Chapter 497

Alice Morgan went to the villa again. Before heading out, she had run through all the possible conversations in her head—even the worst-case scenarios. Even if Ethan Shaw had already moved on and found someone new, she was ready to apologize for what happened before. Whatever it took, she just needed him to send someone to check out the estate. As long as there was a sliver of hope that Celeste Harper was still alive—no matter in what state—she had to try. She owed her that much. But this time, the trip was a total bust. Ethan wasn’t there. The place was completely empty. The entire Blue Eagle team had shipped out to the Northwest half a month ago. Their annual drill was about to start any day now. Even Mr. Foster wasn’t reachable. No one had a clue where Ethan was. Once Alice shared all this with the group in the living room, silence fell like a thick curtain. Then Martin Palmer broke it. “I’ll try to get in touch with Veronica Wren.” The quiet barely cracked for a second before silen