Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1546: Surrogacy

[Prime Group: Penthouse]

Hugo sat on the living room couch, a laptop open on the coffee table in front of him. His brows were knitted as he read through all the soft copies of Mint's investigation files. These documents were highly confidential - technically, Hugo shouldn't even have access to them. After all, they had nothing to do with his role as lieutenant general.

But Mint trusted him. And he wanted to help.

This case, after all, could affect their family. So while Hugo still hadn't been called back to base, he wanted to make sure things here were handled before he left. Otherwise, he would just worry about his family and might wind up dead because he couldn't focus.

"Ah, Mint..." he murmured. "Just what were you doing to miss this?"

The files were split into two main cases: Mint's original investigation into the killer drug and the baby swap.

Since she'd been tracking the lethal drug longer, most of the documents focused on that. There was plenty of information — distribution patterns, lab records, and arrest reports - but still no clear lead on who was behind the current resurgence. The original syndicate had been busted, its members locked up. The chemist who cooked the drug? Dead. The one who stole the recipe? Killed during the raid.

It was supposed to be a closed Chapter.

And yet, somehow, the killer drug had resurfaced on the black market, now selling for a premium price. Ridiculously high, in fact. And still, people were buying like they were some sort of candies.

The most shocking part? According to their informant, who had tried to place an order, there was a waitlist of over a hundred. That alone showed how many buyers were lined up across the globe. They could already imagine the long line after that.

But that wasn't what surprised Hugo the most.

"They're the same people," he whispered, holding his breath. "The ones selling the drug... and the ones who swapped Penny and Nina."

Deep lines formed between his brows as he double-checked the files.

fit. This syndicate didn't just deal with some sort of lethal drugs. They had a documented history of kidnapping-for-ransom and illegal surrogacy. It wasn't a

on his knees, hands clasped

all. Which made it dangerous. The baby swap was probably the messiest operation of all — no clean cover-up, too many loose ends. But also... clues. If one

ransom, why not just follow

down on him

buzzed on the table. He glanced at the screen.

picked up

are you sure Nina's mother is dead?" Mint

raised a

theory," she said.

her quiet voice. "It might sound crazy, but when you told

I checked the files again. It's been a while since I last reviewed them... not since

a breath, pacing restlessly on the

it's Nina's

do you mean, her

there are cases of surrogacy and kidnapping-for-ransom,"

still don't see how it connects to the baby

many, many times. But... what if Nina's

made Hugo pause. His

there are

mothers women who help

But what if Nina's mom had a change of heart? Mint continued. "What if, somewhere along the way, she fell in

that once she gave birth, they'd take the child away from her," she added. "So... she swapped the