Chapter 1990

A knot of anger tightened in his chest, burning hotter with every second.

Seriously? Just a girl and a hot-headed guy, and suddenly their whole operation was in shambles. In a matter of hours, the research team from Country M was in total disarray. Most of their chip-controlled agents were gone, and Country M had taken a massive hit. At this point, they barely had anyone left to rely on.

Panicked, Country M's top officials scrambled to hold a crisis meeting. Their plan? Threaten Jackson and his team with their deadliest weapon, trying to force them to give in—and demanding at least one of them come over to their side.

When Jackson and Fiona got the news, they just sat there, silent. Deep down, they'd both seen this coming. But that didn't make it any easier to swallow. And no matter how desperate things got, this wasn't the answer.

It was clear now: Country M had found Jackson's parents. They had to be in their custody. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn Find★Novel.net

Worse, there was a real chance his parents were already under their control—maybe even used to create new chip-controlled agents, just like before.

"Jackson." Fiona's voice was soft as she looked at him, her eyes full of worry and a hint of sadness.

She knew how much this hurt him. The last thing she wanted was to say something that might make it worse. “I'll be okay, Fiona. We've survived worse than this. We'll get through it,” Jackson said quietly. "We're going to get your parents back. I promise."

Fiona stood on tiptoe, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. She smiled up at him, her arms winding around his waist. Jackson held her close, and in that moment, nothing else mattered. After everything they'd faced, they weren't just partners—they were each other's whole world.

“Fiona, I'm so glad I have you,” Jackson murmured.

***

Meanwhile, over at the Kidd family estate, things weren't much calmer. After uncovering a shocking number of chip-controlled traitors in the family, Jane went into full crisis mode. Thanks to her no-nonsense style, a bunch of the Kidd family's own were shipped straight off to prison—where Jane had made sure they wouldn't be having an easy time.

Jane hadn't expected so much betrayal in her own family. For years, every mistake had been swept under the rug, and anything shady had been handled quietly behind closed doors.

But now, with every last mole rooted out, the Kidd family finally seemed to be getting back on track.

Tyler wasn't slacking off either. He'd finished off the last names on his list, making sure every chip-controlled operative was dealt with for good.

As planned, International Glam was about to team up with Country M, hoping to expand their design business. But everyone knew this partnership was doomed from the start-Esther had already been called back to Country M, and it was clear she was walking into trouble.

Esther knew it too. Going back probably meant she wouldn't make it out. She'd already risked everything; she couldn't throw her life away now.

She went to Fiona—she had no other choice. Without her list, they never could've hunted down every last threat.

Fiona didn't hesitate to accept her. Honestly, without Esther's help, none of this would've been possible. "Go find Tyler. He'll take care of everything. Country M won't be able to touch you, and they'll never trace anything back to you,” Fiona promised.

"Thank you, Ms. Fiona. I'll go now," Esther replied, relief clear in her voice.

She turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, something clicked in her memory. She paused, then dug into her coat and pulled out a small embroidered pouch, decorated with lotus flowers.

"Ms. Fiona, I managed to steal this from the institute. I know you've been looking for Mr. Woods's parents. Maybe this will help.”

Fiona took the pouch and studied the delicate stitching. She couldn't be sure if it belonged to Jackson's parents or not.

But there, sewn carefully on the fabric, was a single character: “Fu.”