Chapter 497
Vivienne snapped the file shut and tossed it aside with a flick of her wrist, her face a mask of
Thomas maneuvered the car with practiced ease while Anna nced back uneasily and asked, "Ms.
Vivienne, what do you make of the information in that file?"
A chill flickered in Vivienne''s eyes. "What do you think?"
Anna was taken aback, suddenly feeling like she had touched a nerve.
Percival wrapped an arm around Vivienne, his touch asforting as a warm nket on a cold night.
"Easy, no need to get all worked up."
Vivienne remained silent, her gaze lowered, thoughts hidden behind a veil of introspection.
The reach of GTO had be far too invasive.
And the real mole had burrowed so deep that they were untouchable.
This person was not just a threat to the safety of the average Joe; they were toying with national
security.
An unsettling intuition gripped Vivienne; her mother''s death might not be solely tied to GTO''s head
honcho. Perhaps the final blow, the ultimate betrayal, was orchestrated by the Vanguard Agency itself.
As she remained lost in thought, Percival''s voice, honeyed with affection, broke through, "How about I
take you out for a grand feast?"
Her train of thought was derailed by his suggestion, and Vivienne considered his offer seriously before
agreeing. "Alright, let''s go."
After dinner, Percival dropped Vivienne off at her ce.
He watched her enter her home before sliding back into the car. "Head to HQ," he instructed Thomas.
Thomas did not question it; it was time to return to headquarters to sort things out.
Back in her room, Vivienne checked her phone and saw a cryptic text from an unknown sender. [It''s not
him.]
...
At headquarters, Leopold and Soren stood guard outside the deputy director''s office, having
dispatched all other agents.
As the only two captains left on duty, their expressions were far from rxed.
Now donned in the crisp uniform of the Vanguard Agency, Percival entered the headquarters and
waved at Leopold and Soren.
The two captains exchanged nces, then stepped away, joining Thomas to ensure no one else could
enter.
Percival paused at the office door before knocking.
Inside, Micah removed his reading sses and called out, "Come in."
Percival entered, his face stoic as he faced Micah without a word.
Micah nced up briefly. "You''re here?"
His tone was even, betraying no emotion.
"Thanks for waiting," Percival said, his deep voice carrying an undercurrent of solemnity.
Micah let out a chuckle. "You''re getting bold, detaining me like this."
Percival took a seat opposite Micah, his lips parting slightly. "It''s more like protective custody."
"Get on with it then, ask away," Micah said, leisurely sipping his coffee.
Percival leaned back, his long legs crossed, fingers rhythmically tapping on his knee. "What are you
investigating?"
Micah''s hand paused, eyes shrouded in steam betraying a flicker of surprise.
Percival''s fingers ceased their tapping, his gaze piercing. "You brought me into the Vanguard Agency,
trained me under my mentor, and watched me rise through the ranks. Don''t you trust me, boss?"
Moved by the question, Micah remained silent.
Percival''s eyes held the same respect as they always had, despite his icy demeanor, which was not
directed at Micah but at the real traitor.
At first, both he and Vivienne had suspected Micah. After all, Micah was Percival’s direct superior, the
one who could most easily alter the oue of any operation.
But over time, he realized that Micah seemed to be acting deliberately and was always trying to
This changed Percival''s view of him.
The moment that fully convinced him and Vivienne of Micah''s loyalty was when Percival was trapped in
a mine. If Micah had hesitated even slightly or tried to obstruct the rescue, Percival would not have
been saved so swiftly.
Micah finallyughed, put down his coffee, and nodded with satisfaction. "Good, the many times I took
the me for you weren’t in vain."
He had deescted things countless times when Percival disobeyed orders, took too big of a risk to
Percival was to ask him to write a reflection letter.
Percival finally allowed a slight smile to crack his stern facade, sliding a file across to Micah. "The
Morning Glory has been leaked. The authorization came from you."
Micah was taken aback. "I''ve never signed this document."
He recalled receiving a ssified document the night before. It seemed unimportant, merely requiring
his signature.
But unbeknownst to him, his signature was transferred to approve the usage of "Morning Glory."
The document hade from headquarters, beyond his and Percival''s clearance level to investigate
the sender.
"It seems someone wants me to take the fall. I''m bing quite the scapegoat," Micah said with a
carefreeugh, well aware of the murky depths within headquarters.
Micah studied Percival''s stern face. "You did the right thing, keeping me under watch. It will make those
above us lower their guard."
Percival looked up. "Tell me the truth."
Micah let out a heavy sigh, his hand resting on his leg. "All these years, there''s been only one thing I''ve
been investigating—the truth behind the death of your mentor, my partner Lark."
Percival''s eyes shed. "You also believe my mentor’s death wasn''t an ident!"
"Someone in our HQ had it out for my mentor," Percival said, his fists clenched tight, anger flickering in
his eyes.
Micah let out a sardonic chuckle. After Karen''s death, he had tirelessly submitted reports to the higher-
ups, demanding an in-depth investigation into the cause of her death and the rted mission failure.
But every single request had been a dead end, all rejected on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
That was when Micah knew that if he wanted to unearth the truth, he would have to prate the very
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So, for the past decade, he had been climbing the ranks, steadily making his way up. His body was
marked by injuries, preventing him from front-line duties and making his ascent even more challenging
than Percival''s.
But perseverance pays off. He had finally made it to the position of Deputy Director.
The Director was often out on field assignments, leaving Micah to call the shots at Rivenwood
headquarters.
Yet, even with such authority, he could still not achieve the results he sought.
The agency was too corrupt, too murky.
Thankfully, he now had Percival and Karen''s daughter, Vivienne, by his side. Theirbined efforts
promised a much brighter future than Micah''s solitary struggle.
The first time heid eyes on Vivienne, Micah felt as though Karen had left behind a treasure in this
world.
A treasure that one day would expose the darkness of the agency and restore Karen’s good name.
Pulling open a drawer, Micah retrieved a file. "Percival, this appeared in my office out of the blue on the
day you were rescued from that mine. Take a look."