Initially, Rowan hadn’t been entirely certain that Orion Stone was the mastermind backing DK Group. But now, all the pieces fell into place. Just minutes ago, Finn had been completely backed into a corner when Elissa escaped. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the tables turned and a sniper rifle was trained on them from the dark. The only logical explanation was that someone highly connected had intervened to save him. Someone with access to military-grade snipers someone exactly like the veteran cartel boss, Orion Stone.

Realizing Rowan had effortlessly seen through his entire hand, Finn’s eyes filled with a complicated darkness. He had severely underestimated Rowan Murphy.

The game was lost. Finn threw his hands up in defeat. “If you knew that, why did you turn around to shield her?”

“I wasn’t completely sure a minute ago,” Rowan sneered. “I am now.”

Laurel didn’t know the history between the Murphy family and Orion Stone, but Rex and Frank were fully aware and immediately caught on to the implications. They had to let Finn walk tonight. No one in that room was willing to gamble on whether that sniper would actually pull the trigger.

Rex exchanged a brief look with Rowan before turning his icy glare on Finn. “Alright. Take your win and get out. I’ve already sent men to sweep for the sniper’s position. If you don’t leave right now, you won’t be leaving at all.”

It was supposed to be Finn’s territory. He had painstakingly planned this ambush. And yet, he was the one being forced to flee with his tail between his legs.

Finn ground his teeth, but he wasn’t an idiot. Fighting a losing battle offered zero benefits. He stood up slowly, straightened his suit jacket, and ordered his men, “Pull out.”

His crew evacuated swiftly. However, the moment their vehicles exited the villa complex, another car intercepted them. The tinted window rolled down, and recognizing the man in the backseat, Finn’s posture immediately stiffened. “Sean.” Sean Cross stared back with an unreadable, expressionless face. “Get in.” “Yes, sir.”

Finn didn’t hesitate. He pulled the door open and slid into the back. As the car merged seamlessly into the night traffic, Sean dragged his thumb over the head of his cane and finally spoke. “How did it feel, walking right into your own trap?”

Finn stayed silent for a long time. “Thank you, Sean.”

If Sean hadn’t intervened, Finn would be a dead man. He had underestimated Rowan, but he had also underestimated Elissa. A pregnant woman had silently taken down a trained professional.

Sean’s cloudy eyes locked onto him.

“You had Elissa Drummond right in your hands. Even if you couldn’t get

to Rowan, killing the woman he loves should have satisfied

your

び

desire for revenge. So why did I hear that you explicitly forbade your men from laying a hand on hep?”

Finn froze.

After a beat, he answered carefully, “You said she was highly useful alive, so I figured…”

“Tell the truth,” Sean interrupted sharply, his tone leaving absolutely zero room for argument.

Finn knew there was no lying to him. A flash of deep pain crossed his eyes. “When my mother died, she was pregnant.”

His father had been the Murphy

family’s driver. When Rowan’s parents died in that horrific car crash, Finn’s parents had been in the front seats. It was supposed to be his father’s day off, but the_O scheduled driver had suddenly fallen forcing his father to cover the shift. They were killed instantly on the way out of the estate. To this day, Finn couldn’t understand why his mother had been in that car with them. There were no survivors.

Because of that trauma, seeing that Elissa was pregnant had triggered a rare sliver of mercy in him. He only wanted Rowan’s life anyway, letting Essative cost him nothing. He saw it as building good karma for the little brother or sister he never got to meet.

Back at the villa, the suffocating tension hadn’t fully dissipated even after Finn’s retreat.

Laurel, deeply concerned for Elissa’s condition, closed the distance in two quick strides. “How are you holding up? Do we need to go straight to the hospital?”

“Not right now.” Still cradled in Rowan’s arms, Elissa shook her head. “I just need to go home, take my medicine, and rest.”

As she spoke, she noticed Rex staring at her intensely. It felt incredibly strange. “Rex, why are you looking at me like that?”