FAZER LOGINA man who should not have been in Jouleston stood in her office.Leon wore a dark blue striped shirt tucked into matching trousers, with a wool coat draped over the crook of his arm. He looked polished and professional, as he always did."I came to Jouleston for an AI forum," he said. "It just ended. I was passing by and thought I'd try my luck. See if I could catch you."Diana was always busy with official work and often out of the office. If he had arrived 20 minutes later, she would already have left for a district government meeting.Theodore's voice over the phone had been loud enough. Leon must have overheard at least part of it. That was likely why he looked at her the way he did now, uneasy and concerned.Before she could answer, he asked, "Are you alright? Is there anything I can help with?"Theodore's tone had been harsh. Leon feared she might not take it well. If it had been someone like Helen being scolded by family, her eyes would already be red.Diana looked calm,
After a brief hesitation, Theodore said, his tone evasive, "What aunt of Megan's? I have no idea what you're talking about."Diana fell silent. She drew a steady breath, as if forcing her emotions back under control. "If you don't know, then my mother probably does.""Diana!"The line set Theodore off at once. His breathing grew heavy. He sounded as though he wanted to curse her out but did not dare, so he swallowed his anger instead. "Do you have to tear this family apart before you're satisfied? This is ancient history. Why drag it up now?"'So he panicked…' Over the years, Diana had seen plenty of people grow more furious as they felt more exposed. She had never imagined Theodore would be one of them.As far as she could remember, his marriage to Florence had been stable. The only thing they ever truly clashed over was Megan.Like Florence, Diana once believed Theodore favored Megan out of pity for a child who had grown up without parents.That belief changed last year.At a
The seriousness in Julian's voice was impossible to miss.On the other end, Raymond's brow tightened. "What do you mean? Just because of that, you think our family…""I'm not finished." Julian paused, weighing his words before continuing. "Elliot also found that, before the incident, your father had frequent contact with that police chief."At that, Raymond fell silent. His brows drew together, tense.No one else in the Hutton family would do something like that. But his father was capable of acting rashly.After a brief pause, Raymond sorted through the details and did not dare make any promises. "I'll call my sister right now. She's always dealt with Mr. Tarrant. She should be able to find out what happened back then."Joshua Tarrant had been Brimcrest's top police officer at the time. Now that Julian mentioned it, Raymond remembered that his family did know someone like him.In recent years, Diana had handled the family's social and political ties.When Raymond hung up and c
This time, it was not just Sydney. Even Julian showed a flicker of surprise.Sydney pressed her lips together and continued, "I just went to the police station. Penelope said something similar."Julian understood at once. "It's too much of a coincidence. That's why you want to get to the bottom of it, right?"Sydney nodded. "Yeah." If it had only been Jeremiah, she might have talked herself out of it. But now two people who did not even know each other had said the same thing.No matter how much she trusted the Huttons, she still had to ask herself:What if?Her adoptive parents had saved her life and raised her. She could never repay that debt. She could not let their deaths be glossed over because of her own private feelings.Besides, the Huttons were not only Florence and her offspring. There were others in it as well.Julian squeezed her palm, offering silent support. "From everything I've seen over the years, the Huttons would never be careless in anything involving drug
At that moment, the officer outside heard the commotion and pushed the door open. The instant he saw Sydney standing there, unharmed, he let out a breath. "Ms. Wilson, are you all right?""I'm fine." Sydney stepped aside to let him pass.As she moved, the edge of her vision caught Penelope's pale face. Nothing stirred in her. She simply turned to thank the officer. "Perfect timing. We're done talking anyway. Sorry for the trouble."Moments earlier, Penelope had still been shouting, her voice clashing with the rattle of chains and the scrape of the chair.Sydney had not caught every word. She did not want to. If she listened any longer, she feared she would lose what little composure she had left.As soon as Sydney stepped out of the interview room, she ran into Peter hurrying toward her. "Ms. Wilson!"He had watched her grow up. One look told him something was wrong. "Did Penelope say something awful to you?""No." Sydney forced a smile and shook her head. "I'm just a little tir
A sudden chill ran through Sydney, as if the cold from outside had seeped into her blood and left every inch of her body cold.She had no way to tell whether Penelope was telling the truth or lying. She only knew the words were like a poisoned needle. They struck with precise accuracy and pried open the suspicion she had worked so hard to suppress.Penelope and Jeremiah likely did not even know each other, yet what they said matched exactly.Could it be that the Hutton family had really played a part in that murder? And if they held that kind of power, did that mean they had long known the truth about her identity?'Then all the kindness they've shown me… Is it guilt, or is it real?'Sydney's nails dug into her palms, leaving red marks. The sharp pain pulled her back to a thread of reason."A mistake?" She rose abruptly, leaned forward slightly, and looked down at Penelope. Her voice was unexpectedly calm. "Penelope, do you take me for a child? If you think two vague lines can bu
Sydney held up a dark pinstriped suit. "Try this one? I think it'd look great on you."The associate swore she wasn't imagining it. At Sydney's words, the man's aura softened, even flickering with interest. They looked like a newlywed couple navigating a business partnership, still adjusting to eac
Sydney's body went cold. She had always loved small, fluffy animals, especially puppies. But Julian was allergic to dog hair, so she had never been allowed one.Until her sixteenth birthday. Against all odds, Julian had given her a little border collie. She had named it Yoyo.Not long after, both
"I don't let things slide even if I'm wrong." Julian's tone was mocking, yet each word landed with precision. "Tell me, why should I let someone off when I'm the one in the right?"The world had long called him an arrogant king of the underworld. Caleb hadn't expected him to be this ruthless—so rut
Unfortunately, it was useless. This was a natural lake, with only a small section stretching into the Sterling family's backyard.Jouleston's winters were bitter, but not enough to freeze the entire lake solid. Even if Sydney knelt on the thickest patch, her body heat would slowly melt the ice bene







