Chapter 8 The Mole in My Shadow

The sound of screeching tires still echoed in my ears. I felt as if I was still dreaming that my son had been taken away from me. This can't be happening.

So I ran after the van like a madman, my legs burning, lungs screaming for air. But it was no use. Within seconds, the black vehicle had vanished into the night, carrying my son with it.

My fists slammed into the metal bench beside me. Pain shot through my knuckles, but it didn't compare to the wildfire in my chest.

They took Liam.

They took my heir.

They. Took. My. Son.

Isabella's sobs echoed behind me, broken and hollow. I turned to her, grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

Then I turned to her asking.

"Did you recognize them? The men-what did you see?"

She shook her head, face pale, mascara streaked across her cheeks. "No... no, I-I don't know. They came out of nowhere."

"Out of the shadow." Her voice was shaking and trembling.

"Think!" I barked, louder than I meant to.

Her eyes widened in hurt, but I didn't have time to console her. Not now. Not when Liam is out with strangers.

I was bitter and angry, short of words, then

I pulled out my phone and called "Marcus. Emergency. They've taken Liam."

With my hands trembling like I was holding fire in my hands.

Silence on the other end. Then a sharp intake of breath.

"Where are you?"

Marcus asked,

"Bus station. I replied immediately without him finishing his questions.

I told Marcus, that Liam was just snatched. In a Black van, tinted windows, no plates. I need eyes on every traffic cam within a five-mile radius. Now."

"I'm on it," Marcus replied.

I hung up and turned back to Isabella, who was shivering, rocking slightly, like the world had dropped out from under her feet.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I thought I could protect him. I thought running would keep him safe."

I knelt down in front of her. "You want to protect him right?

Then help me bring him back. No more secrets. No more lies."

She nodded, but something flickered in her eyes - hesitation. Fear. Silence

And suddenly, I knew.

She was still hiding something

.

I can read it from the looks in her eyes.

---

Back at the penthouse, everything was chaos. Jules paced while I barked orders to Marcus and the tech team. Every traffic camera feed in the city was being scrubbed.

But the van had vanished.

Like it was never there.

Like it wasn't involved in any scene.

"This wasn't random," I muttered, hands clenched. "Someone planned this. They knew we'd be at the station. Knew where to find us. This was an inside job."

Jules looked up, eyes hard. "You think someone on our team sold you out?"

I didn't respond.

Because I already knew.

Someone close to me had betrayed me.

Marcus called back. "Sir, we pulled footage. Something weird. The van didn't go toward the highway. It took the back route toward the docks."

"The docks?"

"Yeah. But get this - we lost it halfway. Cam feed went black for exactly five minutes. Only those five. It was intentional."

I gritted my teeth. "They're moving him by water."

"Looks like it. We're tracking every ship and cargo transfer. I'll keep you updated."

I hung up and turned to Isabella. "You need to tell me everything now. Every name. Every person from your past who might want to hurt you - or Liam."

She hesitated.

"Elena," I said, voice low. "If you don't talk now, I swear to God-"

"I didn't want to tell you," she blurted. "Because I knew you'd go after him. Because I knew you'd burn everything down. But-"

"Who?" I snapped. "Tell me who."

She closed her eyes. "His name is Aiden."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Aiden...?"

"He was a client of my father's. A businessman. Wealthy, but... dangerous. My father owed him money. A lot of it. He wanted me as payment."

I blinked.

"What?"

She looked away. "When my father died, Aiden came after me. I barely escaped. I thought I was free. I thought... I thought hiding with you would keep Liam safe."

I rubbed my forehead.

So Kael wasn't the only threat.

There was someone else. Someone just as powerful - and obsessed.

"Aiden," I repeated, tasting the name like poison.

Then Jules' voice snapped me out of it. "You need to see this."

She held out her phone. A live video feed.

My blood ran cold.

It was Liam.

Tied to a chair. Like a slave that is about to be traded.

In some warehouses, concrete walls and a single hanging light.

A man stepped into frame.

Mid-40s. Expensive suit. Slicked-back hair. Pale eyes that looked like they hadn't seen sleep in weeks.

"Aiden," Isabella whispered, her voice trembling.

On screen, Aiden crouched next to Liam.

"Say hi to Daddy," he murmured.

Liam whimpered. "Daddy... help me..."

I saw red.

The man looked straight into the camera.

"Micheal Knight. You don't know me, but I know you. You took something that belonged to me. Something I spent my entire life building. Something precious than the universe itself. Now I'm taking it back for you."

The video cut.

I exploded.

Glass shattered under my fist. Furniture overturned.

"He's dead," I growled. "I'm going to bury him, I'm going to clear every single thing that breathes in this generation, if he touch my son."

But deep down, I knew this wasn't just about revenge or ransom.

This was personal.

And he had planned it for a long time.

---

Marcus returned an hour later with a file.

"You're gonna want to see this."

He tossed the folder on my desk.

It wasn't just information on Aiden.

It was intel on me. My movements. My meetings. My weaknesses.

And there, on the final page...

An image of me with Isabella. At the hospital. Weeks ago.

A picture taken from behind.

Someone had been following us.

Someone close.

I flipped the folder.

At the very bottom, a note:

"Information provided by: Jules Rivera."

I looked up.

Jules.

My most trusted ally.

The one who handed me my coat. Who knew where Isabella was going. Who "found" the video.

The mole...

It was her.

And just as I stood up from my chair, heart pounding-

The lights went out.