Chapter 3

After the incident on the school forum, Fiona kept a low profile for a few days.

Mary went about her usual routine—school, home, meals—with a level of emotional composure that seemed far beyond her years.

The calmer she seemed, the less I dared to let my guard down.

One night, I went downstairs to get some water. As I passed by the living room, I noticed a desk lamp glowing in the corner.

Mary sat on the couch. The cold glow of her laptop illuminated her face. A pile of printed documents was spread out beside her.

I glanced over from a distance.

Those documents were some sort of old case.

Someone took the fall for someone else.

There was surveillance footage of an accident.

I instantly paused mid-stride.

Those words alone were enough to set off every alarm in my head.

Mary did not return to us simply to reconnect with her biological family.

She had an agenda.

I stayed where I was, motionless.

Mary looked up at me. “Is there something wrong?”

I immediately steadied the glass in my hand.

“Just getting some water.”

She closed her laptop quickly, but without the slightest hint of panic.

“Get some sleep.”

I nodded and headed upstairs, but my heart pounded increasingly fast.

What was she investigating?

Was she digging into some old business involving our family?

Was she looking into something our family had gotten involved with that they never should have touched?

Or were the people behind her using her return to us as an excuse to turn our family inside out and root out every problem?

The next day, I had Vincent look into everyone who had worked for us over the past ten years, including the drivers, butlers, former employees, as well as traffic accidents and compensation disputes.

Vincent looked confused. “Mr. Winsley, do you really want me to look into all of that?”

I gave him a cold look.

“Yes. It’s better to check everything.”

Three days later, he brought me a preliminary report.

It included a traffic accident from five years ago.

Our family driver, Arthur Strong, was drunk when he drove on the road. He hit and killed a young man. They convicted Arthur and sent him to prison.

Dad and the former butler, Robert Townsend, had handled the matter back then. They kept it as quiet as possible.

When I reached that part of the report, my brow slowly furrowed.

Around the same time, Fiona had coincidentally taken a trip abroad to “clear her head.” However, the details of the trip were vague, and the flight records did not line up.

At dinner, Dad brought up a birthday party.

“Fiona’s birthday is next week. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to officially introduce Mary to everyone in our social circle. I want both of you there.”

Fiona lowered her eyes and said softly, “Dad, you don’t have to throw a birthday party just for me. Mary just came home. Everyone’s bound to be more interested in her.”

Mom immediately felt sorry for her.

“What are you talking about? Of course, we’re celebrating your birthday.”

Dad nodded.

“The party is happening. Everyone should already know that we’ve found Mary. Nonetheless, you’re also our daughter.”

As soon as he said that, I noticed the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of Fiona’s mouth as she lowered her head.

She planned to make her move at the birthday party.

A public event with crowds, reporters, and plenty of guests was the perfect place to smear someone. Once the damage was done, even defending herself would make her look desperate.

I made arrangements ahead of time for tighter security. I had someone to screen the media guest list. Then, I backed up all the surveillance footage and had people keep an eye on Fiona’s friends.

The day before the birthday party, Fiona came to see me.

She stood at the study room door. Her eyes were reddened from tears.

“John, I know you care more about Mary. But I didn’t mean to hurt her with what happened on the forum. Please believe me, okay?”