The next morning, as soon as Charlotte stepped outside, she ran straight into Evander. She pretended nothing had happened the night before—just acted like she’d really been too drunk to remember.
“Vera said you brought me home last night. Thanks,” she said, and started toward the elevator.
He stepped in front of her, blocking her path, his eyes narrowing. “That’s it?”
She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You really don’t remember the nonsense you said last night?”
Charlotte pressed her lips together, a frown knitting her brow. “It was drunken rambling, Mr. Howard. Why take it so seriously?”
Evander just stared at her in silence.
“The elevator’s here. Move,” she said, brushing past him to step inside.
The metal doors slid shut between them, their gazes lingering until the last moment before they each disappeared from view.
Evander stood there for a moment, unmoving, until his phone rang. It was Natalie.
“Mr. Howard, we’ve identified those two people. They’re not with Miss Winthrop or the Pembrokes. One of them is the owner of a beauty spa named Zoe.”
He frowned. “Donovan?”
“She’s not related to Loretta Donovan’s family, but she’s well-connected in Riverspire’s social circles. She’s definitely someone with a background.”
Evander was silent for a moment. “Keep an eye on her for now.”
…
Julian walked out of the private testing lab, a sealed envelope in hand.
Wesley was waiting in the car. As soon as Julian climbed in, he handed over the envelope. “I paid extra to get the results fast.”
Wesley opened the file. The second he saw the 99% match, he almost couldn’t believe it.
“Well?” Julian asked, seeing Wesley’s stunned silence. He reached for the report, scanning it himself—then looked up in surprise. “She really is… Miss? I’ll call the boss right now!”
Wesley said nothing, letting Julian make the call. Even with the result in front of him, he couldn’t explain the strange sense of disappointment swelling inside.
Meanwhile, Charlotte spent her morning seeing patients. Near lunchtime, she got a call from Wesley, asking her to meet at a restaurant near the hospital.
When she arrived, Wesley was already waiting alone—Julian was nowhere in sight.
She stiffened. “Wait, which letter?”
He replied, “Rain. Like spring rain.”
That name… She was sure she’d seen it somewhere before. Suddenly, she remembered the emergency contacts in Stevenson’s file—besides his wife, there’d been a daughter.
And wasn’t her name Loretta?
Was it just a coincidence?
Or the same person?
She ate lunch with Wesley, then excused herself and left.
Wesley walked to the parking lot. As he approached his car, he heard someone call his name. He turned to see the window of a red sports car rolling down. A stylish woman in her forties stepped out, removing her sunglasses. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite nephew. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
Wesley smiled in surprise. “Aunt Zoe?”
Zoe looked him up and down with a fond sigh. “You look more like your father every year.” She wore silk gloves and, with a glint in her eye, rested a hand on his shoulder. “So, tell me—how’s your mother these days?”
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