Vivienne screenshotted the group chat and sent it to Griffin.
Husky Smasher: [I knew Charlotte’s idea was right, oh Vivienne, I love you.]
Husky Smasher was Griffin’s nickname.
Vivienne pinched the bridge of her nose, somewhat speechless.
This Griffin, coming up with such an idea. Vivienne could not tell if Griffin was torturing herself or Leopold.
During the day, Griffin had pulled her aside into a room and, with utmost seriousness, stated that marrying Leopold was a given after a kiss, but she did not want to pursue it in this manner and asked for her help.
Then she went on with a whole spiel.
About how, yes, she would marry, but it depended on whether Leopold even liked her.
If not, she would not insist. She would only marry Leopold if there were mutual affection.
So, she had to test the waters!
Hearing Griffin's lengthy explanation, Vivienne just asked whether she wanted to marry Leopold simply because of a kiss or if she genuinely liked him.
Full of righteous fervor, Griffin said, “Of course, it's because I like him! Why else would I let him kiss me? I am the proud heiress of the ancient warrior lineage, the Martinez family. I have my pride, and not just anyone can wed me!”
Vivienne was speechless.
...
At the Perez Mansion in Rivenwood.
Jasper looked at a photograph of his daughter from her childhood, his eyes glistening with tears.
After so many years, he still wondered how his Sasha was doing.
Yuri knocked and entered, "Dad, why haven't you gone to bed yet?"
"Can't sleep." Jasper put away the photograph and stood up, walking to the yard with Yuri. "Something on your mind?"
"Yep, it's about that little girl from the Martinez family," Yuri said, helping Jasper into the rocking chair in the yard. "The girl is teaming up with Vivienne to study the new type of explosive we've been investigating."
Surprise flickered in Jasper's eyes, followed by a heavy chuckle. "Those two working together, now that's something. Alright, let them handle it. Young people have their own ways."
After a pause, Jasper's expression darkened. "What about CK? Any progress on that front?"
Yuri shook his head. "All leads pointed to Fiona from the second branch of the Ellington family, but after her arrest, the trail went cold."
Jasper's brow furrowed. "If the trail's gone cold, find a new one. If we can't find that person, we'll never know Sasha’s whereabouts."
For years, the Perez family had been searching for their lost daughter, Sasha Perez.
With Yasmine and Natalia's kidnapping, they finally stumbled upon a clue.
The child thief was no common trafficker but an organization known as CK.
Though CK was a newly risen underground syndicate, its predecessor was the infamous and nefarious RST.
RST's dealings in human trafficking, unethical experiments, and organ sales were beyond the pale.
Jasper himself led the charge to dismantle RST's headquarters, yet their leader, code named F-Poison, managed to escape.
It was during that operation that Jasper was seriously injured and hospitalized. When he awoke, his beloved youngest daughter had vanished.
He was certain that F-Poison had taken her in revenge.
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