CHAPTER 440. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. Moral CodeAnyone who didn’t know John Hopkins might have thought he was calm, serene, but only those very close to him could see the man’s fury simmering beneath the icy calm of the interrogator.He sat in a chair facing Dr. Atkins, who was tied to her own. Between them, the blood of Viktor Hanover’s corpse was already congealing."Tell me about the child trafficking from the prison," John ordered, getting straight to the point.Dr. Atkins’ eyes widened at the question, but she didn’t seem surprised—just scared."Where did you get that idea? That’s not true…!" she stammered."I heard a few things, but how I found out doesn’t matter," John replied. "What matters is I need to know the truth. How are Viktor and you involved in this trafficking?"Dr. Atkins grew increasingly nervous."I don’t know what you’re talking about…" she said, trying to dodge the question. "Viktor wanted the Keller baby, he ordered me to take her, but that’s all, that’s…""Don’t
CHAPTER 441. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. ... it’s all over?John walked briskly toward the house, almost leaping up the porch steps, filled with excitement. He knew Chiara couldn’t wait any longer to hold their little daughter, and he had done everything necessary to make that happen. It was dawn by the time he finally opened the door to the room and found Milo, nodding off half-asleep by the bed while little Dandara slept peacefully. "John? What are you doing here?" Milo asked, still half-asleep, as he hadn’t realized the time. "It’s done," John replied, and Milo was wide awake in an instant. "You mean…? No, I won’t even ask. I just want to know my sister and niece are safe." "Relax, Milo. Everything is fine. Chiara and the baby are out of danger," John said with a reassuring smile. "All their enemies have been eliminated. So now we can bring the princess back to her queen mother," he murmured, approaching his daughter and looking at her with love. Milo knew very well that when John
CHAPTER 442. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. Surrounded by LoveJohn agreed, but before the nurse could dress the baby again and take her out of the office, the hospital director entered. "Mr. Hopkins, I’ve just been informed about what happened with the baby," he said. "To be honest, I suspected something was off the moment Viktor Hanover demanded Mrs. Keller be discharged. That’s why I didn’t let her go." "And I’m deeply grateful for that," John replied, shaking his hand. "Don’t thank me. It was my duty, just as it’s my duty to report everything that’s happening to the authorities," the director explained calmly. "I have a woman who was forced into labor and operated on without her consent, a baby declared dead who is, thank God, very much alive, and a prison director allegedly involved in child trafficking. I can’t stay silent." "And I wouldn’t dream of asking you to. You have a duty to every patient in this hospital," John stated firmly. "We’ll make the necessary statements, and I hope
CHAPTER 443. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. The Parole BoardJohn and Chiara had finally found a moment of peace amidst the chaos that had engulfed their lives in recent months. After rescuing their daughter from the clutches of those monsters, both were emotionally and physically exhausted. They sat together in a small room, away from everyone else, trying to process everything that had happened and savoring the beauty of their little Dandara.But even though they were now safe, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for not being able to protect Chiara and their daughter earlier. He turned to her, taking her hand in a gesture of apology.“I’m so sorry, Chiara. I should’ve been able to keep both of you safe. I feel like I failed you.”“Don’t say that,” she replied. “You brought our baby back safe and sound. This was Viktor and Atkins' fault. Those monsters are to blame. So whenever you feel bad, just remember this: you saved our daughter’s life. You risked everything to make sure she was safe. I c
CHAPTER 444. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. Before the Storm“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Billy told John three days later. “I’ve been monitoring the judge’s decision.”“Spying?”“Isn’t that what we do?”“Oh yeah, sorry, forgot for a second!” John teased. “What did you find?”“The judge is rattled, the police chief is hysterical, and the district governor is practically wetting himself, trying to keep this from reaching the President or the Attorney General,” Billy explained. “They’ve had three secret meetings, all about the same thing: if word gets out about organized crime or baby trafficking in state prisons... well, let’s just say a lot of important heads will roll.”John nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to keep something like this from the public, but he was a man used to keeping secrets for his own benefit. Right now, the only thing he wanted was for that damned Parole Board to meet and let Chiara out of prison.He didn’t even know where he’d take her yet, but he wante
CHAPTER 445. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. Where Are They?John remained silent about his meeting with the Director. He didn’t want to raise any suspicions or cause unnecessary problems, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them, reporting all their movements to the CIA Director.He had already decided that he wouldn’t return to the agency, and he was more than sure that none of his men were betraying him. However, the fact that Milo Keller was involved was something private that he hadn't shared with anyone else. This made him determined to ensure that none of the people he loved or cared about were in danger.He made his move, and that very afternoon, Milo found himself with a black bag over his head, being shoved into a car, tied up, and gagged. Half an hour later, they released him, and when he squinted around, all he saw was John next to him. Just John, him, and the car in the middle of miles and miles of open land.“You’re insane!” Milo shouted at his brother-in-l
CHAPTER 446. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. Blackmail and ThreatsJhon was desperate, his heart pounding as he begged Noémi to tell him where Chiara was. They had vanished from the hospital without a trace, and not even his men, now relaxed because there seemed to be no threats lurking, had noticed how or where she had gone."Please, tell me where she is, I need to see her," Jhon said to Noémi, his voice trembling with anxiety."I can’t tell you where she is, Jhon," Noémi replied firmly. "My sister made a decision, and I’m going to respect it.""But...!" Jhon paced around the office, running his hands through his hair. "I don’t understand, Noémi! I thought we were okay! I thought she had forgiven me, that we’d be together once she was free!""And did you forget that it was you who sent her to prison? That everything that happened was your fault? Chiara only wanted to be free to get away from you, Jhon, that’s the only reason."Jhon fell silent for a moment, painfully absorbing her words."What
CHAPTER 447. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. No one knows you’re hereThe CIA Director’s eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets when he realized Jhon was waiting for him in the house. He had been part of every one of Jhon’s undercover missions and knew he was a dangerous agent, but he couldn’t understand why he was there.“What are you doing here, Jhon?” he asked, trying to stay calm, but the smile on the man in front of him shattered that composure.“I’m here to stop you,” Jhon replied without moving from his spot. And as if his words had a magical effect, the sound of gunfire erupted outside.The Director didn’t need more proof to realize he had walked into a trap and that his men outside were being taken down.“What are you doing?!” he shouted angrily. “Stop me? What are you talking about? We made a deal—I’m trying to return your daughter to you!”“No!” Jhon snapped, standing up. “What you did was spy on my family and use them to blackmail me.”The Director fell silent