Aria’s POV

It took Jackson a long time to breathe normally again.

"Aria..." His voice trembled. "Don’t go..."

He clutched my clothes tightly, his eyes filled with raw fear but no matter how gently I asked, he wouldn’t say what had happened.

My frown deepened.

"It’s okay," I whispered, even as unease coiled tightly in my chest.

I sent a message to Chloe asking her to come immediately. I woke Amelia who was still asleep. Jonathan and Logan had left before dawn. Only Amelia remained with me.

Chloe arrived quickly, nearly bursting through the door.

After we sat down and I explained everything, both of them looked grim.

"He went through all that just to make you buy him dinner?" Chloe scoffed, then slammed her hand down. "No way. This isn’t simple. Aria, you can’t go."

"Exactly," Amelia agreed. "Jackson’s back now. You don’t need to risk yourself."

I frowned, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin.

Something about this whole thing wouldn’t settle. No matter how I turned it over in my mind, unease clung to me like damp fur after rain.

"Logically," I said slowly, voicing the thought that had been gnawing at me, "he should’ve taken Jackson with him. Or at least kept him until tonight’s dinner. So why... Why would Richard let Jackson come back so easily?"

The room fell into a heavy silence. Even my wolf stilled, ears pricked.

Amelia, Chloe, and I exchanged looks. No one had an answer. Confusion clouded every face.

After a long moment, Chloe broke the silence. "So... are you going?"

My fingers curled tightly, my nails biting into my palm. But instead of answering, I turned to Chloe with a sharp change of direction.

"Any leads on what I asked you to investigate before I left?"

I had always believed Margaret leaked the files to Sophia because she was the only other person that knew about them. But later, I realized the document that had nailed me to the pillar of shame wasn’t even that highly classified file.

Which meant... there had to be another explanation.

Chloe paused, clearly surprised by the abrupt turn, but she reacted quickly. She reached into her bag and pulled out a folder.

"Of course."

She spread it across the table. "The case about you stealing Hemsworth Group’s company secrets a year ago was closed way too fast. Almost no evidence was left online or offline. But I still managed to dig up some clues."

She flipped to a page and tapped it.

My breath hitched.

Printed on the paper were screenshots, grainy but unmistakable, taken from surveillance cameras inside Hemsworth Group.

"You got their surveillance footage?" I asked, incredulous.

Chloe grinned, teeth flashing. "I hacked Hemsworth Group."

Amelia inhaled sharply, but Chloe continued without hesitation.

"On the day the company secrets were leaked, only a few people entered the archive room. Everyone looked normal, archive staff doing their jobs, except one person."

She pointed.

"Sophia."

Amelia’s brow furrowed as her gaze dropped to the last photo at the bottom.

"And when she left," Amelia said slowly, "she seemed to take something with her."

Chloe tapped the image again.

In the footage, Sophia’s posture was a bit deliberate. She angled her body away from the camera, her right hand hidden as it moved between her leg pocket and the archive shelves. The exact motion was obscured but that was precisely what made it suspicious.

My wolf growled softly.

Sophia had always been good at pretending to be innocent.

"Wait."

Amelia suddenly interrupted, her voice sharp.

We all turned to her.

"What is it?" I asked.

She looked straight at Chloe. "How did you get Hemsworth Group’s surveillance so easily? I know your skills, but their security is top-tier.

Chloe hesitated.

"And," Amelia continued, her tone turning grave, "Nathan has said repeatedly that he’s been investigating what happened a year ago. But there were no results. If he really did investigate, how could the CEO of Hemsworth Group fail to access his own company’s surveillance from a year ago?"

The room grew tense.

I felt my wolf lean forward, senses sharpening.

Chloe scratched her head. "Uh... I found this in the trash bin of a Hemsworth Group computer."

There was silence.

I twitched my lips.

...If that was the case, it actually made sense.

Who would think to search a digital trash bin for deleted surveillance footage from over a year ago?

Amelia rubbed her nose awkwardly.

"Did you save the original footage?" she asked, clearing her throat.

Chloe immediately pulled out a USB drive, patting her chest proudly. "Of course."

A weight pressed against my temples as I processed it all.

"Since the surveillance didn’t capture me entering the records room," I murmured, "then with my alibi, what happened a year ago finally has a solid explanation."

And yet...

The more I thought about it, the more my unease deepened.

Something didn’t add up.

"Why was Sophia so confident back then if she was actually captured by the surveillance camera in the archives taking company files with her at the time the leak happened? And why did Nathan believe I had committed the crime so easily?"

Amelia’s expression darkened.

"Sophia’s never been clean," Chloe snorted. "Who knows what dirty tricks she pulled."

But even that didn’t fully explain it.

"Aria," Amelia said seriously, meeting my eyes, "right now, the priority is Patrick. What happened a year ago isn’t urgent."

My fingertips dug into my palms.

I nodded. I understood.

My wolf was restless beneath my skin, pacing in tight circles, her hackles raised. Dwelling on old wounds wouldn’t help.

I dragged my mind from the past and inhaled slowly. "We’ve found Jackson," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "We just need to wait a little longer before having him testify. Once he’s ready, Patrick won’t be able to run anymore."

I paused, then added, "Collins also sent me the paternity test results for Patrick and Sophia. That alone is a bombshell."

At that, Amelia’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and Chloe let out a breath. Even my wolf let out a low, satisfied rumble. Patrick had escaped judgment for far too long. Karma had finally caught up with him.

"But what about Clarence?" Amelia asked suddenly, lifting her head. "Are we really going to let her walk away untouched?"