Chapter 6

Jack walked out the main entrance, his clothes flapping loudly in the wind.

Seeing Jack come out, Joseph immediately stepped forward, stood at attention and saluted with textbook-perfect precision.

"General, they wanted to get in, but we stopped them."

Joseph pointed to a group of people huddled in the corner - all thugs Isabella had called over.

Jack nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over those gang members trapped outside the hotel with terrified expressions on their faces. A contemptuous sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Clean this up..."

"Yes, sir!"

Forty minutes later.

Jack was back at the base.

"General."

Joseph stood before him, head lowered. Despite being decisive and ruthless in action, he showed complete obedience in Jack's presence.

Jack's fingers tapped lightly on the desk. William's portrait sat right in front of him as he said flatly, "I have two tasks for you."

"First, find out the real cause of William's death. The police say it was cardiac arrest, but I don't buy it. I want the truth."

"Yes, sir."

Joseph bowed his head respectfully in acknowledgment.

"Second, use whatever means necessary to find Sophia's whereabouts immediately. I need to know where she is, how she's doing, and if she's safe."

After William's death.

Sophia was the most important person to him now.

He absolutely couldn't let anything happen to Sophia.

"Yes! I'll get it done!"

Without any unnecessary words, Joseph gave a crisp military salute, turned and strode out of the office.

Jack leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His mind kept replaying William's hearty laughter and that girl who always followed behind him like a little shadow, calling out "Jack."

William's death was definitely not simple.

And Sophia... what had that fragile girl gone through after losing her father?

Time ticked by.

Just two hours later, there was another knock on the office door.

"Come in."

Joseph walked in quickly, holding a thick file, his expression grave.

"General, I found something."

Joseph placed the file on the desk, his voice low. "About Mr. Carter's death - the police conclusion was indeed cardiac arrest. But I pulled Mr. Carter's medical records and pharmacy history, and found some irregularities."

"Go on." Jack's eyes snapped open, sharp as knives.

"We found that Mr. Carter had no heart problems, so cardiac arrest shouldn't have happened to him. Also, we discovered in his medical records that he'd been taking a certain supplement long-term. I suspect this supplement was actually a slow-acting poison that damaged his nerve function, causing his heart to stop in a way that looked like natural death."

Jack's fingers clenched suddenly, his fist tightening with a faint cracking sound.

"Can it be detected?" Jack asked.

Joseph kept his head lowered. "It can, but Mr. Carter's body is at the funeral home, and we don't have authorization to..."

Jack's eyes turned cold. "Use my security clearance. Do it quickly, or I'm worried that bitch Isabella will cremate the body early and destroy the evidence!"

Joseph's heart jumped. "Yes! I'll have someone handle it right away."

"What about Sophia?" Jack changed the subject, a hint of urgency in his voice.

At the mention of that name, Joseph's expression grew even more serious. He quickly pulled out a stack of photos from the folder and handed them to Jack.

"General, Ms. Carter's situation... isn't good."

Jack looked at the photos. The girl from his memory who wore fancy princess dresses and lived carefree was gone.

In her place was a thin, bony teenager in a faded school uniform.

She was crouched in a corner below the St. Catherine's School dormitory, clutching half a piece of cold bread, watching her surroundings warily.

Not far away, several fashionably dressed girls were pointing at her, some even filming her with their phones, mockery written across their faces.

"After William died, Isabella not only cut off all of Ms. Carter's financial support, but also kicked her out of the Carter family," Joseph reported grimly. "Sophia now lives in the school's most remote old dormitory building - the one for poor students. Without family protection, she's been bullied at school. She can't even afford cafeteria food and can only survive by working odd jobs."

"Bastards!"

Jack slammed his palm on the desk, and the solid wood surface instantly cracked.

Looking at Sophia's eyes in the photo - full of fear and wariness - Jack felt like an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, making it hard to breathe.

She was William's only blood, and Jack's only family in this world.

While he'd been risking his life on missions these past few years, she'd been suffering like this!

"Get the car ready."

Jack stood up, grabbing the car keys from the desk. The killing intent radiating from him made the office feel as cold as a freezer.

"We're going to the school."

St. Catherine's School, girls' dormitory.

This was an old red brick building with peeling walls, completely out of place with the luxurious campus surroundings.

A black armored sedan slowly pulled up below, causing a stir among passing students.

Jack ignored the stares and walked straight upstairs.

Room 524.

Jack stood at the door, took a deep breath to calm himself, then knocked gently.

"Who is it?"

A somewhat hoarse female voice came from inside, tinged with caution.

"Delivery," Jack lied clumsily.

The door opened a crack, revealing a pale but still beautiful face.

Sophia.

She looked warily at the tall man outside, frowning slightly. "I didn't order anything..."

When her eyes met Jack's deep gaze, she froze completely. The book in her hand dropped to the floor.

"Are you... Jack?"

Though they hadn't seen each other in years, Sophia recognized Jack immediately.

The next moment.

Sophia's body trembled. Her hands flew to cover her mouth in disbelief as tears instantly streamed down her face.

After William died, everyone had abandoned her.

Classmates bullied her, relatives treated her coldly, friends deserted her. She thought she'd been abandoned by the whole world.

Jack looked at her swollen eyes and thin face, his heart aching.

He stepped forward and, ignoring her shock, pulled the trembling Sophia into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Sophia. I came back too late."

Sophia buried her face in his chest and sobbed, as if releasing all the grievances she'd suffered during this time.

After a long while, the crying gradually stopped.

Jack released her, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently wiped the tears from her face.

"Pack your things. You're coming with me." Jack held her hand and said gently:

"From today on, no one will dare bully you."

He led Sophia out of the dormitory building, and under countless shocked, jealous, and fearful stares, helped her into the black luxury sedan.

Inside the car, it was warm as spring.

Perhaps too exhausted, Sophia fell asleep in Jack's arms as soon as she got in the car.

"Drive slowly," Jack told Joseph.

"Yes, sir."

Joseph slowed down considerably.

The car drove smoothly along the busy streets, dappled light and shadow filtering through the windows onto Sophia's sleeping face.

Jack gently adjusted his position, letting Sophia's head rest on his broad shoulder, his movements as careful as if he were holding the most fragile treasure in the world.

Looking at Sophia's haggard face, the rage in Jack's heart surged like a tide. He swore he would make whoever harmed William pay the price!

No matter who they were.