Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196 The Stranger in The Crowd

Chapter 196: The Stranger In The Crowd

Conrad POV

The stranger disappeared into the crowd before any of us could reach him. By the time we reached the academy entrance. he was already gone

I handed the baby back to Amorah and immediately contacted security. The reaction I had seen on the man’s face refused to leave my mind.

“He looked shocked,” Amorah said quietly. “Not afraid.”

“I noticed that too,” I replied. “That’s part of the problem.”

The drive home felt normal on the surface despite the questions hanging over us. Kyra talked nonstop about the acadesfy event while Zane pretended he was not interested in discussing it.

“I still think my group should have won, Kyra complained. “The judges were clearly biased”

Zane looked out the window. “You say that every time you don’t win.”

“I don’t say it every time.”

“You literally said it last month.”

Their argument continued for most of the trip. Amorah eventually threatened to make them sit separately if they did not stop.

Back at the estate, I headed directly to the security office. Several members of my team were already reviewing footage from the academy.

One of them pointed toward a monitor. “We found him.”

I moved closer immediately. The stranger appeared on multiple cameras positioned around the campus.

“Show me everything,” I said.

The footage revealed very little. The man arrived alone, remained near the edge of the event, and avoided unnecessary interaction with everyone around him.

“He never approached the family?” I asked.

“No.”

“He never spoke to anyone?”

“No.”

I frowned at the screen. The behavior did not match a reporter, a stalker, or a threat.

Most suspicious people wanted something. This man seemed content simply watching.

Another security officer opened additional footage. The stranger appeared briefly near the parking area before leaving the academy grounds.

“He left right after the baby noticed him,” the officer said.

That detail bothered me more than anything else. The timing felt too specific to be coincidence.

By the time I returned to the main house, dinner preparations were already underway. The smell of food filled the kitchen while the twins argued about homework assignments.

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Amorah sat nearby with the baby sleeping in her arms. Seeing them together eased some of the tension that had followed me all afternoon.

“Any progress?” she asked.

“A little.”

Her expression sharpened immediately. “What does that mean?”

“It means we found footage but not answers.”

She sighed softly. “That seems to be happening a lot lately.”

I sat beside her and looked down at our son. He remained peacefully asleep despite everything happening around him. The baby had developed a strange habit recen Successfully unlocked! things before anyone else noticed them. The estate healer claimed some wolves developeu unusual stay. Nobody seemed willing to explain exactly how early.

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Chapter 196 The Stranger in The Imwd

During dinner, the conversation moved toward school Kyra immediately launched into a detailed summary of every important event from the academy gathering

“You already told us all of this, Zane said

” didn’t tell them the important parts.”

“You told them every part ”

Amorah laughed quietly. “Let her finish.”

That encouragement was all Kyra needed. The next ten minutes became an extended presentation that nobiddy successfully escaped.

After dinner, I returned to work while the rest of the family settled into their evening routines. Security continued examining footage from multiple sources.

Hours passed before one of the analysts called me back into the office. The excitement in his scent reached me before he even spoke

“We found something.”

I crossed the room quickly. “Tell me.”

“We tracked his vehicle.”

That immediately got my attention. Until now, every lead had ended in frustration.

The analyst expanded several files across the main screen. Registration records, travel logs, and identity verification documents appeared one after another.

“His name is Victor Hale.”

The name meant nothing to me. I waited for the explanation I knew was coming.

The analyst clicked another file open. An old photograph appeared. I stared at it for several seconds. Then my pulse quickened.

My father stood in the photograph. Beside him stood the stranger from the academy.

“How old is this?” I asked.

“Approximately thirty years.”

I leaned closer to the screen. Victor looked younger, but there was no question it was the same man.

Another analyst joined the conversation. “We found multiple records connecting him to your father’s business operations.”

“Business?” I repeated.

“Some business. Some territory work.”

That answer created even more questions. My father had known countless people over the years.

“What happened to him?” I asked.

The analysts exchanged glances. One of them answered carefully.

“He disappeared from official records a long time ago.”

I stared at the screen again. The discovery explained why the stranger had seemed familiar even though I had never consciously recognized him.

Some part of my memory had probably connected him to old photographs I had seen as a child.

The office door opened unexpectedly. Amorah stepped inside carrying the baby.

“You’ve been hiding in here for hours,” she said.

“I’ve been working.”

She raised an eyebrow. “That’s exactly what I said.”

I stood and crossed the room. The baby immediately reached toward me the moment I got close.

Amorah noticed it too. “See?”

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