“Her mother manages the Rhodes Group singlehandedly, and she can't find time for Laura. If only that lady were still with us, the Rhodes Group would be in a much better state." Brenda recalled.

"That lady?" Lilah asked curiously.

Since the topic had been broached, Brenda didn't hold back. "Tracy has a younger sister; the two siblings are both strikingly beautiful.

Her younger sister, especially, is a marvel. She dazzled Eleywood with her different talented skills. Her business acumen is unparalleled. At just eighteen, she steered the Rhodes Group through a financial crisis."

Lilah recalled the collection of exquisite antiques and jewelry she had seen at the Rhodes family residence.

The woman who had assembled these treasures was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Lilah's curiosity peaked. "And then? Was she sick?"

Every now and then, Brenda let out a sigh. "She was not unwell.

She's vanished."

Lilah was stunned.

Vanished?

How could someone so brilliant simply disappear? She was missing. How could the Rhodes family fail to locate her?

Brenda pursed her lips and regarded Lilah with a steady gaze. Lilah sensed this was a secret of the upper echelons. “It doesn't matter.

Iwas just inquiring. If it's not fitting to discuss, forget I asked."

"It's not something inconvenient to disclose. In fact, the influential clans are aware. It's because she cheated on her boyfriend when she was about to get married. After that, rumors spread that she fled her home, unable to face the Rhodes family in her shame. She never returned. The original stronghold of the Rhodes family was in Eleywood. Her parents bore the brunt of it, and so their enterprises were relocated to Rivendell. They sought to evade the echoes of bygone days in familiar surroundings."

Lilah was shocked.

Brenda continued, “Though it's difficult for me to fathom that she could betray her boyfriend, it is true that she departed."

"I see..." Lilah let out a sigh, her emotions stirred. It was truly regrettable that a prodigious talent was lost to infidelity.

Her parents must have felt the blow keenly.

As Brenda and Lilah reached the parking lot, they beheld a familiar figure.

"You brat, you're here. Why didn't you go upstairs?" Brenda cursed as soon as she spotted Gerard.

Gerard said lightly, “If I had been there, it might've caused more trouble. Besides, I believed my darling could handle it quite well.”

His tender eyes turned toward Lilah, who responded with a smile, “Brenda, don't blame Gerard. He's the one who uncovered the culprit this time."

"It all depended on the clue you provided," Gerard said.