Chapter 560: Classified

The image of Emma filled Katherine's mind. Her smiling face and genuine personality were what made them become friends fast. If Emma were happy, she would definitely be all smiles, and if she were mad at you, she wouldn't be afraid to yell at you—no matter who you are or what your status is.

The thought of Emma with a different identity was quite surprising for Katherine. It wasn't because she didn't believe people can have different identities—heck, she lived a considerable part of her life with different identities. It was just that, Emma was one of the very few people she believed to be innocent or real.

So if she wasn't really Emma Chang, then was it really possible for her to be Chris's sister? This was insane.

Katherine's eyes darted back to Chris, and her mind tried to fit the two together in one frame, but Chris's sudden announcement interrupted her imagination.

"I'll have to go and see her," he said as he stared at the floor. And in the next second, he turned around and grabbed a jacket from the sofa.

Almost everyone moved to stop him, but Styles, who was the closest, was the one who was able to grab him by the arm. "Woah, woah, woah… You gotta chill, bro," Styles appealed, his hand gripping the other's arm tightly.

"Christopher, you can't just go out there," Amelia stressed. "It's dangerous."

Chris stopped in his tracks, but Katherine still persuaded him. "Amelia is right. You need to calm down. We don't even know if Emma is really your sister—"

"The only way to know that is if I see her personally. That picture was taken sometime long ago." He pointed at the one on their table. "She could look different now. I can't tell from the paper. I have to go and see her."

"It's too risky!"

Facing Katherine, Chris's tone rose an octave higher, and he spat, "Parker might already be onto her. If I don't get to her first, then Parker will!"

"I know that. Believe me, I do!" she fired back. "Emma is my friend. And I stayed away from her to protect her. I don't want her to be part of this dangerous life. What if you go out there thinking that she's your sister—and there's a chance that she's not—you'll be putting her in grave danger. We all know Parker is still out to get your head. He could be anywhere. Think rationally, Chris. We have to be smarter."

Turning around so abruptly, Chris punched the hard concrete wall. "Fûck!"

He injured his knuckles right away. Blood trickled down the back of his fingers. He was so frustrated that he couldn't do anything. For so many years, he had trained with Shadow and achieved the highest rank he could in the organization—only to be deemed useless when going against Parker.

Feeling a hand planted on his shoulder, he glanced at the side and saw Gus giving him a black handkerchief. He received it as he let out a deep, exhausted sigh and wrapped it around his hand. His stare shifted to the pictures on the table, and it landed on Emma's face. She certainly looked like his sister. But it had been over twenty years since he had last seen her. He felt like his heart was squeezed for not being able to recognize his own family.

"I have to get to her…" Chris muttered.

"I understand," Katherine answered. "But first, we need to know a little bit more about Emma first before we jump to conclusions. And there's only one person who is capable of digging up sealed records like hers."

Everyone's eyes laid on Katherine.

"Hughes," Damien mumbled, and she nodded her head.

Without wasting time, Chris called, "Styles—"

"Here!" Styles tossed his phone towards Chris who caught it swiftly in his hands. The two were so in sync that they didn't need to speak more to know what the other was thinking.

Chris paced back and forth in the living room as he waited for Director Hughes to pick up his call. It took several rings, but she eventually answered it.

"Director, I need a favor," he began as soon as the line went through and detailed what he could to her.

"I understand…" Director Huges paused as if she was giving it a thought and then came back. "I will see what I can do. I will call you as soon as I have news."

When the call ended, Chris still felt anxious. He had always been a patient person, but now, it seemed as though he could hear the ticking of the clock's hand every time it passed. There wasn't much that they could do except wait for the call.

Meanwhile, Katherine was quiet, leaning against a wall and thinking about her friend. She was trying to recall their memories together, and all she could think of were the good times they shared. Emma was a very bright and sunny person. And although she blurted some hurtful things to her in the past, Katherine thought she wasn't entirely to blame.

Her heart ached when she remembered that particular day, and her eyes got misty. For five years, she had no one. For five years, she didn't have a family. But Emma was there for her. Her friend was ever so patient despite the fact that she lost her memory and was often in a dark place. They were like sisters from a different mother.

Katherine should have gone to her sooner. It was one of the things she regretted, but there was nothing she could do about that now. This thing about Shadow had to end so she could finally live her life freely without constantly worrying about her surroundings.

This was a shock for her. Even though nothing had been proven yet, part of her already believed for it to be true. If she was this surprised, she could only imagine how Chris was feeling, knowing that there was a possibility of Emma being his sister.

"Hey," Damien cupped her cheeks and lifted her face. "You okay?"

Not wanting to worry him, she pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile and nodded. "Just thinking…"

"Everything will be alright." He pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled her to his arms in a tight hug.

And that was all she needed in order to let go of her worries. Katherine allowed him to comfort her as she leaned her head against his chest and inhaled his scent that she loved so much. 'Indeed, everything will be alright.'

Their anticipation was cut half an hour later when a phone started ringing, and Chris immediately answered it. He appeared to be very stressed—his brows hadn't relaxed since earlier, and he had been pacing up and down.

Pressing the speaker button, he held the phone in his palm, and everyone listened as Director Hughes spoke.

"I have checked from my end, and whatever you told me earlier, Christopher, are the same details that I see here. Everything from seven years ago is marked classified—not empty like what you see there—classified," informed Director Hughes.

"What does that mean? Have you accessed it?" Chris impatiently asked.

"I tried. But I also don't have access—even at my level of clearance. So the only way I could access it is to make a legal request in order for me to view the information, which will take weeks before it will be approved, mind you. And whatever the reason for this classification, it will be on permanent record that I request an access for it."

"What are you saying? That there's no way to find out?!"

"I could file a request, but I don't think you can wait for the approval. However…" She took a deep breath. "This I can tell you for now… There could be two possibilities why Ms. Chang's history is sealed. She's either under a witness protection program or her identity could be unique... like Ms. Young's… or yours."