Chapter 46: A Determined Search

Sunday morning arrived, but there was little peace inside the Sterling Mansion.

Golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the elegant marble floors and expensive furnishings. The mansion looked as grand as ever.

Yet to Damian Sterling...

It felt unusually empty.

He stood alone on the balcony outside his bedroom, a cup of coffee growing cold in his hand.

His thoughts remained fixed on one person.

Helen Morris.

She had agreed to tell him the truth.

After three years of silence, she had finally decided to speak.

Yet before he and Lucas arrived...

She had disappeared.

It couldn't have been a coincidence.

Someone had known about the meeting.

Someone had warned her.

Someone was desperately protecting a secret.

Damian tightened his grip on the coffee cup.

Whatever that secret was...

He intended to uncover it.

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in."

Lucas Bennett entered the study carrying a thick folder.

Although it was Sunday, Damian had asked him to come to the mansion.

Some questions simply couldn't wait until Monday.

Lucas placed the folder on the desk.

"I reviewed everything again last night."

Damian motioned for him to sit.

"What did you find?"

Lucas opened the file and spread several documents across the desk.

"I reconstructed the timeline."

"The meeting with Helen Morris was arranged on Friday afternoon."

"Only three people knew the exact time and location."

"You."

"Me."

"And Helen."

Damian studied the papers silently.

Lucas continued.

"I also spoke to the security officer in your building."

Damian looked up.

"Did he notice anything?"

"He remembered Sophia visiting Sterling Group that morning."

Damian frowned slightly.

"She came to bring me lunch."

"Yes."

Lucas nodded.

"But according to him, she waited outside your office for several minutes before leaving."

Damian slowly leaned back in his chair.

He remembered that day.

He and Lucas had been discussing the meeting inside his office.

The door hadn't been completely closed.

His expression darkened.

"She could have overheard us."

Lucas didn't immediately respond.

"I can't prove it."

"But the timing raises questions."

Damian looked out of the window.

Questions.

That was all he had lately.

Questions with no answers.

After a long silence, he spoke.

"Continue investigating."

"I don't care how long it takes."

"If someone lied to me..."

"If someone destroyed lives..."

"I need the truth."

Lucas nodded firmly.

"I'll start again tomorrow."

"This time, we'll be more careful."

Damian gave a slow nod.

"No one else can know what we're doing."

"Understood."

Lucas gathered the documents before quietly leaving the study.

Damian remained standing by the window.

His reflection stared back at him.

For years...

He had believed the past was over.

Now...

It felt closer than ever.

Across New York...

Evelyn Hartley's apartment was filled with laughter.

Sunday had become Ethan's favourite day of the week.

Because Sunday belonged entirely to Mummy.

After breakfast, colourful toy blocks covered the living room floor.

Evelyn carefully placed another block on top of the tower.

"There."

"It's almost finished."

Three-year-old Ethan looked at the tall structure with sparkling eyes.

"It's huge!"

He clapped excitedly.

Then, with one playful push...

The tower came crashing down.

Blocks scattered across the carpet.

Ethan burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Evelyn laughed just as hard.

"Oh no!"

"You knocked down all our hard work."

Ethan giggled.

"Let's build another one!"

She smiled.

"All right."

"But this time..."

"We'll build one even taller."

For the next hour, they built castles, towers and bridges.

There were no business meetings.

No painful memories.

No thoughts of Damian.

Only a mother making precious memories with her son.

Later that afternoon, Evelyn and Ethan baked chocolate cookies together.

Flour ended up on Ethan's nose.

He looked so serious while stirring the mixture that Evelyn couldn't stop smiling.

"My little chef."

"I'm helping!"

"You certainly are."

The timer finally rang.

As the warm smell of freshly baked cookies filled the apartment, Ethan proudly held one up.

"I made this one for you."

Evelyn accepted it as though it were the greatest gift in the world.

"Thank you."

She kissed his forehead.

"It's perfect."

Watching Ethan smile reminded her of something she often forgot.

Happiness didn't always come from grand moments.

Sometimes...

It came from ordinary Sundays spent with the people who mattered most.

Back at the Sterling Mansion...

Sophia Blake sat alone in the living room, pretending to read a magazine.

She hadn't turned a single page in nearly twenty minutes.

Her thoughts were elsewhere.

She kept replaying the events of the previous afternoon.

Helen Morris had disappeared before Damian could reach her.

Mr. Carter had done exactly as instructed.

For now...

The truth remained hidden.

But instead of feeling relieved, Sophia felt increasingly uneasy.

She knew Damian too well.

He wasn't the kind of man who gave up easily.

If one lead disappeared...

He would find another.

Just then, she heard footsteps descending the staircase.

Damian emerged from the second floor, dressed casually.

He barely glanced at her.

"I'm heading out for a while."

Sophia immediately stood.

"Where are you going?"

"Just out."

His answer was brief.

"Will you be back for dinner?"

"I'm not sure."

Before she could ask another question, Damian picked up his car keys and walked out of the mansion.

The front door closed behind him.

Sophia remained standing in the silent living room.

Her uneasiness deepened.

Lately, Damian had become distant.

He spoke less.

He spent more time alone.

And there was a look in his eyes she hadn't seen before.

Determination.

He was searching for something.

Or...

Someone.

Sophia slowly sat back down, her fingers tightening around the magazine.

"No..."

She whispered under her breath.

"You can't find out."

"If you discover the truth..."

"I'll lose everything."

For the first time in years...

Sophia wasn't confident she could control what happened next.

And that frightened her more than anything else.