Chapter 1114

*Seven, leave here.*

Seven? Who else besides her family knew she was the seventh child?

*Go. Go. Go...* The man's face turned red as his eyes widened, desperately trying to signal her.

Juniper stared at him. She suddenly remembered their first meeting, when he mistook her two fingers for seven. Perhaps, from the very beginning, he had done it on purpose.

"Who are you?" Juniper leaned over, pretending to check his vitals, while mouthing the words.

Silas looked at her, tears blurring his vision, and slowly moved his lips:

*Save Mom.*

*Save Five.*

Mom? Five?

Juniper froze for a few seconds as the taut strings in her mind violently snapped. She stumbled back a few steps, her breathing turning ragged.

"Are you okay?" Shanley was startled and quickly caught her, his voice laced with worry.

"I'm fine." Juniper shook her head, instantly masking her emotions. "My legs cramped. I lost my balance."

Shanley studied her intensely but didn't notice any outward panic. The people watching the monitors wouldn't suspect anything either.

Juniper prepared another syringe and returned to the bedside, mouthing words twice more.

The first time: *Are you my dad?*

Silas blinked and gave a weak nod.

Juniper felt a crushing weight on her chest, like a boulder pressing down on her. In the cramped room, she could barely breathe.

The second time: *Is Mom locked up next door?*

At the mention of Theia, Silas slowly closed his eyes, tears streaming down his scarred cheeks.

The answer was obvious.

Juniper was completely rooted to the spot. No wonder... no wonder she had felt a sense of familiarity when she saw his photos.

Jimmie had told her that growing up, she was the most mischievous and got scolded by their dad the most Even though her memories stopped at age three, some imprint of her father stillingered in her mind had just been too long for her to connect the dots.

Everything clicked into place. Sanctum Holdings hadn't kidnapped Celine for her herbal skills, but for her genetics Because she was their child. Corvus had mentioned that Silas's blood was "useful," which was why they repeatedly drained it for experiments.

That meant... all the siblings carried their parents' genetic traits to varying degrees. Celine was taken as a test subject. The interrogation was likely to find the rest of them.

If Sanctum Holdings hadn't actively sought her out, would she have ever seen her parents again in this lifetime?

Sixteen years. Her parents had been tortured alive for sixteen years. The man she had been investigating all along was her own father.

"I've swapped out the medication," Juniper said, forcing her voice to remain steady so the guards watching the feed wouldn't suspect anything. "Rest well."

The door opened, and the guards led her and Shanley out.

As they passed the room where Theia was held, a frantic banging echoed from the iron door.

Juniper subconsciously stopped. Before the guard could push her along, she spoke up, her voice thick. "Your husband is fine. He can finally tell the difference between Two and Seven now."

What? Theia's hands froze against the door, her mind spinning. He can tell the difference between Two and Seven?

Last time, Sila's had told her he purposely called a two a seven, hoping his daughter would

recognize him. But when they met later the girl hadn't seemed to notice. Thela had thought they would never get another chance. She never expected Seven to come back. And now, she had said something so incredibly specific.

Did she recognize him? Or was she literally just talking about counting fingers?

"Just to test him, I held up Five and Seven, and he guessed both right." Before

Theia could process it, Juniper's voice rang out again. "It proves his bodily functions are recovering. It won't be long before he's back to normal."