Chapter 471: The Trap is Set, Please Enter

Chapter 471: The Trap is Set, Please Enter

The night before the exhibition.

The security center of the Martinez Group was brightly lit.

On the huge electronic screen, the 3D structural diagram of the "Clear Sky Art" center was broken down into countless layers. Infrared sensor zones and camera surveillance ranges were densely marked, with every blind spot highlighted in blue, leaving nowhere to hide.

"Nicholas, done!"

Big Cat's chubby face appeared on a small screen to the side, with his studio in the background—a mess that looked like it had been bombed, yet packed with all kinds of high-tech equipment. He proudly made an OK gesture. "Shield Security's garbage system is now my backyard! Let me tell you, their backend password is 'Shield Security', Shield Security! I was embarrassed for them when I typed it in. Isn't that like writing 'I'm an idiot' on your own forehead?"

Nicholas stood in front of the main console, his eyes on the main screen, his voice emotionless.

"I want live feeds, all channels."

"Piece of cake! I've planted the latest trackers and signal transmitters in the boss's car and brooch. As long as she's inside, nearby Bluetooth headsets won't work properly! Guaranteed to be 0.03 seconds faster than their own control room!"

Ending the call, Nicholas dialed another internal line: "All Group A personnel, enter your designated positions as visitors at the scheduled time. Remember your identities—you're just regular parents interested in children's art."

"Yes, Mr. Martinez."

Late at night at the Martinez Villa, only a dim floor lamp was left on in the living room.

Sophia sat cross-legged on the carpet with several sketch papers spread out before her. Without turning on the lights, she used just that faint glow to draw over and over again from memory the intricate totem on the jade pendant from the orphanage's archive room.

She was trying to awaken something through this mechanical repetition.

Footsteps approached from afar. Nicholas sat down beside her and pressed a glass of warm water into her hand.

"Remember anything?"

Sophia shook her head, then nodded, looking somewhat confused. "Not exactly a memory, more like a... feeling." She traced the pattern she'd just drawn with her fingertip. "I think I smelled this scent in a very large garden. Not flowers, but the smell of grass and soil mixed together after rain. Very clean, very comforting."

She paused, seeming to try to catch that elusive thought.

"And there was a person, very tall, with broad shoulders. He lifted me up, and I could see far beyond the wall. There was a... particularly large tree."

The image stopped there. Beyond that was only chaotic blankness and lingering panic.

Nicholas didn't press further, just held her hand.

The half jade pendant lay quietly on the velvet cloth beside them, glowing warmly under the light.

The day of the exhibition.

Olivia put on the new pink princess dress Sophia had bought her, her little face full of unconcealed excitement.

"Mommy, can we see lots and lots of paintings today? Will Yasmin be there too?"

"Of course." Sophia crouched down, straightening her hem, her tone gentle. "Olivia is also a little artist today, going to attend a very important party."

She threaded the half jade pendant onto an inconspicuous black cord and hung it around her own neck, hiding it under her shirt collar where only a corner would show occasionally.

It was bait, and also a challenge.

On the way there, the car was very quiet.

Nicholas drove, Sophia sat in the passenger seat, and Olivia was in her child seat in the back, softly humming a cartoon theme song.

Everything seemed so ordinary.

"All his arrangements are psychological attacks." Sophia suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "He wants to see me lose control, see me swallowed by the past."

Nicholas kept his eyes on the road, his voice steady: "He'll be disappointed."

"Right." Sophia turned to look at the rapidly retreating streetscape outside the window. "He wants a show, so I'll give him one. Just don't know if he'll like how this show ends."

The black Maybach stopped.

Unlike the low-key Volvo from last time, this time, its very appearance was a statement.

The doorman who had been waiting immediately stepped forward to open the car door.

Sophia took Olivia's hand and got out. Nicholas followed behind them. Today he wasn't wearing his usual suit, but a well-tailored dark casual outfit, looking like any wealthy husband accompanying his wife and daughter.

But the moment he stepped out of the car, the air around him seemed to slow down.

Several "guests" mixed in the crowd, seemingly chatting casually, nodded slightly to him without drawing attention, then dispersed into the exhibition.

The glass doors of the exhibition slid open silently.

The lobby was covered with soft white carpet, children's paintings hung on the walls, melodious piano music flowed through the space, and well-dressed guests held champagne glasses, conversing in low voices.

Yasmin stood right in the center of the lobby. Today she wore a floor-length champagne-colored dress, her makeup exquisite, her smile perfect. She was like a luminous body, drawing everyone's attention.

The moment Sophia and Nicholas walked in, her smile grew even brighter. She lifted her skirt and walked straight toward them.

Her gaze passed over Sophia and landed directly on Nicholas, those beautiful eyes filled with undisguised admiration and appreciation.

"Mr. Martinez, I never expected you would grace us with your presence. This truly brings glory to our humble establishment."

She extended her hand, her posture elegant, ready to shake hands with Nicholas.

However, Nicholas walked past her as if she didn't exist, looking straight ahead, and went directly to a children's painting, examining it with apparent interest, as if she were just a transparent decoration.

Yasmin's outstretched hand hung awkwardly in mid-air.

The surrounding air instantly froze, the piano music seemed to hit a wrong note. Several eyes eager to watch the drama, mixed with suppressed gasps, all turned their way.

Sophia, holding Olivia's hand, walked up to her with a smile, just blocking those probing gazes.

"Yasmin, we're here. Traffic was a bit heavy."

Yasmin's expression stiffened for a moment, but immediately recovered its flawless warmth. She withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened, straightened her dress, crouched down to look at Olivia, her voice so soft it could drip water.

"Olivia, welcome to our party. Teacher has prepared a special gift for you."

As she spoke, she took an exquisitely wrapped gift box from her assistant and handed it to Olivia.

Sophia didn't stop her, just watched quietly, her eyes calm and still.

Olivia curiously opened the box.

Inside wasn't a toy or candy.

It was a crystal-clear piece of crystal, refracting cold light under the lamp. It was carved into the shape of a flower.

A white orchid with five petals.