"How likeable was she?" Ian continued asking."How likeable…" Nate murmured and tried to recall. "Well, both guys and girls adored her. She had a gazillion of admirers back then, but—""But what?" Ian turned his head slightly to stare at him."She rejected all their advances, saying she was already committed to someone and that she'd only marry that person."Ian's heart sank. Eunice had had someone in mind back then. Who was it?"Who was he?""I don't know. You can ask Bailey about that. That brat has more information than I do." Nate passed the baton to his sister. In the meantime, Bailey secretly went to collect something from Creekside Villas and left. By the time she arrived at Moore Manor, it was 6:00 pm.She grabbed the exquisite bag from her passenger seat and dashed straight to Marcus' study, ignoring Ian on the couch.Noticing her sneaky and frantic actions, Ian narrowed his eyes and caught a detail on the bag she was holding. The illustration and signature on the ba
"You'd better answer me unless you want to go on refinement training after the holidays," Ian added coldly."Please don't, Mr. Moore," Wesley replied quickly."Then, tell me!""Well, it is indeed a private kitchen, but the owner is…"Wesley had no choice this time. He'd been able to cover up the truth when Ian had been out of the loop, but that wasn't the case anymore.He gritted his teeth, saying, "Mrs. Moore."Ian was stunned. Although he had suspected it, he couldn't contain his shock upon confirming it.After confessing, Wesley received nothing but a prolonged silence from Ian. The call remained connected, and he dared not end it either. After some time, he finally heard Ian's voice. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"Wesley was aggrieved. "Mrs. Moore didn't let me. She said you wouldn't eat her cooking. To prevent wasting food, she told me to cover up the truth."After another brief silence, Ian announced, "Say goodbye to your bonus for next year."Wesley's chest tighte
Since Spencer would reimburse the money for Lucille, she had a fun time sending everyone cash gifts that year. Similarly, those who received her generous gifts were shocked and wondered whether her account had been hacked.Lying idly on the couch, Corey heard a notification ring from his phone and received a message, noting that an amount had been transferred to his bank account. When he expanded the message, he cussed out loud by instinct."Am I hallucinating?" Corey mumbled, then counted the number of zeros in the amount. After doing so, he cursed in his head again, "The fuck? Did that brat finally come to her senses? Or was her account hacked?"As such, he opened WhatsApp, tapped into his chat with "Lucy the Brat", and gave her a call. However, it was declined after a beep. He went to his contact list and called her number, but the result was the same.Left with no choice, he sent her a voice message. "Hey, brat. Has your bank account been hacked?"After a while, he received a
Out of reflex, Bailey responded, "Oh, that was a bag I took from my house.""Bailey!" Ian couldn't handle her stubbornness. "Don't test my limits!"After a momentary silence, she continued, "There's no point in getting angry, Uncle Ian." For Eunice's sake, she was bold this time. "I don't know where Eunice is. Even if you beat me to death, I won't magically obtain that information.""You—""What's with the ruckus?" An old but authoritative voice sounded in the living room. "Why are you looking so grim on such a joyous day? Does someone owe you money?" Marcus stood by the staircase on the second floor with his walking stick, his face solemn."Grandpa." Bailey heard Marcus' voice and knew her savior had arrived. She instantly turned toward the stairs and ascended them with quick steps before helping him down. Ian's countenance darkened as he watched silently.After settling into the main seat, Marcus glared harshly at his youngest son. "You're so capable, so why haven't you fou
No matter how unbearable Marcus' words were, Ian only reacted with a slight frown at most and nothing more. He didn't refute his father and simply ate his food in silence.Bailey couldn't help but admire Ian's patience and resilience. For a moment, she pitied him for looking so lonely.In the meantime, the reunion dinner atmosphere was vastly different at Layton Manor. Although it wasn't a crowded gathering, everyone wore a smile on their faces.The manor was appropriately decorated with festive lights and decoration. It had been a while since Lucille celebrated such a festive holiday. All of that was thanks to Spencer.Spencer had informed his family in advance regarding Lucille's return. As such, Lila had told the chefs to prepare milder food. When Lucille saw the table of dishes, she instantly understood Lila's intentions.Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected to experience familial love again, especially from the Laytons. She felt loved and appreciated; it was a
Zane blinked and said in his childish voice, "Lucy, I like you!"Lucille was slightly startled before bursting into a smile. She pinched his chubby cheeks and said, "I like you too, Zaney." However, Spencer frowned, as he could tell things weren't as simple as they seemed.Following that, he heard Zane's innocent voice again. "For you, Lucy." He passed the small box to Lucille with both hands.Glancing at the box and Zane, Lucille softly asked, "What's this?""This is all of my money!" Zane made a smacking sound with his lips and chattered, "Seth told me earlier that if I like a person, I must give her all my valuable things."Lucille was at a loss for words."Also, I want to marry you once I grow up!" Zane spoke continuously without taking a breath or panting. Instead, he became more excited."Seth said that if I like someone, I must also marry her and bring her home. But I'm still young, so I'll need to wait until I become like Spence. Then, I can finally marry you!"The more
"I'm not going out," Lucille muttered, pouting.At that, Spencer looked up at her and rang his deep voice. "Oh. What is it, then?"She replied, "Can I use Bethany and Barrett for something?"Bethany and Barrett usually stayed at Sparrow Residence, with the former occasionally tagging along on her outings. However, since Lucille's hospitalization, she had been staying at the manor.Her request amused Spencer. "I'm all yours. You don't even have to ask about using our manpower." Lucille smiled and realized he was right.Soon, Bethany and Barrett appeared in the ward. "Mrs. Layton, Mr. Layton," they said in unison.Spencer, who was still perusing the documents on the couch, grunted lightly.Then, Lucille gestured at them. "Come over here." The two arrived by her bed and looked at her in confusionWhen faced with Lucille, Bethany felt slightly guilty for being by her side every time she was involved in an accident. It felt almost like she was the jinx. Thus, she dared not follow Lu
"My men detected signs of life on three of those islands. They're not connected but follow a pattern where each island is separated by another. As of now, I can't confirm where the exact base is."The more Lucille listened, the more she fell deep into contemplation. "That's not right," she uttered.Hunter looked at her. "What's not?"She met his eyes. "Let me ask you—if it were you, would you leave those signs behind for people to discover?"Echelon 103 was not only known for its brutality but also for its mystery. Seeing how they had made a comeback, they certainly wouldn't have made such a basic mistake.Hunter gave it some thought. "So, you're saying it's a misdirection?"Lucille replied, "I don't know if it's a misdirection, but I'm fairly sure they're not on any of those three islands." She glanced at him with a questioning gaze, as if saying, "Have you been using your brain?"He stayed silent, knowing he would never be on the same level of intelligence as her to consider s