Crowned by the Man They Feared (Amelia and Jeremy) novel Chapter 645

Sabrina's mission had crashed and burned, and she'd almost gone down with it; there was no way she wouldn't start getting suspicious.

And it wouldn't just be her—Esmond, Regina, and the rest of that crowd behind her would be looking at him even harder now.

"It's fine. It's not like they ever truly trusted me anyway," Elian said lightly, as if it were no big deal.

They'd probably had their doubts about him for a long time, which was why, even after all this time at Regina's side, he still hadn't been able to trace things all the way up to the real final boss.

Regina was infuriatingly cautious and tight-lipped; she never shared more than she had to.

Raymond's death had hit Elian like a freight train.

The man had been like a mentor to him, teaching him countless things in secret and helping him grow.

So, when Raymond died, Elian felt like a soldier who'd just lost his commanding officer—adrift and grieving.

Now that he felt he couldn't do much more for Amelia, he had simply chosen to lay everything out and be honest with her.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" Amelia thought for a moment, then added, "Nygard Group has branches overseas. I can transfer you out there to help manage one of them."

Now that his cover was blown, Regina would never let him walk away untouched.

On top of that, he knew far too much about what was going on in her camp; that vicious woman might decide to just kill him to shut him up.

"Alright. Whatever you arrange, I'll follow," he said.

The message couldn't have been clearer—he wanted her to know exactly where he stood, that he was an ally, not an enemy.

As for the specifics of the assignment, he was ready to obey one hundred percent.

"Good. I'll have eyes on you at all times, discreetly. Once things settle down, you can come home."

Amelia knew Elian had always been on his own, with no wife or kids; sending him abroad to lay low wouldn't be too hard on him.

Who knew—maybe he'd even meet someone out there worth building a life with.

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself, too," Elian said.

Amelia believed him without question.

If he didn't have solid survival skills, he never would've lasted as a double agent at Regina's side for so long and still come out in one piece.

"By the way, do you have any idea where that thing my dad was holding ended up?" she asked.

Walter had been pushing her to track that item down, but no matter how hard she searched, it stayed hidden.

Elian had been one of her father's closest confidants; if anyone knew something, it should've been him.

"No idea," Elian said with a bitter smile. "If I knew, I would've told you a long time ago."

"Not even the tiniest lead?"

"Nothing. But I'm sure Mr. Nygard must've found another way to tell you—maybe you just haven't noticed it yet.

"Try paying more attention to the little details from when you were with him—things he said, or things he left behind for you. There might be a clue in there somewhere."

Things he'd said in the past ... and the things he'd left for me?

As soon as she got in, Jeremy asked the question he'd been holding back.

Amelia told him everything—what Elian had revealed, and the reminders he'd given her.

"Never thought he was a double agent all along," Jeremy murmured.

Even he hadn't seen that coming; he'd really believed Elian had switched sides to join Regina's camp.

It seemed the Carters were truly, stubbornly loyal.

It was just a shame that Elian's loyalty now required him to be shipped overseas to lie low, making the whole situation feel profoundly unfair.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. Once this storm passes, you can call him back," Jeremy said, driving with one hand and comforting her with the other.

He knew she had to be feeling sore about the whole ordeal.

"Yeah. He knows Nygard Group's operations better than anyone. He'll do great at the overseas branch," Amelia replied.

If Elian wanted to come back someday, she'd make sure he got a key management position at Nygard Group.

And if he grew used to life abroad or decided to settle down there, he could keep running the overseas branch for her.

Still, there was a knot of guilt in Amelia's chest.

Elian knew Nygard Group's inner workings better than anyone; if he'd truly wanted to help Regina take her down...

He would've had a hundred ways to do it, and her attempt to rebuild Nygard Group would never have gone as smoothly as it had.