Adrian's mind fractured and reformed in the space of a heartbeat. Every moment he'd spent with Thomas, every conversation, every alliance—it all crystallized into a different shape. The photograph in Amsterdam showed not just Thomas's presence, but familiarity. Thomas and Elena weren't strangers brought together by circumstance. They were collaborators. Partners.
"You," Adrian said, turning to face Thomas directly. "You were never investigating your father. You were helping him."
Thomas's expression didn't change. His hands remained visible, non-threatening. But there was a shift in his eyes—a coldness that Adrian realized had always been there, just carefully concealed beneath layers of sympathy and shared purpose.
"I was doing both," Thomas said quietly. "Yes, I was helping Father. Bu
