"Do you?" Liam spun around, his anger flaring up again.

"You’ve been chasing shadows, Dad. All while I grew up feeling alone. I suffered. I struggled, all because you were too wrapped up in hiding from a betrayal that might not even be real!"

"I was just trying to keep you safe!" His dad’s voice matched Liam’s anger. "The government wanted me gone. If they found out you were real, if they realized I had a son, they’d use you to get to me. I did what I had to!"

"By faking your death? By making me think I was an orphan?"

"By keeping you alive!"

They stared each other down, both breathing heavily.

Finally, his dad spoke more quietly. "Eventually, the government caught up with me. They found me and locked me up again. I was sent to a secret prison, marked for execution. No trial. No appeals. Just a bullet and a nameless grave."

Liam’s anger started to fade. "What happened then?"

"Ghost Net."

"What?"

His dad gave a slight smile. "The woman you call ’ma’am’, she runs a group called Ghost Net. It’s a network of hackers and operatives. She found out about my execution and busted me out the night before they were supposed to kill me."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she thought I was innocent and needed someone with my skills." His dad moved to the window, looking out at the city. "She faked my death all over again. She found a body, burned it beyond recognition, and planted enough DNA to make everyone believe it was me. The government thinks I’m dead. Again."

"And you’ve been working with her ever since."

"Yeah. Ghost Net gave me a reason to keep going, a way to use my talents for good. She’s not perfect, Liam, but she’s trying to take down the same messed-up systems that ruined my life."

Liam fell back into his chair, feeling overwhelmed. "And Aylin? Ayla? Why are you after them?"

His dad took a long pause.

"Because I thought their dad betrayed me. I needed answers. I wanted to know why Marcus did what he was accused of. So I asked Ghost Net to keep an eye on his daughters to see if they knew anything."

"They’re innocent, Dad. They don’t know anything about what their dad did or didn’t do."

"I understand that now," his father said softly. "But back then, I was angry and hurt, and I let that cloud my judgment."

Suddenly, the door swung open. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Both men turned as the masked woman, Ghost Net, stepped into the room.

"Are you two done with your bonding time?" she asked, her tone dry but not unkind.

Charles, Liam’s dad, grinned despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Yep, Azalea," Charles said casually. "We’re all finished here."

Liam’s eyebrows shot up. "Azalea?"

The masked woman, Azalea, shot a warning glance at Charles. "Can you keep it down?"

Charles chuckled, surprisingly lighthearted given the gravity of their discussion. "What? He’s my son. He won’t spill, right, Liam?"

Liam was now looking at the masked woman with newfound interest. "Azalea? As in... Ghost Net is Azalea?"

The woman slowly removed her mask.

Liam’s jaw dropped.

She was stunning, with sharp features and dark eyes that seemed to absorb everything around her. Her hair was tightly pulled back into a strict bun. But what shocked him most was her face; it resembled someone he had seen before.

"You’re—"

"Azalea Cole Virelli," she confirmed with a slight smile. "Princess of the Virelli Group. And yes, in case you were wondering, I’m Zayden Knight’s twin sister."

"Holy shit," Liam breathed.

"Watch your language," Charles chided lightly, although he was smiling.

Azalea rolled her eyes. "Yeah, relax. I’m Ghost Net, the one giving jobs to all the hackers out there. Including you."

She paused, her smile turning a bit cheeky. "And Aylin, too."

Liam’s mind was racing. "Wait. You’ve been giving Aylin work? Does she know who you are?"

"Not at all. That’s the whole point of being Ghost Net: anonymous and untraceable." Azalea leaned against the desk. "I hand out the jobs, collect the information, and pay really well. Nobody asks questions."

Liam looked back and forth between his dad and Azalea, feeling like something wasn’t adding up. "Okay, Dad told me everything, about Marcus, about being set up, about all of it. But there’s one thing I still don’t understand."

"What’s that?"

"Why are you so fixated on Aylin and Ayla? What did they even do?"

Azalea’s expression turned serious as she glanced at Charles. "Just ask your dad. He’s the one who’s obsessed with those girls. He told me to have you stay with Ayla, get close to her, and then report back on what she’s doing and what Aylin is up to."

Everyone turned to Charles.

He remained silent, clenching his jaw.

Liam stood up, facing his dad. "Dad, she’s right. This is messed up. They haven’t done anything. I met Aylin; she’s really nice and super smart. She took down Alpha Dark, for crying out loud. If her dad was working with him, why would she ruin his whole operation?"

Charles looked frustrated. "Because she doesn’t know! She has no idea that her dad was an agent; she doesn’t realize he was associated with criminals."

"Was he, though?" Azalea interjected sharply. "Was he really in cahoots with Alpha Dark, Charles? Because I’ve sifted through every file and piece of evidence, and guess what I found?"

"What?"

"Proof that Marcus set you up. That’s all there is. Nothing, and I mean nothing, indicates he was involved with Alpha Dark or any other shady group."

Charles’s hands clenched into fists. "The evidence, "

"The evidence that Alexander showed you? The information that surfaced right after Marcus was dead and couldn’t defend himself?" Azalea’s voice turned assertive. "Charles, think about this. You’re supposed to be a trained operative. When did you start believing evidence without verifying it first?"

"I checked, "

"With sources from Alexander. Through channels he controlled." Azalea stepped closer to him. "You’re smarter than this. You know better."

Charles turned away, tense.

Liam felt something breaking inside him. Everything he had done, leaving Ayla, breaking her heart, was for nothing.

It was all based on lies. And the worst part? He was the one who chose to believe them.