Chapter 611

Chapter 610:

He reached into his coat pocket and produced a small, heavy object — an antique compass, its brass casing worn smooth by generations of hands.

“This has guided a Collins man for five generations,” Elbert said, setting it carefully into Aaden’s open palm. “It will help you find your way when you are lost p>

In that quiet moment, with the old man’s gift passing from one generation to the next, the family was truly, finally whole.

A week after the interview, the media storm had settled into a steady, manageable hum. The narrative was fixed: the Collins family were survivors, their story one of love against impossible odds. Justin’s poll numbers, after an initial dip, had begun to climb — buoyed by a sustained wave of public sympathy.

Life was starting to feel normal. Or at least, a new kind of normal.

𝗥е𝘤𝗈𝗆mеոd 𝗍о y𝗼𝘂𝗋 𝖿𝗿𝗂eո𝗱s

One evening, Carmen was putting Aaden to bed. He was already half-asleep, his breathing soft and even.

“Mommy?” he murmured, his eyes still closed.

“Yes, my love p>

“That bad man — the one who made you forget — is he gone forever p>

A chill moved down Carmen’s spine. “Yes, honey. He’s in a place where he can’t hurt anyone ever again p>

“Good,” Aaden whispered, and drifted off to sleep.

Carmen stood in the doorway for a long time, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. The question was a quiet, sharp reminder that even though they had won the public battle, the war had left its marks.

Downstairs, Justin was on the phone with his chief of staff, his voice low and tense. Carmen caught the tail end of the conversation as she walked into the study.

“…no, there’s no direct link to Sterling, but the timing is too coincidental. Keep digging. I want to know who is funding this new Super PAC against me and where the money is coming from p>

He hung up, a deep frown etched between his brows.

“What is it?” Carmen asked.

“A new political attack group formed overnight. They’re running ads calling me emotionally compromised and unfit for office because of —” he gestured vaguely, encompassing everything their story had cost them “— all of this. They have a massive, untraceable war chest. It feels coordinated p>

Carmen felt a familiar dread creeping back in. Conrad Sterling might be behind bars, but his network of shadowy allies and political debtors was vast. He was a cancer, and they had only removed the primary tumor.

Then Justin’s private security line buzzed — a sound reserved for the highest-level emergencies. He snatched it up.

He listened for a moment, his face going pale. “What do you mean, a breach?” he demanded. “Where p>

He listened again, his eyes widening. He set the phone down and turned to Carmen, wearing an expression of cold fury she hadn’t seen since the night he had confronted Davis.

“That was Gaston’s head of security,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet. “Someone just attempted to access Jocelyn’s hospital records. And at the same time, a man was caught trying to bribe a guard at the federal prison where Conrad is being held p>