Jasper didn't look up from the photos. "Start with her information. I want everything—her childhood, every place she's lived in Bailin, what she used her Deniz identity for, and why the hell she's in Chicago. And most importantly… where she is right now."
Liang gave a short nod. "Okay. I'll bring it all."
He turned on his heel and disappeared into the hum of the department, leaving Jasper alone under the flickering light, the black flower in his mind blooming like a shadow against the truth he was chasing.
In Chicago
The mansion felt colder than before, as if the walls had absorbed the chill from the box at the door. Yuna sat on the velvet sofa, the black flower still resting on the coffee table between them, its petals drinking in the light.
Nari leaned back, arms folded. "Yuna… I think we need to do something about your security." Her tone was serious now, stripped of its usual teasing warmth. "We should hire a guard."
Yuna's head turned sharply. "A guard?"
Before Nari could answer, the soft click of heels echoed down the hallway. Yuna's aunt stepped into the room, a silk shawl draped over her shoulders, her face pale in the lamplight.
"Security guard?" she repeated, brows knitting. "Why? What happened?"
Nari froze. She glanced at Yuna just a flicker of eye contact, an unspoken plea. Yuna's gaze was steady, telling her without words: Don't say it.
"I think someone's stalking yuna " she said flatly. "Before we came here, someone left a box at our gate. Inside was a black flower.... And just now, someone called claiming they had a delivery for us and asking for our location. But none of us ordered anything."
The words seemed to hang in the air for a beat too long.
She glanced between the two girls. "Yes… Nari is right," she said slowly. "There's a friend of mine who can help. I'll ask her to arrange a guard for you."
The black flower's dark petals seemed to drink in the light, as if it knew it had started something.
Bailin City – Late Afternoon
The rain had slowed to a mist, but the streets still glistened like polished glass. Liang stepped into the room where Jasper was waiting, his trench coat carrying the damp smell of the outside. In his hand was a thin, weathered file.
Jasper didn't look up from his coffee until Liang sat down across from him.
Liang slid the file forward.
"I've got everything." His voice was low, almost drowned by the quiet hum of the place. "Her real name… Yuna. The identity she's been using Deniz is tied to a scam investigation. But here's the twist: she didn't just get caught up in it… she's the one who built it."
Jasper's eyes sharpened, though his face remained unreadable.
Liang continued, flipping a page.
"Childhood in Chicago, raised by her aunt after… well, you know Baiheng. Her parents didn't survive. She's the only one who walked out of that place alive."
The name Baiheng hung heavy between them, carrying shadows of things both men didn't speak aloud.
Liang tapped another page.
"I also dug up her aunt's info. She's already looking into hiring a security guard for Yuna. Seems like something's rattled them."
Jasper leaned back, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.
"Where is this guard coming from?"
"Chicago. A friend of the aunt's arranging it."
Jasper's lips curved in the faintest ghost of a smile not one of amusement, but of calculation. He reached for his coat.
"Get tonight's flight booked."
" we're heading to Chicago."
Liang blinked. "Now?"
"Now"