Chapter 1716: Enzo and Naylani

"Long story short, Naylani needed Enzo Pierson... to find the coordinates."

Once again, everyone was thrown into a river of questions and confusion. Just moments ago, Zoren had told them the coordinates were imprinted beneath Noel’s skin. And now, he was claiming that Enzo Pierson knew them as well?

"I understand it’s confusing," Zoren murmured. "But bear with me."

No one spoke. Out of respect for Zoren, they simply listened in silence.

According to him, it was true that the coordinates had been entrusted to Noel Zorken, the third daughter of the Zorken family. However, they didn’t come to light until later in the war. Zoren didn’t know exactly when Naylani and Nathalie learned of this secret power the late Mr. Zorken had passed down, but based on the timeline, he assumed it was after Noel’s death.

And that was where the problem lay.

After Nathalie’s forces subjected Charles to unimaginable torture to extract details about Noel’s remains, she had also sent someone to infiltrate the base. There, she pressured Charles’s commanding officer to hand over Noel’s body.

During that time, Naylani’s forces managed to locate and rescue Charles.

Meaning Naylani was, once again, a step behind Nathalie, because by the time she rescued Charles, Nathalie had already taken possession of Noel’s remains.

But then came another twist. Nathalie discovered that what was embedded inside Noel wasn’t the coordinates after all—it was the formula for a lethal drug Noel had created.

In other words, Noel hadn’t hidden the coordinates within her. Perhaps she knew death was imminent and that keeping them inside her wouldn’t stop Nathalie from dissecting her anyway.

However, because everyone already believed the coordinates were inside Noel, Nathalie spun a lie. A lie big enough to delay Naylani and to sow doubt among those who still supported her.

And for a while, it worked.

After all, Nathalie claimed to control the Zorken family’s true power—its treasure—while secretly still searching for it. But her story lost credibility the longer she allowed Naylani to live. If this power could supposedly erase a person’s existence for even speaking of it, why hadn’t she used it on her sister?

Nathalie could have ordered Naylani’s execution at any time, and no one would have been able to stop it.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she let Naylani live, knowing that some families were still supporting her sister in secret.

It didn’t take long for Naylani to piece the truth together. For Nathalie to keep her alive, there were only two reasons: one was that Nathalie was lying, and the other was that she was lying and was waiting for Naylani to lead her to the answer.

From that moment on, she began a covert investigation by retracing her sister’s steps.

She lived quietly, moving from one town to another, everywhere Noel had once stayed. She even rented the same homes Noel had lived in. If a place wasn’t available, she’d move into a neighboring one. She mimicked Noel’s routines, visited her usual haunts, and sought out people who had once spoken with her.

Meeting people who knew Noel wasn’t difficult, especially with a face like hers.

For the next year, Naylani lived Noel’s life, trying to uncover where the coordinates might have been hidden. Eventually, she moved to a small town where Noel had once stayed. Since Noel had medical knowledge, and Naylani had studied the same field, she was able to volunteer as the town’s nurse.

She wasn’t as skilled as Noel, but she knew the basics.

And it was there she met Enzo Pierson—a businessman looking to develop land near the town into a resort. While touring the area and assessing its viability, he happened to cross paths with the town’s nurse.

Some called it love at first sight.

Enzo was smitten the moment he laid eyes on Naylani.

In the days that followed, he would fake illnesses just to visit the clinic where she worked. According to witnesses, Naylani didn’t seem amused. In fact, she had once scolded him in front of other patients, insisting he stop wasting her time when others needed real care.

But Enzo wasn’t the type to give up easily.

"Can we... fast forward that?" Atlas interjected in a dry voice. "I think I’ve made that very clear."

Everyone gave him a flat look, but he just shrugged.

"Just continue," Finn said, though he, too, was visibly uninterested in hearing how Enzo wooed Naylani. He was already proud of himself for getting a "yes" from Nina.

Zoren cleared his throat. "Despite the back and forth, my father’s persistence eventually bore fruit."

Over the next few weeks, their relationship slowly improved. But since Enzo was only there for business, he eventually had to return home and focus on his work.

So, like any love-struck man of that era, he proposed.

He asked Naylani to come with him.

At first, Naylani was hesitant—her answer practically written on her face. She couldn’t be with Enzo, not while she was still entrenched in a war.

No one knew why she eventually said yes, not even Zoren. But in the end, she accepted his proposal.

Just like that, they left for Anteca.

Zoren believed that it had been Naylani’s plan all along. After all, Noel had also lived in that same town before eventually heading to Anteca, where she met Haines.

Anteca was the last place Noel had stayed before she fled the country—and met her end. Being with Enzo, a powerful man with influence and wealth, would help Naylani stay hidden.

And with Enzo’s resources, she could continue investigating her sister’s steps without leaving a trail. She already suspected Nathalie was on her tail, tracking the forces helping her.

Zoren believed that Nathalie was simply waiting—biding her time until Naylani got close enough to the truth, so she could swoop in and steal it for herself.

At least, that was what Zoren’s investigation from his first life had uncovered.

But even that wasn’t the full truth.

Because while Naylani might have started by retracing Noel’s steps, she truly did love Enzo.

And that investigation in Anteca?

It might’ve just been an excuse—a delusion she clung to so she could justify staying with the man she had come to love.