, taking a breath. "What about my father? Any update on his location?"

He shook his head. "He’s still off the grid. On the run."

My lawyer frowned slightly. "And what about your private investigator?"

"He said he’d reach out to me again by this evening," I said, glancing down at my phone resting on the wood. "Hopefully, he’ll have a lead on the financial accounts by then."

My lawyer nodded. "Alright. We’ll hold off on finalizing our strategy regarding your father until that data comes through."

I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could speak, my phone suddenly vibrated, loud and sharp against the wooden desk.

I looked down. My heart slammed violently into my throat.

Private Investigator.

I looked up at my lawyer, my pulse spiking. "I need to take this."

I stood up from the leather chair, sliding my thumb across the screen as I lifted the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"We found him."

The words hit my ear like a bucket of ice water. I froze, my body going completely rigid against the mahogany desk. For a terrifying second, I forgot how to breathe.

"You mean Diane’s father?" I whispered, my voice sounding tight, almost unrecognizable to my own ears.

"Yes."

My hand tightened around the phone so hard the glass screen groaned beneath my palm. The private investigator’s voice had lost every trace of the calm, detached tone he usually maintained. It was sharp, clipped, and heavy.

"And I’m going to tell you right now, Justin," he continued, the static of his line buzzing in the quiet room. "This is not good."

My stomach dropped into a cold, dark pit. "What happened?"

"He’s been going on and off the radar for weeks," the investigator explained, his breathing heavy. "I tracked his previous locations, dug into his financial transactions, and managed to establish a distinct movement pattern. He’s been hiding in the shadows ever since the police put handcuffs on Diane."

I stood completely still in the middle of my lawyer’s office, my chest heaving. "And now? Where is he?"

"He’s moving."

"Where?"

"He’s heading back toward his old town."

I frowned, a cold sweat breaking out across the back of my neck. "Why? Why now?"

"I don’t know the full motive yet. But I managed to bypass his local network and get directly into his laptop."

I blinked, taking a sharp breath. "You were able to hack into his personal computer?"

There was a short, dry silence on the line. "It’s my job, Justin."

I stared blankly at the far wall, a bitter, ghost of a laugh catching in my throat. Why am I even surprised? At this point, I wouldn’t be shocked if this man casually told me he could hack straight into the Pentagon before breakfast.

"What did you find on it?" I demanded, cutting straight through the noise.

"Enough to make me extremely concerned for your people."

My gut twisted into a tight, agonizing knot. "What did he have?"

"His recent search history, local map queries, and encrypted files suggest he’s actively hunting for updated information about your family."

I straightened my spine, my body surging with pure adrenaline. "My family? Which part of my family?"

Another heavy, agonizing pause stretched across the line.

"Your grandparents."

The blood instantly ran cold in my veins. My vision blurred for a split second. "What?"

"Listen to me very carefully," the investigator’s voice dropped, firm and severe. "It looks like he’s driving directly toward your grandparents’ estate right now."

Without thinking, my hand slammed down into my jacket pocket, my fingers wrapping around my car keys. "What the hell? Why them?"

"Revenge," he answered plainly.

"For Diane? Because her life is completely ruined?"

"Yes."

I spun on my heel and started strides toward the office door. "Then I need to warn them right fucking now."

"No."

I stopped dead in my tracks, my hand hovering over the door handle. "What?"

"Do not do anything, Justin."

My jaw clenched so hard my back teeth ached. "You just told me a lunatic is driving straight toward my grandparents’ house!"

"And I’m telling you not to tip him off!"

"Tip him off?" I hissed, the rage boiling in my chest.

"If he gets even a whisper that we know where he is, he’ll turn the car around and vanish back into the dark," the investigator barked back. "We’ll lose him again!"

I paced frantically across the carpeted floor of the office, my blood roaring in my ears. "My grandparents could be in fatal danger!"

"I know!"

"Then why the hell am I supposed to just stand here and do nothing?!"

"Because I’ve already alerted the state authorities!"

I stopped dead, my eyes widening. "You did what?"

"The police are already in position," he revealed tightly. "They’re waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For him to pull up to the gates."