Caleb and Lydia were internally reeling.
But outwardly, they kept their composure.
Maybe getting engaged this early...
Was just a billionaire thing.
Besides...
The two of them looked absolutely flawless together, so perfectly matched it was hard to look away.
Lydia couldn't help herself and accidentally blurted out, "You two look perfect together..."
The moment the words left her mouth.
Lydia flushed bright red.
She... she had actually spoken her thoughts aloud?
But the compliment instantly won Nicholas over.
The man was highly satisfied with the student's perceptiveness and offered a charming smile. "Good eye, kid."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two premium black cards. "A little something for our first meeting. Keep an eye on Serena at Marington College for me."
There was no way they were taking that.
They frantically waved their hands in refusal.
Caleb and Lydia shared a quick, panicked look.
If the Captain's fiancé was here, they definitely needed to talk.
Their own issues were settled, so there was no point in sticking around to third- wheel this power couple.
If they stayed any longer.
Their hearts might give out from the sheer tension.
Even though heading back to the main house...
Meant facing the enthusiastic hospitality of Mrs. Vinton and Old Mr. Lancaster.
It felt vastly safer than interrupting this romantic bubble.
Nicholas was even more pleased by their quick exit.
He kept his arm around Serena, raising an eyebrow as he watched them scurry
away and politely shut the greenhouse door tight. "Your new recruits aren't half bad, Serena."
Serena rolled her eyes and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Did you find out?"
Getting down to business.
The man's playful smile faded, his gaze turning somber.
"Yeah."
"It's much dirtier than we thought."
"The foreign backing behind the Doyle family is no joke."
Nicholas pulled out his phone, brought up a heavily encrypted file, and showed it to Serena. "The organization backing the Doyles is registered in The Maron Isles, but the actual controlling entity is The Obsidian Sun Laboratory."
A black sun logo appeared on the screen.
Serena's eyes narrowed.
The Obsidian Sun Laboratory. She had heard of them.
It was a notorious, illegal research syndicate operating in international gray zones.
Deeply involved in genetic editing, human experimentation, and mind control.
Their ultimate goal was a super-soldier initiative.
Amplifying human potential to create engineered anomalies, basically pushing for science fiction to become a devastating reality.
Because of their savage methods.
And ruthless operations.
They were wanted by multiple international governments.
She hadn't expected the Doyle family to be tied to The Obsidian Sun Laboratory.
That was definitely worse than she had anticipated.
Serena swiped through the data, her expression growing colder by the second.
"The Doyles partnered with them a few years ago. Their job is to supply raw materials and run initial drug trials to provide baseline data."
"The sponsored students they take in are nothing but screened raw materials."
Nicholas tapped a chart in the file. "I dug into Marington College's academic records over the past few years."
"Just from Marington alone,
thirty-seven sponsored students have vanished. They always drop out during their junior or senior year under the guise of 'studying abroad,' and then they simply disappear."
"The Doyles specifically target students from the Backwoods or rural areas-kids with no
connections, estranged families, and
exceptional mental of physical aptitude
Because of those traits.
Even if they went missing...