CHAPTER 162: MY LITTLE LOST GIRL.

Angela froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes could not believe who they were staring at. He was the last person she ever wanted to see, not now, not in this moment. She tried to stand tall, but her whole body shook, betraying the storm inside her. His sudden presence felt like a shadow pressing down on her, stealing the air from her chest.

She had never been the kind to tremble before an enemy, but Marcus was not just an enemy. He was her father. And she did not want him find out...at least not now. Yet the greedy Eliza had tricked them, and now everything was falling apart. Angela’s heart burned with anger at the woman’s betrayal. Eliza had been loyal to him from the beginning, and none of them had seen it.

Angela’s mind raced. Was Zane part of this? No. He never gave them that feeling, never twisted their trust. But Eliza, from the very moment they met, had been nothing but trouble.

"Be calm, dear," Hiro’s voice slipped into her mind through their bond, warm and steady. No one else could hear. He turned slightly, forcing a smile on his lips. "I am here, and I will handle this. Trust me."

Angela swallowed hard and gave a small nod, clinging to his words as she tried to steady herself. But Marcus was not alone. As always, he came with his crew. Some followed him inside, while others lingered outside, most likely guarding the streets like watch dogs.

His eyes never left her as he walked past the others. Eliza bowed to him with false respect and offered her chair, but he ignored her and kept moving until he stood in front of Angela. His lips curved into a dark smile. "We meet again, boy. What a coincidence."

Hiro’s face stayed calm, though Angela could feel the tension running through him. He knew one wrong move would give everything away. Marcus had lived too long, had seen too much. He would piece the truth together in an instant if Hiro lost control.

Still, Hiro was not one to back down. If he could not play with Marcus’s mind, then Eliza would be his next move.

"Really?" Angela asked with a deep frown, her teeth pressed hard together. She could not understand how she was going to stand in front of him any longer.

Marcus was handsome and he carried power in the way he moved, but no matter how much strength or beauty he showed, nothing could hide the darkness that followed him.

His presence was heavy, suffocating, and she hated it. Grace, it seemed, had a terrible choice when it came to men. Every man in her life had turned out to be a mistake, someone who brought only trouble.

But Grace never said anything bad about her father. She always spoke of him as if he had been a good man.

"Yes, dear," Marcus said with a calm voice that only made her skin crawl more. "I have been wanting to meet you, and I know you want the same thing." He stood right in front of her, watching her face with sharp eyes. After a moment, he asked, "Are you happy to see me?"

"She doesn’t want to see you," Hiro’s voice cut through the air, firm and steady as he stepped closer. He placed himself at Angela’s side, refusing to let Marcus drag her into his twisted games. If Marcus would not act with respect, then Hiro would not stay silent.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed, studying him as if he was trying to place the memory. The name did not come to him at once, but his instincts told him this face was familiar. He tilted his head and spoke with suspicion. "You are one of those boys gifted to the werewolves by the mother goddess. What should I call them, Eliza?"

"Master, they are called alphas," Eliza answered quickly, bowing her head low as her voice trembled with obedience.

Hiro did not respond. His silence was not weakness but control. Inside, he wanted nothing more than to take Angela’s hand and pull her away, to walk out of this place and leave Marcus behind. But he could not do that. Not yet. She had just learned that this man was her father. She deserved the chance to ask her questions, to face him if that was what her heart needed.

Besides, no one ever got to meet a Malynster so closely. This was the one chance to demand the truth that had been hidden for too long.

"If you are not okay with him, then let’s go back to the academy, Angel," Hiro said softly, his voice breaking through the tension like a shield around her.

"No, Hiro. I have nothing to hide. Let’s talk with the bad man," Angela said as she pulled the chair back and sat down, leaving Marcus standing. For a moment, his eyes flickered in surprise at her courage.

"Bad man? Look who is calling me that," Marcus muttered with a mocking smile before sitting on the seat Eliza had offered him earlier. He leaned back with sharp eyes locked on her. "Now tell me why you are going around asking questions about me."

Angela felt the anger radiating from Hiro where he stood, but she prayed he would hold himself together. She needed Marcus to speak, and if Hiro lost control, everything would fall apart. She told herself she could handle it. She was good at lying, good at keeping her mask in place. He would not see through her.

"I am just helping you out here," Angela began, keeping her tone steady. She saw Marcus’s brows crease in confusion, but it vanished quickly. A sly smile spread across his face, and a cold shiver ran through her as his gaze pinned her like a blade.

"How, little boy?" Marcus asked, his voice smooth but dangerous. His eyes never moved from her face. She knew he was watching every flicker of her expression, testing her, waiting for the smallest slip.

"You came to my school and said you were looking for someone who looks like me, but that it was a girl. I didn’t like the way you threatened my principal. She is trying to find this girl, and I want to help her as well."

"Are you Valois’ boy?" Marcus asked suddenly.

Angela froze, confused by his words. What did he mean by asking if she was Valois’ boy? That was not what she meant at all. She only wanted to help her principal.

"I don’t understand. What do you mean by Valois’ boy?" Samuel asked with a deep frown, speaking before she could.

"Am I going to be questioned by other people now?" Marcus shot back coldly, his eyes sweeping to her friends. He ignored Samuel and turned back to Angela as if only her answer mattered.

Then he dropped the words that made her heart stumble. "Miss Valois... your principal has a son. Didn’t you know about it?"

Angela was stunned. She turned to Hiro, who shook his head, and then to Stales, who did the same. None of them had any idea about what Marcus was saying. It sounded strange, almost impossible, because she never once thought Principal Valois had a child, let alone that she had ever been married. The revelation hit her like a cold wind, but she tried to hide her shock and forced her voice to stay calm. "It’s her personal life. I don’t think it’s my business."

"Of course, it is," Marcus replied sharply. "I heard the boy is in the same academy. He might be the one behind you, or the one you share a room with, or maybe even your best friend. If I were you, I would be careful."

Angela almost snapped at him, but she forced herself to think. If what he said was true, then Principal Valois had been hiding her son all this time. None of the students had ever mentioned it, which meant she kept him well hidden.

"Are you sure about this, or are you only trying to paint the principal black in front of us?" Angela asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I am telling the truth. It’s good advice," Marcus said, his gaze steady on her.

"Take it or leave it, dear," Eliza added while counting the money she had gotten from them and from others as well. Her greedy fingers didn’t stop moving as her voice dripped with malice. "If that woman is hiding something like that, then it only means one thing. I won’t say it, but you should know you are no longer safe with her as your principal. You need a change."

Angela’s eyes burned with disdain as she glared at Eliza. She hated the woman for her betrayal. They had trusted her, yet she had sold them out, and now she had the audacity to speak ill of someone else. Angela leaned forward, her voice firm. "Still, that’s not my business. It belongs to the board, not me. Let’s make an agreement, Marcus. Tell me who the girl you are looking for is to you, and we will help you find her."

For a moment, Marcus was taken aback. The boy in front of him was braver than he expected. He carried himself like a Malynster, but according to what he had been told, this was a boy.

He had also discovered that the girl he was searching for was no longer in Mistvale, which meant this one could not be her.

"I accept," Marcus said slowly, his eyes never leaving her. Angela’s heart thundered in her chest as she waited, desperate to hear the truth from his own mouth.

"The girl is my daughter," Marcus said at last. "She is my little lost girl."