Luna collapsed to the cold floor, her defiant facade finally shattering into a jagged mess of tears.

"So that's how it is," Simon lamented, his voice heavy with a sudden, weary realization. "Sigh... ever since Timothy was taken by the Sterlings, I haven’t seen him. I had no idea..."

Amanda, ever the pragmatist, quickly regained her composure. She narrowed her eyes and sneered at Charlotte. "Do you think I'm a fool? Who do you think Zachary Nacht is? If he truly wants to find the truth, do you think you can actually hide it from him?"

"I..."

"Forget it. Whatever desperate reason you have for keeping those children a secret is none of my business," Amanda asserted coldly, her mind already calculating their escape. "As long as you can get us out of here safely, our mouths stay shut. That is the deal."

"You really are sharp, Aunt Amanda," Charlotte replied with a weary sigh, acknowledging the woman’s survival instincts.

Amanda understood the grim reality: even if they betrayed Charlotte and revealed the children’s existence, Zachary wouldn't suddenly forgive the White family for their past sins. However, one word from Charlotte—the woman currently occupying Zachary’s bed—could mean the difference between being left to rot in this freezing, lightless room or walking free.

"Don't worry. Now that you're Zachary's woman, who would dare harm you?" Assuming Charlotte was still hesitating, Amanda leaned in, her voice hushed. "We just want to leave this place alive. We have no other demands."

"You’re overestimating my influence," Charlotte bemoaned, sinking onto the sofa. "Can't you see I'm locked in here with you? His moods are like a storm—even I can't predict when the lightning will strike."

"He will let you out," Amanda asserted with absolute confidence. "And when he does, you’ll know exactly what to do for us."

Charlotte ignored her, her gaze turning into icy daggers as she leveled them at Luna. "Did you really send men to abduct my children?"

"What?" Amanda’s eyes widened in genuine shock. "Luna! You sent men to kidnap the kids?"

A flicker of malicious light danced in Luna’s eyes, but she lowered her head in a sullen silence.

"Are you insane?" Amanda yelled, her voice echoing off the reinforced walls. "If those are Zachary's children and you touched them, he won't just lock us up—he will kill us all!"

"Who knows for sure whose they are?" Luna snarled, looking up to glare at Charlotte. "If they were really his, she would have played that card long ago. Why keep it a secret unless she's hiding something shameful?"

"It is strange," Simon added, his suspicion growing. "Charlotte, be honest. Are those children really Zachary’s?"

Ignoring the interrogation, Charlotte frantically tapped at her phone, desperate to call Michael and confirm her children’s safety. But the bars on her screen remained stubbornly empty.

"This is a dead zone. All signals are jammed," Amanda said, grabbing Charlotte’s wrist. "Look at me. Is Zachary the father?"

"It’s none of your business!" Charlotte snapped, shoving her away.

Outraged, Amanda turned back to her daughter, gritting her teeth. "You stupid girl! How many times have I told you not to act on impulse? Why must you always do something so catastrophically idiotic behind my back?"

Amanda was trapped in a terrifying dilemma. If the children belonged to Zachary, helping Charlotte keep the secret was their only insurance policy. But if Luna’s thugs hurt the kids during a kidnapping attempt, the entire White family was finished. Conversely, if the children weren't Zachary’s, he would eventually realize they had all made a fool of him—and the Nacht family did not take kindly to being mocked.

Between two deaths, they could only hope the children were someone else's, so that any harm caused wouldn't result in their own executions.

Meanwhile, in the back of a black Rolls-Royce, Ben asked warily, "Are we really leaving Ms. Windt locked in there with them?"

"Since she doesn't want to talk, let her stay until she finds her voice."

Zachary’s tone was a wall of ice, leaving no room for negotiation or mercy. He stared out the window, his jaw set in a hard line.

"Why don't you let me investigate properly?" Ben suggested cautiously. "It shouldn't be complicated to track the timeline. We can find the truth easily enough."