Chapter 536:
Sean looked at her curiously. “Why do you ask?”
Zaylee’s breath caught, her heart skipping a beat. “She… she lives with the Owen family? The richest family?”
Sean raised an eyebrow. “Yes, that’s the Owen family’s home.”
Zaylee quickly regained her composure, trying to mask her shock. “But… the Owen family doesn’t have a daughter, only sons!”
Sean’s tone grew stern. “Zaylee, be honest with me. Did you and Rylie have a falling out? What really happened?”
Zaylee was struck silent, realizing that what Rylie had told her might not just be a coincidence. If Rylie was truly part of the wealthiest family in the country, if the phone call had been legitimate, and if Rylie really intended to blacklist the businesses of those who lied—Zaylee realized how badly her situation could spiral.
A cold dread washed over her. She grabbed Sean’s arm, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please help me! I don’t want my life ruined!”
Sean straightened, his voice turning grave. “What exactly happened? Don’t cry. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”
Despite his concern, Zaylee still refused to reveal the truth. Instead, she clung to the same lies she had told before.
Sean furrowed his brows, his mind racing. He couldn’t fathom that Rylie had actually shoved Connie toward the bear. While Rylie was hard to read, he refused to believe she was capable of such petty cruelty.
He gave Zaylee a long, doubtful look. “Is everything you’ve said true?”
As a retired veteran, the old man’s gaze was sharp enough to pierce through her. Zaylee felt exposed, as if every layer had been stripped away. She was still too young, too unpracticed in lying, and her eyes flickered nervously. “Y-yes, it’s true.”
Sean stayed silent for a long moment before speaking. “I’ll fix this for you. But only this once.”
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Brad hadn’t entered the study. He stood in the hallway, his expression cold.
“Only this once?” He repeated his grandfather’s words in his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, icy smirk.
Sean was sentimental, bound by the debt he owed Zaylee’s grandmother. That was why he was still willing to deal with this matter for Zaylee, even though he had somewhat realized that she wasn’t innocent. But Brad owed her nothing. What he wanted was the truth — to tear out the root of the trouble that had been hurting Rylie.
Moments later, Zaylee emerged from the study, relief softening her face. But the hallway was already empty.
That night, in a dimly lit bar on the streets of Fledo — a country far from Eshea — a woman stumbled out after hours of singing and dancing, her steps clumsy from drink. As she wavered down the street, several large men moved in, one clamping a hand over her mouth before shoving her into a car. The shock cleared her haze instantly. She struggled against their grip. “Mmph! Who… mmph… are you?!”
The leader pulled off his mask with a smirk. “We’re just following orders. But tell me, Ms. Lopez — do you remember taking money to pose as Zaylee’s mother, Mrs. Cullen?”
Joselyn Lopez’s chest tightened. “Did she send you?”
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