700  Chapter 699

James was stunned for a moment, then Kate quickly chimed in, “No, no! It’s not an insult! Things have completely flipped!”

James blinked in confusion. “Flipped? How is that even possible? My sister’s mistake was so bad that if I weren’t her brother, I’d want to smack her myself! There’s no way public opinion could turn around that fast!”

Kate rolled her eyes at him. “Could you even take on Keera? Are you sure you wouldn’t just end up getting completely wiped by her?”

James was speechless.

Realizing she might’ve pushed it a little too far, Kate coughed, then handed her phone to him. “Here, check for yourself! Stop guessing randomly!”

James glanced at her phone and immediately saw the headline about Professor Barry Brandt returning to the country. He practically jumped out of his seat.

“So, that’s the twist!”

His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the news on the screen, then turned to the other Freeman Sect members nearby. “Holy crap! If any of you even think about badmouthing Keera’s patriotism again, I swear we’re going to have a problem!”

…

After the Olsen family’s press conference, Uncle Olsen chatted briefly with Keira before she and Lewis made their way outside. She turned to him and asked, “That reporter you caught earlier, has he been interrogated?”

Lewis’s face darkened. “Yes.”

“Who’s behind it?”

“The reporter was just a pawn, paid to do a job. My people traced the transaction back to a source from Country A.”

Keira frowned. “Could it be the same group that tried to capture Professor Barry Brandt?”

Just as she finished her question, a voice suddenly came from behind her. “Country A, huh? I know who it is.”

Keira stiffened and turned to see Erin casually munching on pistachios, showing no sign of guilt for eavesdropping.

Keira sighed. “Who is it?”

“The Lioness,” Erin said matter-of-factly. “I’ve crossed paths with her countless times over the years, though we’ve never known each other’s true identities. She’s exactly like a lion hunting its prey—patient and calculating, waiting in the tall grass until the perfect moment.”

Keira furrowed her brows. “You don’t know her identity either?”

Erin was genuinely surprised. “Of course not! Why would I? I only found out about Vera and your sister’s true identities because they came to me willingly. Everyone’s identity is kept secret. Not like you, barging in without a clue, pulling off stunts that have now gotten you on the Lioness’s radar! I bet she’s already suspicious about who you really are.”

Keira didn’t know what to say.

So, all this time, her sister had endured all that humiliation from her vile husband and mother-in-law just to keep her true identity hidden?

And now that Keira had taken her place, she had unknowingly exposed her, making everything worse.

Keira lowered her eyes in regret.

Erin, clearly enjoying herself, added, “You see? You don’t know the first thing about this world. You’d be better off sticking by my side as my little sidekick. I’m good to you, right? We could totally team up for the final victory!”

Keira didn’t take the bait; her mind was clearly elsewhere.

She’d figured Erin out by now—despite her words, she never really expected Keira to give in.

Turning back to Lewis, Keira said, “If the reporter doesn’t know anything more, let him go.”

Lewis nodded. “Where to now?”

“We’re heading to the Special Division to take old Mr. Sims home.”

—

At the Special Division.

Since the day Keira had stood up for old Mr. Sims, Holly had been quietly returning there every day.

She didn’t do much. Just stayed in the background, helping wherever she could—cleaning, sweeping, trying to make herself useful.

The people there weren’t kind to her, but this was the only way she could feel some semblance of atonement for her and her grandfather’s sins.

She cleaned tables, trying to punish her grandfather and herself through hard labor.

At first, everyone sneered and cursed at her, but as the days passed, seeing her come back despite being pushed, hit, or insulted without ever fighting back, their attitudes slowly started to soften.

Holly had made peace with it. If spending the rest of her life as a cleaning lady here could somehow make up for what her grandfather had done, then so be it.

She grabbed a mop and headed toward the operations room when she overheard two people talking.

“Why hasn’t anyone been bothering Holly lately? Everyone was still furious about it not too long ago.”

The other person replied, “You didn’t hear? Luke gave a warning.”

“What?”

“I guess he figured enough was enough. And honestly, he’s right. Beating up a girl doesn’t fix anything, and Holly’s clearly been suffering. I feel kinda bad for her…”

“Yeah, who would have thought Mr. Sims could have done something like that?”

“Still, if he was a traitor, what about Holly? Luke’s already told us not to let her near any confidential documents.”

Holly’s heart sank as she listened.

She never imagined that one day, her former friends would be suspicious of her like this. Her so-called redemption was nothing more than a delusion.

Her presence here was just an added burden to the Special Division.

Clenching her fists, she placed the mop in the storage room, ready to leave. But as she turned, she found herself face-to-face with Luke.

Holly froze. “Thank you… for standing up for me.”

Luke shrugged. “I just didn’t want to see anyone picking on you. No big deal.”

Tears welled up in Holly’s eyes as she bit her lip. Her vision blurred as she tried to hold back her emotions.

Luke, clearly panicking, reached out awkwardly. “Hey, don’t cry, okay? I…”

He hesitated, realizing that wiping away a girl’s tears with his hands might not be the best move, and awkwardly stopped mid-reach.

Holly couldn’t help but laugh through her tears, finding the whole situation absurd. Here was Luke, still bandaged from his own injuries, stuck in a ridiculous pose, trying to comfort her.

Seeing her laugh, Luke relaxed and let out a sigh. “Phew, that’s better. I’m terrible at dealing with crying.”

Holly paused, surprised.

Brian found his tone a little too intimate, so he fell silent and scratched his head.

None of them spoke.

There was something unspoken between them now, an unspoken warmth filling the air.

His direct gaze made her cheeks flush.

She even lowered her head.

Suddenly, a cough interrupted them.

Both turned in unison to find Brian standing a short distance away, watching them.

They jumped back as if caught red-handed.

Brian walked over, eyes narrowing between them before addressing Holly. “You don’t need to come back here tomorrow. There’s no point in you staying.”

Holly’s chest tightened. She bowed her head, guilt heavy in her heart. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. I didn’t mean to be a burden.”

Brian’s tone softened slightly. “I’ve watched you grow up, Holly. I know you’re a good kid. But the rules are the rules. We can’t just have the family of a suspected traitor roaming around the Special Division.”

Holly clenched her fists tighter, her throat constricting.

Of course.

Her grandfather’s betrayal was no small thing. She would never be trusted again.

With a bitter smile, she nodded. “I understand.”

She turned to leave.

Luke couldn’t stay silent any longer. “Dad, Holly’s not like that! You don’t have to be so harsh!”

Brian stared coldly at his son. “How do you know? Can you guarantee it?”

“Yes, I can.”

Luke said.

Holly froze.

Brian scoffed. “You can’t guarantee anything, Luke. No one can. You can’t protect her from ending up just like her grandfather. I’ll say it straight—don’t even think about getting involved with her.”

Luke’s face reddened in frustration. “Dad, stop making things up!”

“I’m not making anything up. You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Brian said sharply, turning to Holly with a sneer. “Your grandfather held onto his position for years. I always thought it was because I wasn’t good enough to take his place. But no, it was all about money. Can you imagine how pathetic that is?”

He looked her squarely in the eyes. “Because of that, Holly, I’ll never approve of you and my son.”

Luke turned red with anger. “Dad, don’t say that! Holly’s innocent!”

“Innocent? Tell that to the families of those who died because of traitors. Do you think they were innocent? You’ve lost your mind, Luke.”

Brian’s words hit hard, and Luke couldn’t find a comeback.

Holly said, “Mr. Dawson, I understand. I’ll leave and make sure Luke never has to deal with me again.”

She turned to go, leaving Luke staring after her, unsure of what to say.

Just then, someone rushed over, shouting, “Mr. Dawson! You have to check your phone! The news just broke—Mr. Sims is innocent!”