"Dane, what's going on?"
The call connected to the estate. After confirming Dane's identity, the guards immediately handed the phone to Walden.
"Walden, I need to ask you about someone," Dane said, his tone grim.
"Go ahead," the older man replied, his expression turning serious.
He knew Dane wasn't the type to call for idle chat.
If he was reaching out like this, it had to be a major crisis.
"Do you recognize the name Frederick Foster?"
"I just sent you two portraits. It's highly likely he changed his name after fleeing to Sundara."
Fled to Sundara?
So he was originally from Solenia?
Walden instructed Dane to send the images immediately.
Staring at the sketch of the older, diseased man, he frowned. Was this man severely ill?
His face was covered in dark lesions, rendering him completely unrecognizable.
But the moment Walden swiped to the second image, his pupils violently contracted, and his gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Dane, where exactly did you see this man?"
Walden's voice was thick with urgency and suppressed rage.
Hearing that tone, Dane instantly knew Walden had recognized him.
"He's in Apex. He's posing as a mentor for a Cabinda University exchange student named Melanie. His health is failing, and he wanted Claire to treat him."
Dane gave him a rapid rundown of the situation.
Walden immediately waved over his security detail, signaling them to make a call.
At the same time, he explained it to Dane. "This man's real name is Frederick Vane. Back in the day, he was a prodigy at Cabinda University."
He was a leading expert in Quantum Physics, specializing in exotic materials for aerospace engineering...
Walden didn't elaborate further, but that single piece of information made Dane's heart skip a beat.
Quantum Physics? Aerospace engineering? What exactly was his connection to Claire's father, Agassi?
"The details don't matter right now.
What
etters is that Vane was
arrested for High Treason!" W
Gearly didn't want to dig up the post.
But Vane's situation was unprecedented.
For all these years, the higher-ups had never stopped hunting for him. Arrested?
Dane's brow furrowed tightly. No wonder the man was sneaking around like a rat and trying to lure
Clare to Sundara for medicat treatment.
"What are your orders from the top? Claire might be in severe danger."
Dane explained that Claire had sent him the message right after examining the man.
Walden's face drained of color. "Are you saying Claire already treated him?"
"Where is she now? Can you still reach her?"
It wasn't that Walden was being overly paranoid; it was just that Vane was an absolute monster.
If he was willing to risk his life
sneaking back into Solenia just
get Claire to treat him, it meanet
whatever disease he had was incurable in Sundara
It was obvious-Claire was his last hope.
Now that he knew just how brilliant her medical skills were, there was zero chance
he would let her walk away.
The most logical move would be to abduct her and drag her to Sundara.
The color drained from Dane's face as well.
He had called Walden the second he saw the message; he didn't even know Claire's current status.
"Dane, don't panic just yet. Try to get ahold of her first."
"I'll make some calls and see what our protocol is here." Walden knew Dane was sick with worry over Claire.
But they needed to assess the battlefield first.
If Vane really wanted to smuggle someone out of the country, it wouldn't be a walk in
the park.
In fact, this might be the perfect opportunity to smoke out the deep-cover spies working with him!
Who was providing his fake identities? Who was running his logistics? Who were his local contacts?
Furthermore, did Vane seek out Claire purely for her medical expertise, or was there an ulterior motive?
Did he know about her true lineage?
Remembering that an old friend had handled the original treason case, Walden bypassed the chain of command and dialed him directly.