Chapter 14 Investigation. Oriana knew he didn't like being disturbed by girls, so she would quietly follow behind him, keeping her distance. She knew he never ate breakfast, so she would get up early, buy some, and tuck it under his locker. She knew how stubborn he was. When he was paralyzed, she secrétly cleaned the stains on his bed so he wouldn't notice. Grant understood everything but pretended not to. Oriana, however, never tired of it. She put him first in everything-caring for him, admiring him, worrying about his injured leg, and supporting his dreams and career. In the end, he let her compromise, forced her to give in, and even used his authority as her guardian to make her abandon her aspirations. And now, Grant was acting magnanimous by throwing her a job, thinking all her efforts were just to stay close to him. Oriana was baffled. How could she have been obsessed with this man for so many years? Grant saw her head lowered, the corners of her lips faintly curved, and assumed she was finally satisfied and happy. He iced her ankle for a while, then took her to the room so she could rest and calm down. As he gently closed the door, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Alaric had texted Grant, "I found the guy who video-called Oriana." Grant's eyes darkened. He glanced at the closed bedroom door and turned into his study. Closing the door behind him, he called Alaric back. "Hello, Grant," Alaric greeted. "Go ahead," Grant cut straight to the point. "That account was registered and used in Jindiwood. He added Oriana as a friend ten days ago. Their chat history is empty-aside from a short exchange the day they connected, there are only two video calls." Grant tapped the back of his phone, the sharp intensity in his gaze turning dangerous. "Two calls," he repeated coldly. "Yeah, two. My guess is they met through another channel or app, then added each other on WhatsApp. Most of their conversations probably take place somewhere else," Alaric explained, "What's his identity?" Grant pressed. 1/3 "Grant, we can use Seabar's SkyNet system here, but Jindiwood is out of our jurisdiction. I can't reach that far," Alaric admitted, frustrated. Hearing only silence on the other end, Alaric realized Grant was angry. Alaric quickly added, "Grant, there's still a way. The software is still running on Oriana's phone. What if we scan her other apps? We might find some clues about this guy." I Grant rejected the idea without hesitation. "Don't cross the line. I trust her." His pride and certainty left no room for doubt. He refused to believe Oriana would ever flirt with another man behind his back. What concerned him was that someone might be targeting him and using Oriana to get close. Besides, Grant would never allow her to have too much contact with another man. She belonged only to him. Alaric clicked his tongue. "Right, right, my bad. I got ahead of myself. Oriana wouldn't betray you. She'd never do that. How about this-if she video-calls him again, the software will auto-record it. That way, we'll know for sure if he's trying to seduce her." Grant rubbed his forehead. "I'll count on you." "Piece of cake, Grant. Don't mention it," Alaric said lightly. "No one else can know about this," Grant warned. "Don't worry. I'll watch my mouth," Alaric promised again and again. After Bramwell returned home with his wife and daughter, he immediately had his assistant arrange a dinner, inviting the leaders who were present earlier to clarify the speech issue. Seeing how seriously the Sterling family handled it, with sound reasoning and sincerity, the officials naturally stopped suspecting anything. After a few rounds of drinks, Silas's eyes grew hazy with drunkenness. He clinked glasses with Luna in private. "Ms. Sterling, if there's ever a chance, I'd appreciate it if you could introduce me to Mr. Stone." Luna's sweet smile faltered for a split second as she looked at the red wine in her glass. Five years ago, she had gone viral on TikTok with a post about surviving on two thousand dollars, struggling with a painful family background, and being unable to afford to raise a child. Not long after, her adoptive mother, Rory Steele, passed away from a severe illness, leaving her only twenty thousand dollars and a metal box. By then, Luna had become a moderately popular influencer. But at school, her self-righteous classmates still looked down on her, mocked her, and even bullied her viciously. 2/3 Chapter 14 Investigation Finished One girl, who came from a well-connected family, targeted her relentlessly. Luna reported it to teachers and administrators, but nothing ever came of it. Instead, the bullying only escalated. They hacked off her hair, smeared glue across her mouth, and locked her in the restroom for an entire freezing night. The next day, clutching the box Rory had left her, Luna climbed to the rooftop of the ten- story school building. She didn't have the courage to take that final step. Then, by accident, the box slipped from her arms. A small red badge and a letter tumbled out. It turned out that her adoptive father, Niall Steele-whom she had barely met before he passed-was a decorated war hero. During a massive earthquake rescue mission, he used his own body as support to save five elementary school children. 20 3/3 W