Seeing Tessa cry so pitifully, Grace felt her own heart ache. She stepped forward, pulled her into her arms, and gently patted her back in comfort. “Don’t cry. No matter what you decide, I’ll support you.” Though Grace wasn’t good with words, she loved her daughter deeply. “If you don’t want to keep looking for him, I’ll call my people back. Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”

Hearing that, Tessa grew even more emotional, unable to find the right words. She hugged Grace tightly, her voice choked. “Mom, you’re really the best. I know what you mean to me now. From now on, whatever decisions I make, I’ll always discuss them with you.”

Grace felt gratified. “That’s my good girl.”

Here, the scene was warm and harmonious. But on Julian’s side, things were clearly not going well at all. He glanced back at the people relentlessly chasing him, his expression so dark it could almost drip to the ground. At first, he thought they were just sent to make a show of it, but soon, Julian realized something was off. He had been dodging their pursuit, but then, for some reason, the group seemed to receive new instructions and began dispersing one by one.

The tense urgency from before was gone. Seeing this, Julian stopped running. He went from tense flight to standing still, watching. When he was certain they had truly left, he stopped hiding. Still, he couldn’t figure it out—what was going on with them? Were they really not after him anymore? Or had they received new orders to leave him behind and let him die slowly instead? The thought sent a shadow across his eyes.

Right now, there was no one he could trust. He only had himself. Everyone else was an illusion. That truth was now etched clearly into his mind. Once he went to find Lily, they could leave this place of trouble together. Gritting his teeth, Julian rented a car and drove toward the suburbs.

Meanwhile, Grace received the news almost immediately. Jason came to report. “Madam Grace, should we keep following him?”

“Yes.” A cold glint flickered in Grace’s eyes. “Keep following. If anything happens, report to me at once.” The truth was, even though she had promised Tessa on the surface, privately, she had no intention of letting him go. After all, beyond what he’d done to Tessa, Julian had also drugged Aurora.