Grayson just coldly glanced at Geron.

The kind of glance that said I told you this would happen without wasting a single word on it.

Geron’s Adam’s apple bobbed, already sweating profusely, unable to say anything. His military training was fighting his paternal panic. From what Pete could tell, neither side was winning.

Catalina, who hadn’t fainted for that long, was slowly taking control of her unconscious body. She heard all of these nuances between their words and had an idea of what was going on.

"Baron Gringer," Xavier asked, and there was no warmth left in his voice. "Do you have something to say?"

Geron’s eyes darted to Grayson—looking for an anchor, an out, something—but Grayson’s expression hadn’t changed. He sat there, offering nothing.

Geron pressed his lips together. His hand squeezed a little tightly around Catalina’s arms once before forcing his hand to relax.

Xavier’s eyebrows rose a fraction of a millimeter.

Catalina suddenly pushed Geron away, standing on her own. But she stumbled a little, so Geron hurriedly came to her rescue. However, Catalina put her hands out to distance herself from Geron.

"Catalina—" Geron uttered while standing there, eyes staring at Catalina and her hands moving back and forth. Catalina used the table to stabilize her balance.

"What," she asked sharply, "is really going on here, Geron?"

Every man in the tent went still.

Pete included, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

"Honey—" Geron quickly came back to his senses. "Please—"

"Don’t." Catalina coldly said, "Don’t you dare say another word. My missing daughter’s blood is still clear in my memory."

"I know. But the situation will be handled—" Geron tried to calm down his wife.

"By whom?" Catalina’s chin lifted in pure contempt. "By you? Or by these men who still do nothing but discuss non-important things while my daughter is out there missing?"

Geron’s composure cracked, his breathing changed, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. "Catalina, please. There are things that—"

"Can’t what? Can’t explain? Can’t do anything?" She stepped closer to him, pointing at him. Pete watched Geron actually lean back. "Yes. I did faint for a little while, but I’m not deaf. I know what I heard. I know what I felt. I’m not that dumb not to guess and piece things together."

Catalina’s eyes were menacing, furious.

"Our daughter is missing. First, she was being kept in some underground cell like a criminal without her parents’ knowledge. Now that she’s gone, you’re just standing here sweating through your collar because these men—" she gestured broadly at Xavier and Grayson, "—are asking you questions you clearly don’t want to answer. So I will ask you again: what is really going on here, Geron?"

Pete could understand what she was thinking. Because in her eyes, everyone here looked like they were just discussing things that could be put off later. The people here were not trying, nor panicking, to do anything at all to find her daughter, so she felt the lack of active support.

Geron’s mouth opened and closed. He glanced sideways—not at Grayson this time, but at Xavier, whose golden eyes barely contained his satisfied expression.

It seemed that as long as he got what he wanted, it didn’t matter what else would happen. Pete thought worriedly as he saw Xavier’s expression. This is getting out of hand.

"Catalina," Geron called, his voice dropping into a lower register. "You know, I have reasons for every decision I make. I can only promise you that the people who did this to Lily will pay. For now, let’s trust—"

"Trust." Catalina laughed. It was not a kind laugh. It was the laugh of a woman who had reached the end of her patience. "You’re going to lecture me about trust while our daughter, who bled that much, is going through rough times in this god-forsaken building, is missing?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Catalina—"

"Don’t call me by my name!" Catalina roared, trembling. "I have had enough of hearing you calling me by my name when you offer no solution to the problem. I’m done heeding your call to every wrong thing. I don’t even know what, Geron."

"I’ve been trying to understand each meaning of your call for as long as this married life has been. Back then, I tried to understand why you arrange our daughters to study at the military academy at fourteen. I tried to understand why you rearrange our household security every month without consulting me. I tried to understand whenever you throw ’classified’ as if that would explain everything. I tried to understand every single time that you came home with that look on your face—"

"Right. That one that you have right now on your face." Catalina said as tears blurred her view, "I tried to understand whenever you said you’re okay, that it’s fine, that everything’s already handled."

Catalina’s voice was hoarse after shouting, hiccuping as she cried, "I tried... I really did..."

"Cat—" Geron tried to gently reach out to her, but she slapped his hand away.

"Don’t touch me," Catalina said, stepping back.

Geron looked hurt, and that made her pause for a second. But then, she lowered her head and drew her breath, shuddering at each end. The moment she looked back at Geron again, it had a firm edge to it.

"I’m done understanding, Geron."

Silence.

No one tried to move or breathe loudly, disturbing the two.

Catalina continued, keeping her voice steady. "I know now that you’re in this, too."

"I’m not—"

"I don’t care if you are or not," Catalina said sharply. "But don’t you dare stand there and pretend that you’re on my side. Because you never were."

"I am on your side—"

"Then where is our daughter?!" Catalina roared loudly, her eyes were bloodshot, furious. "Where is she, Geron? If you didn’t know—no, if you really know something, then you should at least know who would take her, right? So where is she, Geron? WHERE IS SHE?!"

Geron’s face ashened, unable to choose.