Chapter 260

“Hey, is your sister-in-law really that gorgeous? Your cousin is so handsome, even my tomcat, Lily, couldn’t resist his charm.”

Cheryl snapped out of her thoughts and replied proudly, “Of course! Teresa is stunning—beautiful skin, a great figure. She’s got it all.”

“Why don’t you try to be more like her? Look at you now—getting chubby, no figure left, and your face is rounder than ever.”

“Mind your own business,” Cheryl shot back. Ever since she got pregnant, she’d been eating a lot, but she didn’t think she was that overweight. “It’s not like you’re planning to marry me anyway.”

After hanging up, Cheryl decided to contact Teresa. When Teresa wanted to sell her house in Lonisburg, Cheryl was the first person she contacted. Teresa thought Cheryl might need a place to stay, considering how far along she was in her pregnancy. Teresa was desperate for cash. She had originally bought the house for 450,000 but was now willing to sell it for 390,000. She figured if Cheryl wanted it, she’d rather sell it to her than to someone else.

Cheryl told her, “I don’t have that much cash, so I can’t afford your house. But hey, I have a friend who’s looking to buy a place in Lonisburg. Send me the location, and I’ll talk to him to see if he’s interested.”

“Alright, thanks for helping me out.”

“Teresa, I asked my friend—he’s interested in checking out the house. If it suits him, we can negotiate the price.”

“I’m stuck in Fernlandia and can’t return. There’s a spare set of keys. I’ll tell you where to find them. You can handle the sale for me. My lowest price is 390,000.”

“Got it.” In the end, Cheryl paid Teresa 390,000, which Teresa accepted, and the house was sold. What Teresa didn’t know was that Cheryl turned around and sold the house to Benson for 510,000. Acting as the middleman, Cheryl pocketed a neat 120,000 profit.

With only 30,000 in cash initially, Cheryl added the 120,000 she earned from the deal, making a total of 150,000. She then used it all to purchase a shop in the city center.

Successfully unlocked!

Cheryl tried calling Teresa’s old number, but found it disconnected.

Chapter 260

Jonathan arrived in Nareigh alone and left alone, returning to where he started. Benny greeted him with a question, “Did you find her?”

“No,” Jonathan replied curtly.

“I thought about joining you in the search, but I was worried someone might recognize me. If that caused trouble for my dad, it’d be a mess I couldn’t clean up,” Benny explained.

Jonathan rubbed his temples, his voice heavy with frustration. “She’s not in Lonisburg. She sold the house.”

Benny raised an eyebrow, noting Teresa’s urgency to cash out. “Looks like she planned her escape well. By the way, when you two got married, did she ever mention liking any cities besides Nareigh?”

“Lonisburg,” Jonathan answered. “She liked its location—close to Nareigh and near her grandparents’ old home in Chesburg. Plus, Lonisburg doesn’t have as much competition as Nareigh.”

But Teresa wasn’t in Lonisburg, and Jonathan was left clueless about her next destination.

Benny stroked his chin thoughtfully. “What about alternative cities? You know, like how some people dream of moving to Shaville but end up in Strico instead.”

Jonathan glanced around, seemingly searching for something. Benny chuckled and unfolded a national map, revealing the names of various cities. “I’ve been studying this while you were in Lonisburg. My guess is Teresa’s back in the country.”

If Teresa was really back in the country, Jonathan immediately ruled out big cities like Jarisburg and Shaville because she burned through money like it was nothing.

Jonathan pointed to the upper part of the map. “What, you think she’s hiding out that far north now?” Benny joked.

Then Jonathan’s finger moved downward, and Benny quipped again, “Wait, don’t tell me she’s gone all the way that far south.”

Finally, Jonathan settled on cities near Nareigh and Lonisburg. He drummed his fingers on the table, his gaze fixed on the map. “She’s definitely still around here.”

“Why?”

“Just a hunch.”

Benny scoffed, “Seriously? Your hunches are a joke. The only time my gut let me down was because of that DNA test fiasco. 300,000 dollars, gone just like that.”

Benny would never forget losing that much money. He could already picture himself telling his future kids.

At Horizonlead Group, Miriam and Jennifer were led by the receptionist to Jonathan’s office.

Chapter 260

Jennifer had asked Donald to let Jonathan know about Teresa’s property in Lonisburg. She knew Jonathan was searching for Teresa and decided to let it slide, trusting his network might yield better results. “So, any luck?”

Jonathan shook his head, his expression heavy with frustration and defeat. That silent gesture said it all.

Jennifer took a deep breath, disappointment flashing in her eyes. “Even you couldn’t find her? And you two were married!”

Miriam shot Jennifer a sharp look. “Jennifer, can you just stop talking? You’re not helping.”

Jennifer, unwilling to argue, replied curtly, “The priority right now is finding Teresa. I don’t know if she’s avoiding me, her ex-husband, or someone else entirely.”

Miriam retorted, “Isn’t it obvious? She’s avoiding you.”

“Miriam, must you always be so sharp-tongued? She’s my sister. I care about her more than anyone else.”

“Really? Then why did she leave so decisively? She knew you were aware of her property in Lonisburg. She was guarding against you, Jennifer. Teresa just doesn’t want to live with you.”

They were at each other’s throats, their voices rising with every word. Benny rubbed his temples, muttered something about urgent business, and bolted before the argument got worse. Jonathan, equally unwilling to get dragged into their fight, decided to vacate the area. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

The next second, Miriam’s phone rang.