Diana jumped up from her seat, her heart racing with joy.

Her hands shook as she pressed them together, unable to contain herself. Charles’ eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he could not breathe properly. He turned slowly to look at his wife, and they shared a long, silent look filled with disbelief and hope.

“Honey… is that really you?” Charles asked, his voice trembling as he leaned closer to the phone, afraid the moment might disappear if he spoke too loudly.

“Yes, Father, it’s me,” Isla replied through the phone speaker, her voice calm but emotional. “And l am fine.

Truly fine.” She paused briefly, then continued softly, ” am so sorry for everything you have gone through. I never wanted to cause you this pain. But it was necessary.”

Diana broke down again, covering her mouth as tears streamed freely down her face. This time, however, her tears were no longer filled with fear or grief. These were tears of pure joy and relief. The weight that had crushed her heart for so long finally lifted.

“Father had to do this,” Isla continued. “He took me far away to protect me and the baby. It was the only way to keep us safe.” Her voice became firmer. “Please, both of you, you must keep this to yourselves. No one else must know. Not now. Not yet.”

Diana nodded repeatedly even though Isla could not see her. Charles also nodded, his chest tight with emotion.They listened carefully as Ista and Gabriel spoke a little more, reassuring them again and again that everything was under control.

After the conversation ended, Stone gently disconnected the call and placed his phone back into his pocket.

For the first time in a very long time, Diana felt truly grateful to God. Her heart was overflowing with happiness. Her daughter was alive. Isla was safe. The baby was safe. And Gabriel was right there with her. That alone was enough to bring peace to her soul.

Stone then began to explain everything properly. He told them about the plan and how it all started. He explained why they had to make such a painful decision without informing anyone, even family. He spoke calmly, choosing his words carefully so they would understand.

He told them how they discovered that there was another traitor within the family. Someone close. Someone they trusted. And finally, he told them who that person was.

Diana and Charles were deeply disappointed. Their hearts sank as the name was mentioned. Landon.

“How could it be Landon?” Diana whispered, shaking her head slowly. “We loved him so much. We trusted him.”

Who wouldn’t? Landon had always been different. He was kind, calm, and loyal-or at least that was how he appeared. No one would have imagined that he could betray his own family. The thought alone was painful.”Although we are still watching him closely,” Stone continued, “we are also keeping our eyes open for more traitors. The man behind all this is extremely dangerous.

He is the kind of person who can force anyone to do his bidding.”

Stone sighed before continuing. “We still don’t know how he got Landon to work for him. Whether it was blackmail, threats, or something else. That is something we are stitt trying to uncover.”

Charles sat quietly, his mind spinning with thoughts.

Could Landon really be the one? The question echoed in his head again and again. There was no way someone as good as Landon would betray his family-or so Charles believed. That was his own theory, and it was hard for him to let go of it.

Stone felt the same conflict within himself. In his line of work, he had learned that the most trusted people often turned out to be the worst enemies. Still, he didn’t want his mind to play tricks on him. He knew he had to stay cautious and patient.

Perhaps the next move they made would finally reveal the whole truth. Maybe then, they would discover if there was another traitor hiding in the shadows.

Stone stood up slowly. “I should be leaving now,” he said seriously. “Please remember everything we discussed today. Keep it to yourselves. Continue acting like your daughter is still missing. You cannot afford to be carelessat this point.”

“We understand, Stone,” Charles replied firmly as he stood up as well: “Just know that we will get to the root of this matter. No matter how long it takes.”

Charles personally walked Stone out of the compound. He watched as Stone got into his car and drove away, disappearing down the road.

As Charles turned back toward the house, his heart felt heavier-but also lighter. Heavy with secrets, yet light with hope. For the first time since Isla disappeared, they finally had something solid to hold on to: the truth.

And the truth meant that their daughter was alive.

Stone was on his way back to meet John when something unusual caught his attention. As he drove, he noticed two black SUVs behind him. At first, he stayed calm. In his line of work, it was normal to be followed sometimes, and he thought the çars might simply be heading in the same direction.

However, as minutes passed, his instincts kicked in.

The distance between his car and the SUVs remained the same. They did not overtake him, and they did not turn off the road either. That was when Stone knew something was wrong.

Without wasting time, he made an emergency call.

“Two suspected vehicles are trailing me around ThirdAvenue,” he said calmly into the phone. “I will lead them toward the Hill Way side. Make sure you are in position in five minutes.”

He ended the call immediately and focused back on the road.

From his years of experience, Stone already knew what this meant. The men behind him were assassins. They were waiting patiently, hoping he would reach a quiet road where they could strike without witnesses.

He scoffed softly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

To confirm his suspicion, he drove around Third Avenue, then Fourth Avenue, making deliberate turns. The two SUVs followed every move. His expression hardened.

There was no doubt anymore.

He checked the time on his dashboard. One minute remained before his men would arrive.

Stone took a sharp turn to the right. The road ahead led directly to the Hilltop Way. It was known to be quiet, empty, and almost deserted at that hour. Perfect for an ambush-or so the assassins thought.

He checked his mirror again. The SUVs were still there.

Just then, the sound of blades cutting through the air filled the sky. A chopper appeared overhead, its shadow passing briefly over the road. A small smile curled aroundStone’s lips. That sound told him everything he needed to know. His men were already close.

A tunnel came into view ahead.

Stone stepped hard on the gas pedal. His car surged forward with sudden speed, racing toward the tunnel far faster than expected. The move was sharp and unexpected.

The two SUVs reacted instantly and followed after him.

As soon as all the vehicles entered the tunnel, something strange happened. Every single light that brightened the tunnel suddenly went off. Darkness swallowed the space, leaving only the bright headlights of the two SUVs cutting through the black.

The drivers panicked.

They slammed their feet on the brake pedals, and the SUVs screeched to a forceful stop as two cars suddenly blocked their way from the front.

Before the men inside the SUVs could react or raise their weapons, the doors of the blocking cars opened.

The armed men jumped out of their vehicles, alert and ready to shoot.

But what they saw confused them completely.

Two drunk women staggered out of the blocking cars, yelling loudly and waving their hands angrily.”You hit my car!” one of the women barked loudly.

“The lights were off!” the other woman shouted back. “I couldn’t see clearly!”

The argument continued, loud and messy, filled with slurred words and exaggerated gestures. The scene looked chaotic and pointless.

One of the armed men cursed under his breath. “Fuck. He got away.”

Angrily, he kicked the tire of one of the SUVs, his frustration clear.

Stone was already long gone.