Chapter 16
Sunlight streamed through the spacious room where Kellan sat behind his desk. His crisp shirt now lay deliciously rumpled, the tie discarded somewhere unseen. The top buttons hung open, offering an enticing glimpse of skin beneath.
“Kellan,” Hayden began carefully, “I’ve searched for two days straight and checked every relevant surveillance. There’s no trace of the woman you described. Is it possible… you might be mistaken?”
A single flick of Kellan’s icy gaze silenced him. Hayden’s mouth snapped shut.
“My memory doesn’t make mistakes. Meaning you’re just not good enough.” The chilling simplicity of Kellan’s words froze Hayden’s next protest.
Hayden kept swallowing hard, nodding way too fast. “Alright, alright. I’ll go through everything again.”
Hayden practically buried himself in his computer screen to avoid Kellan’s gaze.
Kellan slowly closed his eyes as memories surged.
The woman with wind–whipped hair, driving like a storm to draw enemies away. The Bauta–masked woman whose calm eyes belied crisp movements. And that silver–tongued woman from the Sinclair mansion, fingers glinting with sliver needles.
Yet inexplicably, the three silhouettes converged in Kellan’s mind. His eyes snapped open as the glass beside his hand shattered on the floor.
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The Lambert mansion braced for a quarrel.
Restlessness pricked at Adrian the moment he entered the mansion, its silence scraping his nerves raw.
The table was spread with washed fruit, but Adrian instantly noted the absence of Lydia’s beloved cherries.
‘Since Zina’s return, Dad and Mom have been increasingly bewitched.‘ Adrian thought darkly.
Adrian stormed up to the second floor and pounded on Zina’s door.
A few seconds later, the door swung inward, but Yvonne stood blocking the threshold, her expression frosting over.
The scolding words Adrian had readied froze at his lips as he stared and stunned. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“Since when did you pick up pounding on doors like a common thug, Adrian?” Yvonne scolded.
Adrian flustered, fists curling tight at his sides. But he didn’t explain.
“Mom,” Adrian held his ground, “can’t you see our home’s been in constant chaos since Zina returned? Lydia is my sister too -the one I watched grow up.
“How could you hand the bracelets to Zina so easily? We don’t even know her real intentions yet.”
“You… “Yvonne sighed deeply to herself.
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Chapter 16
Spotting that sliver of light from Lydia’s barely–open door, Yvonne had no surprise that the girl was probably peeking through the crack.
Yvonne opened her mouth to protest, then snapped it shut and cut herself off mid–sentence. “I’ve been neglecting Lydia.”
Adrian went on, “Mom, don’t you think it’s a bit sudden, Zina popping back up like this? No sooner did our stocks rise than she showed up. Doesn’t that strike you as a little too convenient?”
Warming to his theory, Adrian spoke with growing conviction, his eyes lit up. He was completely oblivious to Yvonne beside him, her expression darkening by the second.
“Adrian,” Yvonne demanded with a low voice, “you’re a doctor with a doctorate in medicine. Are you seriously suggesting a paternity test can be faked?”
Adrian rarely saw Yvonne look this stern. His heart skipped a beat, and a rare hint of unsettled fluttered through him.
“Mom, that’s not what I meant.” Adrian defended in an earnest tone.
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