Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

Connor could tell something was off with Maddie today.

Teddy was getting anxious. "Babe, what's going on? Talk to me."

Finally, Amelia broke the silence. "I need to be honest with you guys. I'm not the person you think I am. Years ago, when I got close to you, when I started helping with Pure White...it wasn't just out of kindness. I had my own reasons."

Teddy's face went pale.

"I was following orders. Have you ever heard of an organization called the Midnight Syndicate?"

Neither Teddy nor Connor said a word, but the name clearly rang a bell.

Everyone in their world had heard whispers about the Midnight Syndicate. Hidden in the shadows, they were the so-called 'kings of the underworld,' pulling strings everywhere, their influence weaving through the cracks of legitimate businesses. On the surface, everything looked clean and glamorous, but underneath, the Syndicate ran the show. Their hierarchy was strict, their secrets locked down tight, and their leaders always worked from behind the scenes, manipulating things without ever showing their faces.

Connor didn't look surprised at all. He took a slow sip of wine and asked calmly, "So you're one of them?"

"I grew up in an orphanage, and those places are basically recruiting grounds for the Syndicate. I was picked when I was ten. I didn't have a choice."

"And Grant?" Teddy pressed. "Is he part of the Syndicate, too?"

"He's more than that he's the heir. I've been working for him since I was fifteen, handling whatever he needed. But in the Syndicate, nobody gets the full picture. I don't know who outranks Grant, but I do know this: every one of the Four Great Families has Syndicate people on the inside. My information's limited. The only other person I know for sure is Suzanne from the Gilbert family."

That hit Connor and Teddy like a punch to the gut.

Suzanne? They never would've guessed. When she died, they'd suspected it was a hit from higher up, but hearing it out loud was different. And Suzanne's death was tangled up with Paradise Island...and with Claire's.

For the first time, Connor's expression cracked, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

So Claire's death was tied to the Syndicate, too. Maybe all these years, everything that happened was because of them, pulling strings from the dark. Connor's voice was low. "What does the Syndicate want? What's their endgame?” "We don't know what the top boss is after. We're just pawns. But there's someone who does know, and he's also the only one who can help Ms. Chloe get her memory back."

Connor's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"At Grant's Rooster Hill Villa, there's a hidden water cell underground. Someone's been locked up there this whole time-Grant and Ms. Chloe's mentor, Nemo. He's the only one who knows all the secrets."

Connor remembered being at that villa with Kash once, but he had no idea there was a dungeon underneath.noveldrama

Maddie continued, "I've lied to you for the past two years. The day Ms. Chloe disappeared, she wasn't out test-flying a plane with Grant. Grant used the Thirteen Ghost Needles on her it's a technique that erases memories. He'd been planning it for ages. He wanted to take her away. What happened after that, I honestly don't know."

Connor clenched his fists, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Maddie's confession finally cleared up the questions that had haunted them for so long. It was exactly what Connor had suspected. That day,.`` Grant must've tried to take Chloe. If he'd pulled it off, he'd be just dike Lucas.

Maddie looked at them, serious. “If you want Ms. Chloe to remember everything, you'll have to find a way to rescue Nemo from that water cell. He's the only one who knows how to reverse the Thirteen Ghost Needles. But I won't lie-it won't be easy."