Chapter 507
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Orlando arrived at the hospital and was stopped by Jackson as well .
“ Tell Aria that Orlando is here to see her , ” Orlando said .
Liam glanced at his half – brother and sneered . “ I wasn’t even allowed in . What makes you think ?
you
can ? ”
Jackson looked Orlando over , then knocked on the door . “ Fryderyk , someone named Orlando wants to see Ms. Saxon . ”
“ Let him in , ” Aria said .
Jackson stepped aside . “ You can go in . ”
Liam’s face darkened . “ Why does he get to go in ? ”
Jackson was speechless . “ Because Aria said so . If you’ve got a problem , take it up with her . ”
Orlando entered the hospital room , cast an unfriendly glance at the two men on the hospital beds , and turned to Aría . “ Is Pearl okay ? ”
Aria lifted her gaze , her tone laced with irony . “ If something had happened to Pearl , do you think I’d still be standing here ? ”
Orlando said quietly , “ My apologies . ”
Pearl wasn’t really their responsibility , so Aria didn’t bother to press the issue . “ They’re taken care of . Since you’re here … ”
She paused and looked at Fryderyk . “ No need to send me the digital version . Just send him the recording . ”
Fryderyk nodded . “ Okay . I’ll send it to you . You send it to him . ”
With everything settled , Aria prepared to leave , but the two men called out , “ Once the Wolfshade Syndicate is wiped out , send someone to the prison and let us know ! ”
“ Got it , ” Aria replied .
Orlando thought , ‘ How did the conversation get to taking down the Wolfshade Syndicate and going to prison ? ‘
Feeling like he’d missed a lot of key information , Orlando followed Aria out of the hospital room . Fryderyk signaled Jackson to take the two men back to the police station .
Watching Aria and Orlando walking away side by side , Liam frowned deeper and deeper . He didn’t know they had gotten this close .
The two headed down a different hallway . Liam was left behind and unacknowledged . He quickly caught up and stepped right next to Aria .
Liam said , “ Aria , Orlando is my brother . ”
Aria kept walking without acknowledging him . Frustrated , Liam stepped in front of them . “ Did you hear me ? ”
Orlando’s eyes narrowed . His tone turned cold , “ We’re just walking together , and you immediately assume something else . You got
Liam retorted , “ That’s how you’re going to talk to me ? ”
As the eldest son of the Cole family , Liam was always treated with respect . His feelings toward his illegitimate brother were complicated .
Orlando’s arrival had helped him a lot , but the increasing praise for Orlando made Liam , the official heir , seem like the forgotten one .
Orlando couldn’t be bothered to argue . “ We’ve got things to talk about . Move . ”
loose ? ”
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Cole shot him a glare and snapped , “ What could you possibly need to discuss with Aria ? ”
Orlando glanced at Aria , silently asking her to get rid of him .
Aria moved her arm slightly , and Liam instantly recalled the three times she had thrown him to the ground . His body reacted before he could think . When he came to , he had already stepped aside .
Orlando didn’t miss that . He looked at Aria , curious about what she’d done to make Liam afraid of her .
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Liam’s face . He cleared his throat and said , “ Aria , those two guys seemed like terrorists . I know you’re skilled , but at the end of the day , you’re just a woman . You should stay away from dangerous people and situations .”
“ Idiot . ” She walked off . Orlando chuckled and followed .
Liam was angry , but after thinking it over , he realized he had wronged Aria . If she was still angry at him , that meant she still cared . That was better than being treated like a stranger .
As they walked down the corridor , Orlando said , “ Those two were just peripheral members of the Wolfshade Syndicate . The organization has already abandoned them , and they don’t know much . The gang probably won’t make another move . ”
He added , “ That guy was Damon’s right – hand man . They’ll probably blame you for this . The recording isn’t going to be much use . No need to send it to
me . ”
The Wolfshade Syndicate had never valued their peripheral members . Most of them were small – time crooks . Those with real skills had long been absorbed into the inner circle .
Aria glanced at him . “ Sometimes you shouldn’t underestimate outsiders . Some people would rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small one in a big sea . ”
Orlando was momentarily stunned . Before he could respond , Aria took out her phone and showed him a sketch . “ This woman’s last name is Calderon . She’s in charge of the back – door warehouse . Investigate her quietly . If you find anything , let me know immediately . ”
Orlando frowned . “ She’s from the Wolfshade Syndicate ? Why are you investigating her ? ”
Aria replied , “ Don’t ask . Just do it . ”
Orlando was silent for two seconds . “ Got it . I’ll assign someone to check her out .”
“ No. ” Aria’s tone sharpened . “ You go personally . She’s connected to Pearl . ”
The Wolfshade Syndicate hadn’t given up on trying to kill Pearl
Orlando took it more seriously now . “ I’ll go myself . ”
When Aria got home , Owen handed her a photo of the defector from Arressto .
He said , “ Margery Calderon , 37 years old . Former core member of Arressto’s reconnaissance unit . Defected at age 30. It’s the same person as in your sketch . ”
The woman in the photo looked very young , smiling brightly . The age difference from the sketch was obvious , but the resem
Aria asked , “ Why has she been hunted for so long ? What did she do ? ”
“ Owen said , She killed one of Arressto’s investigators . ”
Investigators weren’t just decision – makers . They were also the nerve center of the organization’s intelligence network .
Margery had been one of that investigator’s students , and she knew many secrets . Arressto had been hunting her ever since .
was clear .
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“ Why did she kill the investigator ? ” Aria asked .
Owen shook his head . “ That’s an Arressto secret . Hard to uncover . ”
No one would choose a path of no return without a reason . To go so far as to kill someone , it had to be due to a deep grudge , or to stop or cover something up .
Arressto was notoriously secretive . Finding out the truth wouldn’t be easy .
They had to find Margery before Arressto did .
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Aria had a gut feeling that Margery didn’t join the Wolfshade Syndicate just to hide . She must have had a reason . Hopefully , Orlando could dig something
Margery had been on the run alone for years . She wouldn’t be found easily .
With Pearl’s situation resolved , Aria’s life became a simple loop between home and the library .
When Lincoln wasn’t painting , he’d visit the library to read . Whenever he saw Aria , he’d come say
He said , “ Madelyn , we meet again . Has Mono decided to come back to the country ? ”
There had been an exhibition in Fraibia . Mono went to attend it . The event had long ended , but he hadn’t returned .
“ No , ” Aria said .
Lincoln kept chatting . “ He’s your mentor . Aren’t you worried about him ? ”
Aria replied , “ No. ”
Lincoln scratched his head . “ I guess he’s always traveling . Nothing to worry about . ”
The library wasn’t busy . Lincoln, who never got along with his family and rarely had anyone to talk to , felt a certain familiarity with Aria and chatted more than usual .
Lincoln said , “ I actually have a niece I’ve never met . She’s same age as you . They say she’s got a really aloof personality . ”
Aria glanced up at him .
Lincoln grinned . “ Yeah , just like that look you’re giving me now . They said she looks exactly like that . ”
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