When Dylan spun the woman around to face him, his expression darkened instantly, like a shadow passing over his features.
From behind, she had looked strikingly similar to Suzy, but her front was a different story. Her appearance was plain, a far cry from Suzy’s striking beauty.
The fact that he’d even momentarily considered Suzy attractive only made Dylan's scowl deepen.
"Hey, handsome, your approach is pretty unique. I like it," the woman said with a playful smile, leaning toward him. "I live close by. How about we..."
"I’ve got the wrong person," Dylan cut her off.
As he stepped back, the woman nearly stumbled but wasn’t discouraged. She moved closer again. "Don’t be shy. We’re both adults here. What’s there to hold back?"
With a sharp glare, Dylan signaled to Desmond, who quickly stepped in to handle the situation.
Once the two of them had driven off, Suzy slipped into Allen’s car, slowly peeling off the human-skin mask from her face.
She had thought their encounter was a coincidence, but it turned out Dylan had deliberately come looking for her.
But why? After all the commotion, what was he trying to achieve? She had already stepped aside. What more could he possibly want?
Allen seemed equally puzzled. His curiosity finally got the better of him, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, I just found out... Dylan wasn’t looking for Red Falcon. He’s been trying to find his missing wife…”
"Yeah, that’s me," Suzy said calmly.
There was no point in hiding it anymore.
"...You’re married?" Allen was visibly stunned.
"Was. I got married, then divorced."
"Was it because of Anne?" Allen’s tone was laced with frustration.
The fact that Dylan was willing to spend two hundred million dollars on Anne was a clear sign of their deep connection.
Unable to hold back, Allen muttered a curse under his breath. "Like mother, like daughter. She’s just as rotten as her mom."
Suzy immediately caught the significance of his words. "You and the Wheeler family..."
"I have nothing to do with the Wheelers," Allen said sharply, gripping the steering wheel.
It was a painful chapter of Allen’s life, one he had never shared with Suzy. He had always planned to take his revenge quietly, without burdening her with his past.
After all, Suzy had her own scores to settle.
Anne’s mother, Helena Fox, and his own were cousins.
An unexpected tragedy left her an orphan, and his grandmother, moved by sympathy, took Helena in.
Little did she know, she was nurturing a wolf in sheep’s clothing. On the surface, Helena seemed sweet and caring, but beneath that facade, she was as cold and calculating.
When Allen was eight, he walked in on his father, William Wheeler, having an affair with Helena while his mother was away on a business trip — and in his mother's own bed, no less.
Not long after, they drove his mother to her death and tried to burn him alive.
He suffered severe burns across most of his body.
If it hadn’t been for Suzy saving him while he was trying to escape, he wouldn’t even be alive today.
She nursed him back to health, gave him a new face, and turned him into the person he was now — someone William wouldn’t recognize, even if they stood face to face.
Suzy could tell at a glance that Allen was lying.
Since he didn’t want to delve deeper into the subject, she didn’t push him further.
Everyone has their own secrets.
She shifted the conversation. "Did you take care of what I asked before I left?"
Allen opened the glove compartment and pulled out a blue folder. "The investigation confirms that there’s never been any conflict between the Goodwin family and the Turner family, not now or three years ago. And there's no way the Goodwins could learn about your real identity."
Suzy had once been the heiress of the Frosts, the wealthiest family.
Years ago, a brutal assassination wiped out her entire family in a single night, from relatives to servants—a total of thirty lives, all murdered.
The killers were beyond cruel.
Everyone believed that no one from the Frost family survived, unaware that someone had risked their life to save Suzy.
For years, she had kept her identity hidden.
Apart from Allen, Raven Murray, and Riley White, no one else knew who she really was.
And none of them would ever betray her.
Suzy opened the folder, flipping through the pages.
She found nothing out of the ordinary; everything seemed in order.
Yet, three years ago, she distinctly remembered the kidnappers mentioning the Goodwin family.
Closing the folder, she tossed it aside casually. "You can dodge the first blow, but not the second."
"Yes, if the Goodwin family is really involved, no matter how powerful they are, they’ll pay the price in full," Allen said before asking, "What about Claude?"
Suzy leaned back in her chair, her eyes half-closed. "He returned early. I didn’t get a chance to see him."
"So, are we heading to the Harlow family next?"
"We’ll see."
After all the running around, Suzy was feeling tired.
She’d head home for some rest first.
Besides, Anne’s second wave of poisoning was set for tonight.
Suzy needed to be well-rested to fully enjoy what was about to unfold.
…
That night, at the hospital.
Anne had been unusually thirsty since dinner. She drank plenty of water, yet the discomfort only worsened.
She knew it was time—the second wave of the poison was hitting.
In a panic, she called Dylan.
"Mr. Dylan, where are you? I feel so awful..." she moaned as soon as the line connected, not waiting for a response.
But it wasn’t Dylan who answered—it was his sister, Diana Wright.
"Feeling awful? Call a doctor. What’s the point of calling my brother?"
Diana had always disliked Anne.
"And this is my final warning. My brother is married. Whether it’s me or my grandmother, we’ve both accepted his wife as family. You’d better stay far away from him."
Anne wasn’t fond of Diana either. "Oh really? You probably don’t know that they’re divorced, do you? And it was Suzy who initiated it."
"You're lying!" Diana snapped, not believing a word. "My sister-in-law loves my brother. There’s no way she would ever ask for a divorce."
"If you don't believe me, go ask your brother. And by the way, your dear sister-in-law has run off with some random guy and hasn’t been seen since!"
"You witch! Say one more bad word about her, and I'll rip your mouth apart..." Diana was in the middle of her furious rant when the phone was snatched away by Dylan.
She looked up. "Brother, that witch Anne just said that your wife wants a divorce!"
Dylan’s face was cold. "Watch your manners."
"My manners? I rather show some manners to a dog than her! Now tell me—is Suzy divorcing you or not?"
"That’s none of your business," he said, his dark eyes narrowing. "What you should be focused on is your exam tomorrow."
With that, he turned to leave.
Diana chased after him. "How can it not concern me? She saved Grandma’s life! If it weren’t for her, we’d both be orphans by now. You can’t be so heartless..."
No matter what she said, Dylan kept walking without a word.
Frustrated, Diana stomped her foot. "I’m calling Grandma!"
Dylan knew Diana would go straight to Grace to complain.
He couldn’t figure out what spell Suzy had cast over both his grandmother and his sister.
They adored her to the point of obsession.
The only reason he hadn’t launched a full search for Suzy was to avoid alarming Grace, who was currently enjoying her vacation overseas. But now it seemed the secret was out.
With that thought, he redialed Anne’s number to find out how she knew about the divorce.
"Mr. Dylan, Mr. Dylan..."
The moment the call connected, Anne’s pained voice came through.
"What’s wrong?" Dylan asked.
"I feel terrible, I really feel like I’m dying. Please come and save me!"
"Don’t panic. I’m on my way."
