Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 894

The room was pitch black, save for a sliver of moonlight filtering through the window.

Julian Ross stepped inside and reached for the light switch.

"Don't turn it on," a hoarse voice commanded from the shadows.

Julian paused, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness before stepping further into the room.

The glowing tip of a cigarette flared briefly, and the heavy, musky scent of tobacco filled the air. Julian subtly rubbed his nose; Sebastian Blake rarely smoked, which meant the shock of the day's events had severely shaken him.

"Mr. Blake. The hotel called regarding the final payment for the wedding reception. I redirected them to Miss Ward, and I haven't heard back since.

Miss Ward has called you incessantly, but I had no choice but to block her number."

Sebastian exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his voice raspy from the nicotine.

"Ignore her. What about the investigation I asked for?"

"The Mercer family publicly denied that Lillian is Li," Julian reported. "They claimed they had to donate a library to get her into St. Kingsley. The internet is tearing her apart right now."

Oddly, Sebastian didn't look relieved. His expression remained hidden in the dark.

Julian continued, "However, Nathan Cole is fighting back online. He's releasing a massive amount of evidence, though it's unclear if it proves she's actually Li."

Sebastian's patience frayed. "If it doesn't prove it, find something that does!

For years, Sebastian had aggressively pursued a partnership for the Li Algorithm. But Nathan Cole had always rejected him, even when government regulators tried to force a merger between their companies.

Nathan's excuse was always the same: he didn't have the authority to make the call.

No matter what leverage Sebastian used, Nathan refused to budge and absolutely refused to introduce him to Li.

That staunch rejection made Sebastian wonder—if Lillian really was Li, did she refuse to partner with him because she knew they were connected? Was it revenge because he had sent her to prison?

That theory made horrifying sense.

But the Mercer family's public denial had momentarily derailed his suspicions.