Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Julian felt like a soulless man after losing Aurora, but the news Genevieve brought was like a beacon that rekindled his spirit.

Julian quickly called Vortex. "I have some news," he said.

Vortex, who had been at his wit's end, was surprised to hear Julian had a lead. "What news? Tell me."

"The day after Ivy fell into the water, she used a foreign phone number to call her mother and let her know she was safe. She also sent a photo. I'll send it to you-it shows the sea in the foreground, but there are some faint buildings in the background. Can you use your expertise to enhance the image and identify those buildings?"

"If we have the phone number, our tech team might be able to track the location. If the phone is registered, it'll be even easier."

"Great. I'll send you the number and photo right away." Julian's heart lifted. He ended the call and immediately forwarded the information to Vortex.

Genevieve, watching Julian react so quickly, knew she'd made the right decision to come to him. "Mr. Barnet, I'm not here to dredge up old grudges. I know I wronged Aurora in the past, and I've paid the price for it. I have no intention of disturbing you or your life now-I just want to live quietly. But I never thought Ivy would get herself into this..."

"Mom, you can't blame Ivy," Zachary interjected. "It's because Aurora's call made you so upset that you nearly had a heart attack. How could Ivy not be angry?"

Zachary's careless remark caught Julian's attention. "What call? What are you talking about?"

"It was when I went gambling. My sister came to you for money, but you refused to lend it. Fine, that's your right. But Aurora called my mom to threaten her, which scared her so much she almost died from a coronary attack."

"Aurora would never do something so cruel. She once said that you being expelled from the Montgomery family was punishment enough. Why would she stoop so low?

If she wanted to, she could've done it long ago. Why let you live in peace?

on New Year's Day, she

gave Genevieve pause. "Come to think of it, the phone number wasn't Aurora's usual one. But the voice sounded like hers-I swear I'm

Year's Day... Mio Walsh was with you,

time, he took Ivy to

doesn't even know him. Why would he do that?"

he and Ivy had even half of Genevieve's wit, they wouldn't have ended up in

to provoke Ivy-

know why Mio wanted to frame Ivy,

sense.

unconvinced. In his eyes, Mio was the man who had spent half a million dollars to save his life.

more discussion, Genevieve finally stood to leave. "Mr. Barnet, I've shared this information with you. If you find Aurora, I hope you won't hold anything against Ivy. She has a temper, but she's easily manipulated. She's not inherently malicious-just

know if you hear anything else," Julian replied. He admired Genevieve's cunning. On the surface, she seemed to want to help him find Aurora. In truth, she hoped he would help her locate Ivy. And by providing him with this lead, she ensured that, in the future, he'd be less likely to hold a

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right things in

He had no quarrel with Ivy. Besides, once Ivy discovered Mio Walsh's

and Zachary out, Julian exhaled deeply. Though he still didn't know Aurora's whereabouts, at least he was certain she was

she wasn't in immediate danger. She'd said there was no signal where she was, and the photo's background showed a vast ocean.

and analyze it geographically, they

now, Julian could do nothing

Before long, Vortex called.

"What do

news or

He couldn't