Chapter 241

Chapter 241

Audrey studied the file carefully. Gabriel Ross—one of Black Raven's core technical advisors during its startup phase, responsible for the underlying architecture design of the security system. He left in the third year due to conflicting ideals, and his whereabouts afterward were unknown. The file had no further records.

Gabriel Ross. Gabriel Ross.

The same last name. Very likely, they were from the same family.

Audrey recalled the wedding in Tahiti—the way Declan had looked at her. It was very possible he'd recognized her even then.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to her assistant. [Schedule a meeting with Mr. Ross for me. This afternoon, in my office.]

The assistant's reply came quickly: [Got it. I'll contact Mr. Ross right away.]

That afternoon, Declan appeared at Audrey's office door, still wearing that refined, elegant demeanor. "Ms. Clark, calling me in so urgently—do you have some new ideas about the project?"

Audrey didn't waste time with pleasantries. Her tone was calm. "Mr. Ross, I'd like to talk to you about the real background of that ten-billion-dollar project."

Declan's movement paused slightly, then he smiled. "Real background? That's an interesting way to put it, Ms. Clark."

"The project report, the development plan, the partnership framework—I've already submitted everything to the Brown Group. Every detail is transparent and public. What 'real background' could there be?"

"A ten-billion-dollar infrastructure project involving energy development and communications base station construction, yet spearheaded by an arts and charity foundation—that doesn't quite add up."

Declan looked at Audrey. "So what are you suggesting, Ms. Clark?"

Audrey met his eyes directly. "Mr. Ross, you came here because of Black Raven, didn't you?"

The office fell silent for a moment. "I see," he said slowly. "You've already looked into my father."

"Your father is Gabriel?" Audrey said. "Black Raven's technical director during its startup phase. Left in the third year, whereabouts unknown afterward."

"Mr. Ross, so your father was one of Black Raven's founding members. You never mentioned that."

Declan was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Because my father wouldn't allow me to."

"He said Black Raven was both the best thing he'd ever done and his greatest regret. He left voluntarily, because he and the founder, Bronte, had a fundamental disagreement."

Audrey's gaze flickered slightly. "What kind of disagreement?"

"My father believed Black Raven's security system should move toward commercialization. But Bronte—your mother—insisted on Black Raven's core mission: to serve only the people and causes she deemed worth protecting. She refused to compromise with capital."

He paused. "After several proposals were rejected, my father realized he couldn't align with Bronte's vision. So he left on his own terms."

"After leaving Black Raven, my father started his own security company."

"For over a decade, he tried to create a security system that could rival Black Raven. But he never could."

"He said Black Raven's capabilities exceeded even what he'd imagined possible when he helped design it."

"My father passed away a few years ago." Declan's voice grew quieter. "Before he died, he told me that if possible, he wanted to see what Black Raven had become. He said it was the finest work he'd ever been part of. He never stopped wondering where it had gone."

Audrey was silent for a moment. "So you approached me, approached the Brown Group, even created that ten-billion-dollar project—all to draw me out, to see what Black Raven is capable of now?"

Declan nodded frankly. "From the beginning, my target was Black Raven."

"Arabella was part of my plan, but her role was only to draw your attention to this thread. I had her reach out to Black Raven's retired operatives, feed you that information—all to make you notice something was off, so you'd come to me yourselves."

"What about the project?" Audrey asked. "Is the ten-billion-dollar infrastructure project fake?"

"The project is real," Declan said. "But if the Brown Group doesn't participate, I'll find other partners. The project itself is independent—I just used it as a channel to get close to you."

He paused. "Ms. Clark, I admit I used a lot of roundabout methods. But my purpose isn't complicated."

"I want to know Black Raven's current state. I want to know what level the system your mother left behind has reached over these years."

"And then?" Audrey's tone remained calm.

Declan met her eyes directly. "I want to buy it."

The office fell silent for a beat.

"Black Raven isn't for sale," Audrey said evenly.

Declan seemed to have anticipated that answer. 

"I thought so. When my father left Black Raven, Bronte said something similar. She told him Black Raven wasn't merchandise—it was something she was leaving for her daughter."

"But I believe everything has a price."