The silence after Agent Isabelle’s revelation was deafening.
Eleven more facilities.
Twenty-three countries.
Project Aster had never been a single nightmare.
It had been an empire.
Lucien looked back at the smoking ruins of Blackridge.
“So we destroyed one branch.”
Isabelle nodded.
“The roots are still alive.”
⸻
Three days later…
Kingston Estate had become a refuge.
The rescued children filled the halls with sounds the mansion had never known before.
Laughter.
Footsteps.
Arguments over board games.
Music.
Life.
Psychologists, doctors, and social workers arrived from around the world.
No reporters.
No cameras.
Lucien insisted on one rule.
“They’ve been treated like projects their entire lives.”
He looked at every member of the staff.
“They leave here treated like chi
