Chapter 270

Evelyn had suspected Adrian might be strapped for cash.

Why else would he take such a dangerous job? She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't stress about money. I've got plenty to spare."

"If we make it out of here, you'll never have to worry about finances again. Consider it handled."

Adrian's eyes welled up with emotion as he gazed at her, overwhelmed.

"Evelyn, I'm putting my future in your hands."

"Done deal," she agreed without hesitation. With her fortune, supporting a friend was nothing.

Back in Montecito...

Donovan finally emerged from his research lab and learned about Evelyn's disappearance.

Without wasting a second, he boarded a helicopter headed for the open sea.

Lucas hadn't returned yet—meaning the situation remained unresolved.

Celebrities and dignitaries close to the Sterling family knew better than to intrude during their grief.

But the self-important social climbers rushed to send condolence flowers to Evelyn's residence.

This sent William Sterling—whose health had just stabilized—into another medical crisis from sheer fury.

Alexander promptly issued a decree: any wreaths would be returned to the senders immediately.

The nosy crowd finally fell silent.

Online media outlets were strictly forbidden from mentioning Evelyn's disappearance.

It was clear—the Sterlings refused to accept her death. Their love for their daughter and sister ran too deep.

Two thousand nautical miles from shore, Donovan arrived at Lucas's search vessel after ten grueling hours in flight.

They'd recovered massive debris from the plane—but not a single survivor.

The passengers might already be fish food.

With each passing hour, Lucas's expression darkened further.

Donovan found him drowning his sorrows in alcohol while monitoring underwater camera feeds.

Lucas's bloodshot eyes revealed days without sleep.

Bennett hadn't dared intervene—so Donovan's arrival brought visible relief.

"Mr. Sterling!" Bennett greeted eagerly.

Donovan gave a curt nod and had his computer equipment brought aboard.

"Put the bottle down. Father's about to liquidate the entire family fortune—including your shares."

Lucas barely reacted, his face hollow with grief.

"Let him," he muttered.

Donovan shot him a sideways glance.

"Have you considered what Evelyn will do if she comes back to find herself bankrupt?"

Lucas's brow furrowed.

"Then he shouldn't— Wait, are you saying she could still be alive?!"

Donovan typed rapidly, his expression grave.

He studied the scrolling data and nodded decisively.

Lucas sprang up, nearly tripping in his haste.

"Seriously?! You're not joking?"

In the Sterling family, William held the most authority, but Donovan's intellect was legendary.

Lucas—whose main asset was his looks—found sudden hope in his brother's words.

Donovan kept his voice steady.

"The black box was seized by Liberty's government, but my hacker contact extracted the flight data."

Lucas's eyes widened.

"Won't that cause an international incident?"

"One minute before the explosion, the plane veered drastically off course," Donovan explained.

"The crash site is here—but..."

"But what?!" Lucas demanded.

Donovan's gaze turned piercing.

"In that final minute, an unknown signal tried correcting the deviation. It came from Leo."

"The signal's last location was a thousand nautical miles from the crash site."

"If Leo functioned properly, it would've guided Evelyn to safety with advance warning."