Chapter 265

“Yvette.” The bodyguard struggled to restrain himself, but there stood Howard, leaning on his cane, with Josiah close behind. Howard’s presence confirmed the private detective’s report. Yvette smirked. Everything the detective had uncovered was true! And Josiah was here! Their closeness meant Josiah was complicit in the deception.

“Perfect,” she nodded, her expression hardening. “Let’s go inside.” Her eyes narrowed. “I want to see what kind of woman could catch Howard’s eye. If she’s truly his hidden treasure, she must be extraordinary,” she muttered.

Howard suddenly grabbed her wrist, his dark eyes fixed on hers. His voice dropped to a serious tone. “You can go in, but there’s no woman there.”

“Oh?” Yvette raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Yes!” Josiah added, supporting Howard. Howard is just…

“Shut up!” Yvette snapped, interrupting him. “I know you’re with your brother! I don’t believe either of you!” She jerked her arm free, flung open the door, and stepped inside.

“Where is she? Come out!” Yvette stood in the living room, scanning the space with a sharp gaze.

Only eerie silence answered her. The stillness was unnerving, suggesting the house was unoccupied.

“No, this can’t be true,” Yvette whispered, dashing upstairs.

“Howard,” Josiah glanced at Howard before following.

Yvette stormed into the master bedroom, yanking open the walk-in closet to reveal emptiness. Room after room yielded the same result—empty and untouched.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Yvette’s face paled as she shook her head in disbelief. Josiah followed closely.

“Where is she?” Yvette turned on him, her eyes blazing. “There are clear signs someone’s been living here. Where have you hidden her?” The rooms had been hastily cleaned; the woman and her belongings had been concealed.

Josiah frowned deeply. “Yvette, you’re being paranoid. There’s no one here.”

Yvette gasped, her voice tight with frustration and pain. “Josiah, after all these years, do I not deserve the truth from you? Is your loyalty only to your brother? Are you going to help him deceive me?”

“Yvette,” Josiah began.

“Say something!” Yvette’s eyes were red-rimmed, tears streaming down her face. Her voice cracked. “Please, just tell me the truth!”

Howard arrived, leaning heavily on his cane. He gently took her hand. “What do you want Josiah to say? You’ve seen it yourself. Just stop causing a scene.”

“Causing a scene?” Yvette’s tears flowed anew. “I can’t believe you said that.” Her gaze hardened as she locked eyes with Howard. “You’re always one step ahead, aren’t you? You must be glad I failed to find her.” She knew Howard would be even more cautious now. “I’m not stupid! You know exactly what you’ve done to me.”

She pulled away from Howard, turned, and headed downstairs. Howard called after her, “Let me at least drive you home.”

“No need,” Yvette didn’t look back. Taking a deep breath, she threw the words over her shoulder. “I don’t want to see you or your dear brother.” She stormed down the stairs.

Howard and Josiah remained frozen, as if her words had petrified them.

Howard muttered, frowning, and called his aide, Hervey. “Have someone follow her and make sure she gets home safely.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Flynn. I’ll take care of it,” Hervey replied.

Forty minutes past the scheduled time, Yvette still hadn’t arrived at the studio. The artists grew restless.

“Is she coming or…?”

“She’s popular, but we all have work to do. Are we seriously waiting around for her?”

“Keep it down.”

“Why? Is it okay to be late?”

“Maybe we should have Ms. Lawrence call her again.”

Shannon, too, felt the pressure mounting. Gritting her teeth, she called Yvette again. The phone rang before connecting. “Yvette, are you stuck in traffic?”

“I’m not coming,” Yvette’s cold, dismissive voice cut through. She hung up before Shannon could respond.

Shannon stood stunned. What is she serious? she thought. And she didn’t even explain! How am I supposed to explain this to everyone?

However, Yvette was someone she couldn’t offend. Reluctantly, she entered the rehearsal room, forcing a smile. “Sorry, guys, Yvette’s schedule couldn’t be changed, so today’s rehearsal is canceled.”

Complaints and murmurs erupted.

“She could’ve told us earlier. Why make everyone wait so long?”

“Does she think her time is more valuable than ours?”

Shannon apologized profusely. “Sorry, everyone, I’m so sorry.” She turned to Sienna, her tone genuinely regretful. “Ms. Shaw, I’m so sorry to waste your time.”

“It’s fine,” Sienna smiled calmly, far more composed than the other artists. Even if Yvette hadn’t been late, she would have finished around the same time anyway. “I’m leaving then.”

“Take care, Ms. Shaw,” Shannon said.

In the dressing room, Sienna wondered, What was going on? Yvette had promised to come. Why didn’t she show up?

Her phone buzzed. A message from Josiah five minutes prior: “I’m here, by the front gate.”

After changing, she saw Josiah by the car.

“Are you tired?” Josiah took her bag as she approached.

“I didn’t do anything tonight,” Sienna shook her head, her gaze assessing. “Yvette didn’t show up. She made everyone wait. Do you know what happened?”

“What?” Josiah tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “How would I know?”

Seeing her doubt, he grinned. “Are you testing me? I really don’t know. If you’re curious, I could ask Howard.” He pulled out his phone.

“No need!” Sienna grabbed his arm. She couldn’t disturb Howard so late over this.

“Are you sure?” Josiah raised an eyebrow, teasingly. “I’m afraid you don’t trust me and might get jealous over something ridiculous.”

“Shut up!” Sienna glared before getting into the car.

Josiah watched her, his smile fading. Sorry, Sienna… Please forgive me for not telling you the full truth. It’s about Howard, and then there’s Rosie…

As Sienna settled in, she remembered something. “Did you find out who owns that phone number?”

Josiah nodded, his fingers tapping the steering wheel. “Sorry, Sienna. I found out…”