Despite having already washed his hands, Davey cringed at the thought of touching anything inside Jimena's apartment directly. With a few swift wipes, he signaled to the assistant, who promptly ushered two men inside to sanitize the scene.

Then, Davey sank into the plush car seat and lit a cigar, the smoke curling lazily around him. Before he could finish, the assistant reappeared, lugging a hefty bag, evidence of a thorough cleanup.

Any evidence of Jimena being murdered by Davey was cleaned away.

Outwardly, they declared Jimena was another soul having slipped away from Aurora.

Yet, in this stratified society, families like Jimena's slipped through the cracks. Their disappearances were barely registered.

Even if Jimena's family dared to report it, the authorities would brush it off as illegal emigration, a common plight for Aurora's underprivileged.

Aurora authorities enacted strict regulations on departing residents, demanding a hefty emigration fee as a prerequisite for leaving.

Failure to comply rendered their departure unlawful.

For many, this fee was prohibitively steep, reaching astronomical heights.

The measure served as a bulwark against the exodus of commoners and the underprivileged from Aurora, whose governance deficiencies could otherwise precipitate a mass departure if resources allowed, leaving the elite without a workforce.

Yet, for those unable to amass such wealth even over multiple generations, escape remained an elusive dream, condemning them to a life sentence on the island, from cradle to grave.

After consulting Davey, the assistant drove off the truck, carrying Jimena's body in its confines.

As the cigar dwindled between his fingers, Davey gestured for the driver to drive.

Through the tinted window, Davey caught sight of a sleek black car gliding to a halt outside Jimena's apartment.

A man in a sharp suit emerged, his polished black leather shoes clicking on the pavement. The passenger door opened, revealing a figure with chiseled features and a calculating gaze - Erick.

A wry smile played on Davey's lips. Casey's supposed son had inherited more than just genes. He possessed a knack for tracking down leads, having successfully tracked down Jimena's apartment.

But Erick was five minutes late. If only he had arrived earlier, Jimena might have spilled everything.

As Davey observed from the window, Erick had entered Jimena's apartment.

Then, Davey recalled the young man from Raegan's wedding, whom he had investigated later. It turned out, the young man, Bryce, was Hector's son, despite bearing no resemblance.

Hector's name left a bitter taste lingering on Davey's tongue. Once, Hector had been his greatest rival in love, deeply enamored with Casey. But what had love truly achieved? Hector had ultimately fathered a child with another woman.