The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 853

In the car, Charlotte sat with her head turned away, refusing to even look at him. Anthony spent the entire drive trying to coax her out of her sulk, his words gentle and patient until, finally, she softened a little.

By the time they got home, Charlotte was fast asleep in his arms. Anthony carried her carefully into the bedroom, moving slowly so he wouldn’t wake her. As soon as he laid her down, her eyes fluttered open for a moment. She looked up at him, confused and sleepy, like a little deer caught in the headlights. She barely had time to focus before her eyes slid shut again and she drifted back to sleep.

Anthony leaned in, brushing a soft kiss against the corner of her mouth. He pulled the blanket over her, tucking her in with quiet tenderness. Only when he was sure she was sleeping soundly did he step out of the room and close the door behind him.

***

In the study, Hans had finished compiling a list of all the influential people in Solenia from twenty years ago, just as Anthony had asked. The stack of paper was thick, ten pages of names and details.

Anthony sat at the desk, pen in hand, flipping through the pages with his long, steady fingers. He glanced over the first ten names, crossing most of them out without a second thought.

“Anthony, about this…” Hans started, his brow creased with confusion.

They had only just tracked down these people’s identities. There hadn’t been time for a deeper investigation.

Anthony didn’t respond. He kept flipping pages, pen in constant motion, crossing off name after name. It didn’t take long for the original list of more than a hundred to shrink to less than thirty.

“Lottie isn’t mixed race, so these can go. The rest…” Anthony looked up, his eyes cold as he fixed them on Hans.

Hans followed his gaze and saw Anthony’s finger resting on the name of a man who was already in his nineties. Hans immediately went pale. He hurried to take the file back, bowing his head in apology. “I’m sorry, Anthony. We put this together in a rush. There must have been a mistake. I’ll fix it right away.”

“How’s my grandmother?” Anthony leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingers to his forehead with a tired sigh.

But then, if she’d already had the baby, why hadn’t she sent her to The Gates Family? Why go to such lengths to hide Lottie’s identity? Unless… Lottie’s father was still alive, and her mother didn’t want him to know about her. Or maybe there were other people who, if they found out, would try to hurt Lottie.

If that was true, Anthony had to get to the bottom of what happened all those years ago. And he needed to do it fast.

***

Across town, in a dorm at The Cabinda University, Olivia had just come back from class when her phone buzzed. The caller ID said Solenia.

Solenia? For a second, she wondered if Sunlight had changed their mind and wanted to take her on as a student. But as soon as she heard the voice on the other end, her expression shifted.

“A bracelet?” Olivia’s hand tightened around her phone. Her voice went cold. “I don’t know anything about a bracelet.”