Chapter 469 The Hidden Deception
A spring evening, with the pale moon veiled in mist.
Victoria sat in the car, her expression somber as she gazed at the night scene outside the window. Streetlights crisscrossed, their glow alternately brightening and dimming the interior of the vehicle.
The truth about certain matters was beginning to emerge like bamboo shoots breaking through dark soil.
Just three hours earlier, she had known nothing of Esme's past. Now she did.
So that was the situation in which Esme had been pregnant with her.
Suddenly, she thought of the bracelet she had retrieved from Victoria's house, engraved with the names "Esme" and "Zephyr."
Esme had preserved it like a family heirloom. Did that mean she had never forgotten her biological father? Otherwise, knowing Esme's personality, she would have discarded such things long ago.
And Anouk had finally paid the price for her past actions.
Twenty minutes after they had left, Zephyr had expelled Anouk from the Windsor Family in front of everyone, announcing his intention to divorce her.
The news quickly became headline material across all major publications, and Zephyr made no effort to suppress it. He seemed content to let the story spread unchecked.
Alexander noticed Victoria had been quiet since entering the car.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, gently placing his hand on her head.
Victoria saw Alexander's handsome face reflected in the window before turning to look at him directly. "I'm wondering if I were in the same situation back then, would I have had my mother's resilience to carry a child to term under such circumstances."
Esme had only been in her twenties. For Zephyr's sake, she had left the Penrose family and come to the Kingdom of Serenia, only to discover the man she loved was marrying someone else—and she was pregnant.
Victoria couldn't imagine how Esme had endured such pain and torment.
She had seen photos of the couple. Their love for each other had been evident.
"I'm even wondering if she might have been better off without me. Perhaps she could have found a new relationship and started fresh," she continued.
Alexander noticed the shadow that passed through her eyes.
"No," he said. "You were her motivation and hope during that time."
Though he didn't know Esme well, their two conversations had shown him how much she cared for Victoria.
In such circumstances, Esme would have seen her unborn child as something to hold onto—her emotional pillar.
All these years, she had concealed the fact that she was alive, likely to avoid certain complications that might affect Victoria.
Though he hadn't yet discovered what those complications might be, he suspected they involved the Penrose family.
He hadn't expected Esme to be from the Penrose family. Until now, they had been unable to uncover her true identity.
Her information had been well-hidden, suggesting she was far from the naive, fragile woman she appeared to be.
At that moment, Winter, sitting in the front passenger seat, interjected: "Victoria, Eugene says they've found what we've been looking for."
Victoria frowned immediately.
One of the issues Jasmine had mentioned involved missing children. Victoria had already suspected Anouk's involvement.
It was Anouk's collusion with Allan that had led to the Kingdom of Serenia's indifference toward the disappearances.
"Good, I understand," she replied.
Upon returning to the hospital, Victoria saw Kevin standing outside her room.
Both she and her husband instinctively furrowed their brows.
Kevin smiled awkwardly at them. "Mr. and Mrs. Howard, Mr. Scott has been waiting for you inside for quite some time."
Victoria asked, "Waiting for us? Wasn't Mr. Scott meeting with Marlowe today?"
At the mention of this, Kevin looked even more troubled. "That's precisely why Mr. Scott is waiting for you."
Victoria fell silent.
Inside her hospital room, Grant sat with an air of authority.
However, he appeared somewhat forlorn and melancholic.
This was the first time Victoria had seen such emotions in Grant—it was quite astonishing.
He must have received quite a shock.
Grant looked up when he heard them enter. "You're back. Sit down. I have something to tell you."
Kevin waited outside for another twenty minutes before Grant finally emerged.
"Mr. Scott, shall we head back now?" Kevin asked.
"Yes," Grant replied flatly.
Kevin stole a glance at him. His mood seemed to have improved somewhat. Apparently, speaking with Alexander and Victoria had helped.
He quickly followed after Grant.
At the same time, Eugene returned to the hospital.
"Victoria, we found this in Anouk's room at the Presidential Palace. I took photos, and I also copied everything from her computer," he said, handing her a photograph and a flash drive.
He hadn't taken the actual items, fearing it might alert Anouk.
Alexander frowned upon hearing this. So she had sent Eugene to search the Presidential Palace. Her boldness was increasing, though tonight had indeed been the perfect opportunity.
Victoria examined the photograph, which showed a brooch.
Ronnie had mentioned that he had never seen the face of the person behind everything, but remembered this person always wore a particular brooch—the one in the photograph, which bore the emblem of Organization 103.
"Victoria, the files on the flash drive are mostly experimental data, protocols, and detailed information on over a thousand individuals. I checked briefly on my way back—almost all of them match the children reported missing in our previous investigations."
Before Victoria could respond, Alexander asked, "If these items are so important, and Anouk isn't home tonight, do you really think someone like her would leave them in her residence?"
Both Victoria and Eugene looked at him.
Her expression tightened as she asked, "Was it deliberately planted? Or did someone else place it there?"
Alexander replied calmly, "Either is possible."
Eugene added, "There's something else strange, Victoria."
She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"The whole process was too easy. The brooch was sitting right in the dresser drawer, which wasn't even locked. That doesn't seem right." He muttered, "They couldn't have anticipated we'd go to the Presidential Palace tonight, could they? Or was it a trap set in advance?"
A trap set in advance?
She thought of Ronnie's situation.
She turned to Alexander. "What do you think, darling?"
After a moment's silence, he said, "It's not impossible, but Anouk must still be involved somehow."
Being quick-witted, she immediately understood his implication.
"Anouk is being used to distract us? Someone else is behind Organization 103?" she asked.
Victoria suddenly felt a headache coming on. Just when she thought the truth was about to be revealed, there appeared to be another layer of deception.
Someone behind Anouk?
Who could it be?
Alexander, seemingly guessing her frustration, said, "Griffin Windsor."
"Who is that?" she asked, drawing a blank.
Eugene explained, "He's the second adopted son of the current President of the Kingdom of Serenia."
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