Stefan chose not to burden Raegan with his concerns, opting instead to reassure her gently, âI understand.
Donât worry.
Iâll have someone keep an eye on him.
â
Raegan nodded, grateful for his support.
âThank you, Stefan.
â
Raegan was aware that even if they located this man, proving his crimes would be difficult after so much time.
The fact that the man was from Aurora only complicated matters further.
Without conclusive evidence, law enforcement wouldnât be able to pursue extradition or make an arrest outside their jurisdiction.
For now, Raegan decided to focus on figuring out the mastermind.
Was it Lauren, or perhaps Katie?
Given Laurenâs death, only Katie among Raeganâs acquaintances seemed capable and motivated enough to hire someone to commit murder.
If they could secure a confession from this man, it could definitively let Katie face the music.
âWhatâs there to thank me for? Itâs just a small favor,â Stefan remarked, as he shielded Raegan from the brisk wind and escorted her to the door.
âGo inside now.
Iâm heading back.
â
After watching Raegan enter her villa, Stefan returned to his car and gazed once more at the photo of the man with heterochromia.
He had withheld this individualâs identity earlier.
The man, Lorenzo Maxwell, was the youngest son of the Maxwell family leader, highly favored by both his grandfather and his father, and a prominent figure in his own right.
The notion of a Maxwell family scion turning into a bounty hunter would seem far-fetched to most.
However, if it was Lorenzo, it appeared almost certain.
Lorenzo had inherited characteristics from his mother, Peran Stevenson, a legendary beauty from Aurora.
Peran, the daughter of a hearse driver for the Maxwell family, had caught Lorenzoâs fatherâs eye during a visit and quickly became his tenth wife.
In Aurora, where polygamy was both permitted and common, Peran was especially cherished by Lorenzoâs father, although she was known for her unstable and often erratic behaviors.
Peran once cruelly shaved a servantâs head in the dead of night, stripped the servant, and left the servant in the freezing cold just to watch the servant slowly succumb to hypothermia.
Servants in her employ rarely lasted more than three months, their ends more gruesome and bizarre than the last.
Lorenzoâs father, blinded by his affection for Peran, covered up these macabre incidents.
Ultimately, Peranâs lack of restraint led her to a tragic fate.
She set herself ablaze one night after childbirth.
Lorenzoâs father, stricken with grief, erected a monument to Peran, inscribing it with, âMy Love for Life.
â
As Peranâs son, Lorenzo was spoiled from a young age.
By six, Lorenzo displayed his own cruel streak, once pressing a cookâs head against a hot griddle simply because the meal displeased him, searing the skin.
Unlike his mother, Lorenzo didnât relish swift killings.
He derived pleasure from the prolonged torture of his victims, reveling in their suffering like a cat toys with a mouse.
Once he marked someone, they rarely escaped his clutches.
Currently, Ardlens was deemed the safest refuge.
Aware of the stringent laws in Ambrosia, Lorenzo steered clear of the area, opting instead for Swynborough, according to the latest immigration records.
Stefan studied Lorenzoâs photo on his phone, his expression somber.
If this was indeed Lorenzo, things would get complicated since he was not one to be taken lightly.
To oppose Lorenzo would mean antagonizing the entire Maxwell family.
The Cliffords and the Maxwells, both influential on Aurora, had coexisted like oil and water without direct conflict.