Zayden suddenly let go of Liam, causing him to stumble a little.

But Zayden was now completely focused on Aylin, his face a mix of anger and betrayal.

"You’d better explain," he said quietly, and somehow, that was scarier than if he had yelled.

Aylin’s eyes filled with tears. "I do. I promise. Can we just talk? Just the two of us? Please?"

Zayden stared at her for a long moment before giving a quick, firm nod.

He turned to the rest of the room, his voice cool and commanding. "No one moves. No one leaves. Especially you," he pointed at Liam. "You stay right there."

Then he turned to Ayla, his expression softening just a bit. "This is your call. After you hear everything, and I mean everything, you decide if you want him here or not. Got it?"

Ayla nodded silently, tears streaming down her face.

Zayden took Aylin’s hand, not gently, but not roughly either, and led her out of the lounge toward his private study.

The door slammed shut behind them.

****

Inside the study, as soon as the door clicked shut, Aylin turned to him.

"I’m sorry. I should have told you right away when I found out, but I needed to be sure—"

"What did you find?" Zayden interrupted, his voice tense.

Aylin took a shaky breath. "Liam’s dad, Charles, was a government agent. He was part of a five-man team. And my parents..." Her voice broke. "They were on that team, too."

Zayden went still. "Your parents?"

"They weren’t just a journalist and a poet," Aylin said, tears running down her cheeks. "They were operatives. Special Ops. They hid it from us our whole lives to keep us safe."

She pulled out her phone and showed him the files she had downloaded. "Fourteen years ago, someone betrayed the team. They set Charles up as a traitor. Then the government ordered him to be executed. And the evidence, all of it, was made to look like it came from my dad."

Zayden clenched his jaw as he scanned the files. "So your dad was framed, too."

"Yeah. By someone on the team. Someone who had access to their communications and codes."

Aylin’s voice grew firm. "Alexander Kane. He’s the real traitor. He framed Charles, made it look like my dad did it, and then..."

She completely fell apart. "He killed my parents. Made it look like accidents. They died because of him. I’m not sure if he’s the only one behind all this."

"Aylin..." Zayden pulled her into his arms, holding her tight as she cried against his chest.

"I thought they were normal people," she sobbed. "I thought they died by chance. But they were murdered. Killed by someone they trusted."

Zayden’s anger over her keeping secrets faded as he stroked her hair. "I’ll find him. Alexander Kane. I promise, we’ll find him and make him pay for what he did."

"Liam’s not the enemy," Aylin said through her tears. "He’s a victim, just like me. His dad was framed and killed. Liam grew up thinking he was an orphan. He was used and messed with—"

"Shh." Zayden kissed the top of her head. "I get it. I’m sorry I grabbed him like that."

"He came back," Aylin said, pulling back to look at Zayden through her tears. "He came back to face Ayla, even though it scares him. That means something."

Zayden wiped her tears with his thumbs. "It does. Let’s head back. He deserves a chance to explain."

*****

When they returned to the lounge, the air was thick with tension.

Aylin’s eyes were all red and puffy from crying, but she had pulled herself together. Zayden seemed more relaxed, but his protective instincts were still on high alert.

"Liam," Zayden said, keeping his voice calm. "We need to chat. Just you, me, and Aylin. Right now."

Liam nodded without saying anything.

They moved to a smaller room next to the main lounge, more private, more cozy.

Once the door was closed, Zayden pointed to a chair. "Sit down."

Liam sat while Aylin and Zayden took a seat on the couch across from him.

"Aylin told me what she found out," Zayden said right off the bat. "About your dad. Her parents. The whole betrayal thing. I’m... sorry."

Liam looked shocked. "You really believe it?"

"I’ve learned to trust Aylin’s digging," Zayden replied. "And I was right about you, right? You’re the kid from the military camp, the one who vanished after your dad died."

Liam’s jaw tightened. "Yeah. I was fourteen. They told me he was dead, killed in an accident during training. I believed them."

"But he’s not dead," Zayden said slowly, picking up on Liam’s expression.

Liam glanced up quickly. "How did you—"

"Because you wouldn’t have left Ayla unless something huge happened," Zayden pointed out. "Finding out your dad is alive? That’s pretty massive."

Liam let out a slow breath. "He’s alive. I found out when I went back to meet Ghost Net. He was there."

Aylin’s eyes widened. "What?"

"Your dad is alive?" she said, surprised. "But how, where has he been?"

"Staying hidden. On the run. Working with Ghost Net." Liam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "That’s what I need to tell you both. I’m not sure I can trust Ghost Net anymore, even if they helped my dad."

Aylin frowned. "Wait, you and your dad work with Ghost net?"

"Yeah, and Ghost Net isn’t what you think," Liam said.

"What do you mean?" Aylin asked.

Liam spoke slowly. "It’s not just some random group. It’s a person. A woman."

Aylin froze for a second. "A woman?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Zayden leaned in, his expression serious. "Who?"

Liam looked at them, feeling the weight of the secret on him. "I’m not sure if I should—"

"Just tell us," Aylin said, losing her patience. "Who is she?"

Liam took a deep breath.

"Azalea."

Silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable.

Zayden’s face went blank; real shock spread across his usually calm features.

"What?" he whispered.

"Ghost Net is Azalea," Liam said.