Kai exhaled deeply, pressing his fingers against his aching temples.

The chips became the foundation of something far more sinister.

Nate began selecting homeless individuals, implanting the devices into their brains.

He would transform their appearances, reshape their identities, and erase their memories repeatedly until they believed they were people from the future, living out some grand timeline.

The illusion captivated audiences.

Rich spectators watched eagerly as these "stories" unfolded in real time, pouring money into the spectacle.

But that wasn’t the true goal.

Nate used it to build connections, carefully targeting influential figures, from actors to politicians to CEOs, weaving a web of control that spread silently across every level of society.

Each person he "created" became nothing more than a puppet. A slave.

At one point, Kai had believed that Nate simply wanted power.

That he wanted to rule the world. But he had been wrong.

Nate’s ambition was far more terrifying.

He wanted to implant those chips into every human being.

By the time Kai realized this, it was already too late.

Regret gnawed at him endlessly, yet he had no way out.

All he could do was pretend... pretend to remain loyal while silently drowning in his own fear.

"...I should have never let him go this far," Kai whispered, his voice hollow.

Meanwhile...

Aurora leaned back comfortably, a faint smile playing on her lips as she absorbed the news of Shay’s accident. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Now, she felt a little better.

’You dared to go against me... and even tried to harm my siblings,’ she thought, her fingers lightly tapping against the armrest. ’Did you really think I would let that slide?’

She had always intended to deal with Shay personally.

However, Shay’s connections had made things inconvenient.

But now... things had taken care of themselves.

And Aurora couldn’t help but enjoy the outcome.

She wondered how Shay would retaliate now.

Would she back away? Or would she continue to cause trouble?

However, soon she realized that she was overthinking.

Now Shay was paralyzed; she couldn’t take any revenge for the time being.

But the thought of the mastermind made her freeze.

’Will the institute send someone to cure Shay?’ she thought, her gaze lowering slightly. ’And that mastermind... does he even have such capabilities?’

Even Aurora wasn’t certain anymore.

The more she thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

Whoever that person was, they were far from ordinary.

Creating something as complex as that chip alone required intelligence far beyond the norm.

’He’s not just smart... he’s dangerous,’ she concluded silently.

Not only did he possess the chips, but he also had the ability to implant skills into other people’s minds, something that shouldn’t have been possible.

Like Eleanor.

Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled how Eleanor had been tempted with the reward of being able to copy the Waters family’s skills.

Painting, business, acting... it was as if she had lived all their lives at once.

That defied logic.

At least, that’s what Aurora had believed, until Spencer explained it to her.

"As long as someone can replicate the memories of a person and transfer them into another mind," Spencer had said, his tone calm yet precise, "that person can absorb those memories and gradually learn skills they never had the time to learn themselves."

Aurora had gone silent when she heard that.

A chilling thought had immediately surfaced.

’Does that mean... my siblings have chips in their minds too?’

Otherwise, how could the mastermind copy all of their abilities so perfectly?

Spencer had shaken his head at that assumption.

"It’s not necessary," he had clarified. "They don’t need Olivia or the others directly. They just need someone equally skilled. For example, find a painter as good as Olivia, extract that person’s memory, convert it into data, embed it into a chip, and then implant it. Whoever receives it... gains that skill."

Aurora had felt a faint chill run down her spine when she understood.

That meant the mastermind didn’t just rely on her family.

He could manufacture talent. He could replicate excellence. He could create perfection.

’... This person is far more dangerous than I thought,’ Aurora admitted inwardly, her expression growing serious.

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, a wave of drowsiness slowly crept over her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before she could resist it, she drifted into sleep.

The next morning, she opened her eyes to a strange sense of lightness.

Stretching her arms, she inhaled deeply, the faint scent of fresh air brushing against her senses.

’A new day... a new beginning,’ she thought, a small smile forming.

But the moment she stepped outside her room, that calm shattered.

The house was silent. Too silent.

No footsteps. No voices. Not even the faint clatter of utensils from the kitchen.

Aurora frowned.

"Mother?" she called out, her voice echoing softly through the empty halls.

No response.

A faint unease crept into her chest. She quickly picked up her phone and dialed Mary’s number, but the call didn’t go through.

Taking a slow breath, she dialed Emily instead.

This time, the call connected.

"Emily," Aurora spoke immediately, her tone sharp, "is someone hiding something from me?" Where is everyone?"

On the other end, Emily hesitated for a fraction of a second before replying, "You were sleeping, so... they didn’t want to disturb you."

Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What happened?"

Emily exhaled quietly. "Theodore had a small accident."

Aurora’s expression instantly turned serious, her heartbeat quickening.

"What kind of accident?" she pressed.

"It’s not what you’re thinking," Emily replied quickly, her voice attempting to sound reassuring. "A crazy fan scratched his hand. It’s nothing serious."

Aurora’s breathing gradually steadied, though the unease didn’t completely fade.

"If that’s all, I could’ve come to see him," she said.

"No need," Emily interrupted firmly. "He’ll be back home by evening. You can see him then."

Aurora frowned slightly, a subtle crease forming between her brows.

’Something feels off...’ she thought.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Emily was practically drenched in sweat. She glanced at the others around her, all of them silently urging her to keep the truth hidden.

She sighed internally.

’She called at the worst possible time... if only I were alone, I would’ve told her everything.’

Aurora eventually hung up, choosing, for now, to trust Emily’s words.

She waited.

Hours passed slowly, each minute stretching longer than the last.

When Mary and Adam finally returned, their pale faces did not go unnoticed.

Yet Aurora didn’t question them. Instead, she quietly brought them water and food, her actions gentle and composed.

Seeing this, both of them felt a wave of relief wash over them.

Night fell. And finally, Theodore arrived.

Lucas supported him from the side, his arm wrapped firmly around Theodore’s shoulder.

The moment Aurora saw them, her eyes sharpened.

’That’s not just a scratch.’

Theodore tried to act normal, even forcing a small smile, but his movements betrayed him. He limped slightly, each step careful and restrained.

A heavy feeling settled in Aurora’s chest.

But she showed nothing.

Instead, she calmly turned and walked back to her room.

Closing the door behind her, she immediately called Emily again.

This time, there was no hesitation.

Emily spoke in a low, grim voice.

"It wasn’t just a scratch," she admitted. "A fan attacked him... she said that if Theodore didn’t marry her, she would make sure he couldn’t marry anyone else."

Aurora’s grip on the phone tightened.

"She stabbed him," Emily continued quietly. "In the stomach. He was in critical condition for nearly two hours."

For a moment, the room felt suffocating.

Aurora said nothing.

"He was lucky," Emily added. "There wasn’t severe damage. After he was treated, he insisted on coming home. He didn’t want you to worry."

Aurora closed her eyes briefly, taking a slow, controlled breath.

"Did you investigate?" she asked.

"I did," Emily replied. "From everything we found... she really was just an obsessive fan."

Aurora gave a faint nod, even though Emily couldn’t see it.

’I hope that’s the truth...’ she thought quietly.

The next day, when everyone else was away, Aurora moved silently through the house and stopped outside Theodore’s room.

She gently pushed the door open.

Inside, Theodore stood awkwardly, struggling to put on his shirt. His movements were stiff and careful, as though even the slightest pull caused pain.

Without a word, Aurora walked in and helped him.

Theodore froze for a moment, then lowered his gaze, a trace of embarrassment crossing his face.

If she hadn’t noticed before...

She definitely saw it now. The thick bandage wrapped tightly around his waist.

Just as Theodore opened his mouth to offer an explanation, Aurora raised her hand, her movement calm yet firm, cutting him off before a single word could leave his lips.

"You don’t need to say anything," she said quietly, her voice carrying a strange softness that only made it more unsettling. "I understand."

Hearing those words, Theodore let out a long breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. Relief washed over him, loosening the tension in his shoulders.