Chapter 189: Why Does Alexander Look Familiar to Aylin?

What neither of them noticed was the figure emerging from behind a panel van three rows back, camera in hand, reviewing the dozens of photos he’d just taken.

Clear shots of Alexander’s face from different angles, images of him with his daughter, and pictures of the car and its license plate.

Kade lowered the camera, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face.

Finally, Kade thought with satisfaction. Something concrete, Boss is going to be happy.

After a lot of effort to get a good look at the mysterious Alexander, they’d finally captured something solid to work with, something Aylin could use to dig deeper and find out who this guy really was.

If Alexander was using a fake name, like Kade suspected, then Aylin’s previous searches wouldn’t have turned up anything. But with these photos, plus facial recognition software and her impressive hacking skills, they might finally get some answers.

Kade pulled out his phone, quickly choosing the best images and putting together a message for Zayden.

"Got him. Multiple angles. Sending now."

He attached the photos and hit send, watching them upload. Then he tucked his phone away and headed to his own car, already thinking about what else Zayden might need from him.

The chase was far from over. In fact, it was just getting started.

*****

Zayden’s phone buzzed on his desk, lighting up with a message from Kade. He grabbed it right away, quickly checking the text before diving into the attachments.

One photo after another appeared on screen, each a clear shot of a mature man with a youthful edge.

Zayden had never seen him before. The man had Dark hair streaked with silver, sharp features, and gave off a vibe of laid-back confidence mixed with obvious alertness.

In several pictures, he was hanging out with a young woman: blonde, cute, and clearly comfortable around him.

So, this is Alexander. This changes everything.

"Aylin!" Zayden called out, his voice bouncing off the walls of the office.

A minute later, Aylin appeared in the doorway, coffee mug in one hand and her laptop tucked under her other arm.

Her hair was all messy in a bun, and she wore those oversized glasses, her go-to look when she was deep into research.

"What’s going on?" She walked in, dropped her laptop on his desk, and plopped down in the chair across from him. "Please tell me you found something. I’ve been going in circles on this Alexander case for ages."

"Kade came through." Zayden turned his phone so she could see, swiping through the images. "Check it out. Multiple pics, different angles. This is him."

Aylin leaned forward, narrowing her eyes as she studied each photo closely. She took the phone from Zayden and zoomed in on Alexander’s face, checking out every little detail.

I know that face. I know I’ve seen it before. But where?

Zayden watched as her expression shifted from serious focus to something else, maybe a hint of recognition or confusion.

"Do you know him?" he asked.

Aylin frowned a bit. "I... don’t think so. I’ve never met him and haven’t worked with anyone who looks like this." She kept scrolling, her fingers moving over the screen. "But there’s something..."

"Something what?" Zayden probed.

"I’m not sure." Aylin put the phone down and leaned back in her chair, her eyes drifting off as she tried to dig into her memory. "He kind of looks familiar. Not like I know him, but like I’ve seen him somewhere before. I just can’t figure out where."

Zayden leaned in closer, resting his elbows on the desk. "Think about it, Aylin. When you were looking into Alpha’s operations a couple of years ago, did you ever come across this face? In any surveillance footage, background checks, or records?"

"I went through thousands of files," Aylin replied slowly, her fingers drumming on her thigh, a nervous habit when she was thinking hard. "Thousands of images. Security camera footage from at least a dozen places. Financial records, employee lists, your network, the whole trafficking scene..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I can’t remember every face I saw."

"But you remember some?"

"The important ones, for sure." She grabbed the phone again, looking at Alexander’s picture. "There’s something about him that’s sparking a memory, but I can’t quite get it."

They sat in silence for a bit, Aylin still checking out the photos while Zayden watched her, hoping something would click.

Finally, Aylin froze, her eyes getting a little bigger.

"Wait," she said softly.

"What’s up?"

She glanced at Zayden, and he could tell her brain was in overdrive, making connections. "Zayden, there’s something. How could I have forgotten this?"

Zayden straightened up, feeling a tension building. "What is it? What did you remember?"

Aylin carefully set the phone down, as if it might blow up. "Okay, so we know Michael Arthur has pics of Ayla and me, right? From two years ago, when he kidnapped us. He showed me those photos of us with Dad. That’s how he recognized us, how he linked us to Marcus. I have no clue where he got those pics."

"Right," Zayden said. "That’s how he found you both in Turkey."

"Exactly. If Alexander is working with Michael, or was at some point, it makes sense that Michael would have shown him those same pictures If Alexander went to him with questions."

Aylin’s words started to come out faster as her mind pieced together the puzzle. "If Alexander is looking for Ayla and if we’re targets, Michael would definitely share our identities with his key guys."

"That makes sense," Zayden agreed, his expression getting serious. "So Alexander probably knows what you both look like and knows your dad was Marcus Alston."

"Exactly. So Selina really needs to be careful. If Alexander sees my picture..." She waved her hand, brushing that concern aside for now. "But Zayden, that’s not what’s bothering me the most."

"Then what is?"

Aylin stood up and began to pace, a habit she had when she was really thinking hard. "Here’s what doesn’t make sense: If Alexander is connected to Michael Arthur and is part of this whole thing, then Michael should know about our dad. About Marcus. Right?"