Chapter 73: Exposed!!!

One late afternoon, Alia disguised herself once again and discreetly left home, boarding a car heading toward Elias's secret hideout. Earlier that morning, she had called Elias, informing him of an urgent matter. Elias provided her with this address. Before departing, she summoned Elise and whispered instructions, "If anything happens, call me immediately. If anyone asks, just say I went shopping." Though puzzled, Elise nodded her agreement.

When Alia arrived at the hideout, she cautiously scanned her surroundings to ensure she wasn't being followed before pushing open the door. Elias was already waiting for her, his eyes filled with a hint of urgency, as if he sensed the significance of the news she bore.

"What happened?" he asked first, his voice low and steady.

Alia took a deep breath, calming her nerves before speaking. "I found the diary you mentioned, but there's new danger involved." She recounted the entire sequence of events, starting from Adrian sensing the calling, to Red leading a team to unearth something, and finally to her discovery of the glowing papers. Her tone was calm, but the weight of her words carried turbulence. She deliberately omitted the specifics written on the papers, only mentioning their connection to the "Holy Grail." She concluded with a critical observation: "After the papers disappeared, the only one who could have taken them is Marcellus. Yet he's acted completely normal, without the slightest hint of suspicion."

Elias fell silent, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table. His gaze was heavy with contemplation. After a moment, he looked up sharply, his tone laced with urgency. "This means he might already know everything! Alia, you must leave this city immediately! Staying by his side will only put you in greater danger."

Alia shook her head resolutely. "No, he's shown no signs of suspicion. Maybe it wasn't him, or maybe he's testing me. This is our chance."

Unable to contain himself, Elias stepped closer, gripping her hands with a mix of anxiety and frustration. "A chance? There's no chance left! If it's really him, you can't possibly fight against him! Leaving now is the safest option!"

Alia's hands trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, making no effort to withdraw from his grip. "No, I can't leave. By staying, I can continue observing and look for the next opportunity. Besides, if he truly knows everything, leaving won't be that simple." Her voice was firm and resolute.

As the two argued, the sound of measured footsteps approached from outside. The atmosphere froze instantly. Elias abruptly stopped talking, his face alert, while Alia felt a chill run down her spine. Her mind raced.

"Who is it?" Alia's thoughts instinctively conjured the familiar image of Marcellus. The icy tension gripped her as she tried to maintain her composure, her eyes fixed on the doorway. The doorknob turned slowly, with an unrelenting, authoritative force. As the door creaked open, a gust of wind blew in—

And there he was.

Marcellus stood at the doorway, his gaze calm yet piercing. His eyes swept across the room, pausing on the two of them. His deep, resonant voice broke the silence, carrying an unmistakable authority. "Am I interrupting your secret conversation?"

The air grew suffocatingly tense, the weight of his presence silencing even the faintest breaths.

A Few Hours Earlier

Marcellus had driven away from the estate earlier that day but found himself unsettled midway. A frown creased his forehead as a vague sense of unease gnawed at him, as if something important had been overlooked. With a quiet sigh, he turned the car around and headed back.

As he neared the house, a strange car drove past. Normally, Marcellus paid little attention to passing vehicles, but something about the passenger caught his eye. He glanced at the figure and immediately felt a jolt of recognition.

"Livia?" The name flashed through his mind as his fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

At first, he dismissed it as paranoia, but recent weeks had only fueled his suspicions. Livia's demeanor had been increasingly evasive, her eyes flickering with hidden thoughts, and her overly enthusiastic affections seemed forced. Then, there was the strand of her hair he had discovered in the box—deeply hidden, as if it were a secret unto itself.

The clues swirled in his mind like a gathering storm. With a sharp turn of the wheel, he began tailing the car at a safe distance.

Marcellus maintained his distance, observing quietly as the car wound its way toward an all-too-familiar destination—Elias's secret hideout.

"What is she/he doing there?" His irritation grew with every passing moment, his fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel. While Elias had gone to great lengths to remain concealed, Marcellus had long since unraveled much of his brother's operations.

When Livia, still in her male disguise, got out of the car and entered the building, Marcellus parked at a discreet distance. He sat in silence, his suspicions now solidified.

"It's her. It has to be her."

For a moment, he considered walking away, letting the matter rest. But the gnawing agitation in his chest refused to be ignored. "If she's hiding something, it's time to find out the truth."

Exiting his car, Marcellus strode purposefully toward the building. The guard at the entrance moved to block him.

"This is a private—"

Marcellus silenced him with a single, icy glance. The weight of his gaze was enough to freeze the man in place. Recognizing him, the guard quickly stepped aside.

The muffled sound of voices guided Marcellus deeper into the building. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door to the inner room.

The sight before him confirmed his worst fears. Livia, still disguised as a man, stood in the center of the room, her hands clasped in Elias's. The two appeared locked in a tense conversation, their expressions betraying a shared urgency.

Alia sensed the chill emanating from behind her and stiffened. Slowly, she turned to face Marcellus. His penetrating gaze bore into her, devoid of visible anger but filled with an unshakable dominance that seemed to strip away all pretense.

Elias, too, turned to meet Marcellus's eyes. Though his posture straightened, his grip on Alia's hands remained firm, his expression a mixture of caution and defiance.

"Am I interrupting something?" Marcellus's voice cut through the tension like a blade. His tone was calm, almost conversational, yet every word carried an unmistakable edge.