Chapter 147

Vespera did her best to act natural, but a flood of memories surged into her mind. Her eyes lost focus, and her cheeks flushed red. She felt like dying; she had no idea where the thoughts came from.

“Anyway, it’s probably best if you stop drinking,” stammered Vespera, tongue-tied.

Dominic didn’t call her out. Instead, he placed the glass down obediently. “Alright, I won’t drink anymore. I’ll listen to whatever you say.”

Those woods were like electric hooks, tugging at Vespera’s heartstrings. For a moment, she looked dazed, her face flushed as if she’d applied blush. Dominic sensed Vespera’s unusual state. “Ms. Gildon, you didn’t drink any alcohol, so why do you look drunk? Your face is so red. Are you catching a cold?”

He reached out and gently touched her forehead and cheek with the back of his hand. The moment he leaned in, his irresistible masculine scent enveloped her. Vespera stood frozen as her gaze lingered over Dominic’s lips, Adam’s apple, and collarbone. She believed she had strong self-control and moral boundaries. She wasn’t man-crazy, either. But he really needed to stop seducing her. She was close to losing her composure.

“I’m fine!” Vespera quickly stepped back to shake off the tingling sensation in her chest. She pressed her temple, thinking it must be because she hadn’t been around a man in far too long. She immediately tried to regain her composure.

“Ms. Oudon, are you sure you’re fine?” Dominic stepped closer.

Vespera dodged slightly, vigilantly. “I’m totally fine. I’m just a bit tired.”

Then, she changed the subject. “Mr. Reid, didn’t you say that if you lost, you would tell me where Jade’s grandmother is? You lost, so tell me.”

“Let’s sit and talk.”

Dominic walked over to the couch and sat down. Instead of joining him, Vespera sat on a barstool near the wine cabinet.

Dominic looked at Vespera, who was seated what felt like a thousand miles away. “Ms. Gildon, at this rate, you might as well go sit by the restrooms and chat with me through a megaphone.”

Vespera was at a loss for words. She got up and sat down on the far edge of the couch. Now, she wasn’t only afraid of Dominic; she was afraid of herself, too. Speechlessly, Dominic stared at Vespera for a while before saying seriously, “What you want to know is whether Jade’s grandmother is still alive and whether she’s still living at her house, right?”

Vespera didn’t hide her suspicion. “I smelled something rotten in her house. Calvert said it was a cat, but I couldn’t help wondering… What if it wasn’t only a cat?”

You mean Jade’s grandmother?!

“Of course, it isn’t. Don’t let your imagination run wild.”

“So, where did Jade’s grandmother go?”

“She passed away last week.”

Vespera froze for a moment as a wave of unexpected sadness rose in her heart. Tamara… still passed away.

Dominic’s voice softened. “Jade doesn’t have any uncles. She only has an aunt. The house we visited was indeed Watson Manor, but the person who greeted us was her elderly neighbor from next door. Jade paid her a good sum of money to act as her grandmother.”

“As there wasn’t enough time to clean everything up properly, the yard was a mess. The windowsills were dusty as well.”

Vespera nodded. “What about her parents?”

Dominic answered, “Her parents divorced. Her mother remarried, and her father died in an accident the year before last. Her grandmother was taken in by her aunt last year because she fell ill.”

At that, everything suddenly made sense. Jade was already mentally unstable. Then, she lost her family members one after another.

Vespera had thought that when Jade was getting her face treated, her happiness was genuine, but she had probably just put on a mask as she was in despair.

Perhaps from the very beginning, from the moment they showed up, Jade realized that her chance for revenge had vanished. She had figured out the location Tina had mentioned from the clues they offered. Back then, she didn’t know that Tina would also be there, so she used them as bait, hoping to lure Tina in. However, she didn’t know that Tina was already on her way.

Tina was cruel and ruthless, but also arrogant. She never once took Jade seriously or paid attention to what the latter said; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so careless.

“Thank you for explaining everything to me, Mr. Reid.”

“No need to thank me. I only found out by chance. A friend from the village mentioned it, and I figured you might be interested, so I asked a few more questions,” responded Dominic casually.

“Why did you go to the village today?” Vespera asked cautiously, even though she already had a hunch.

Dominic still answered casually, “I finalized a business deal, and that friend invited me to his friend’s place for some home-cooked countryside food. It was pure coincidence that I ran into you all and happened to learn a few things.”

Then, he paused for a moment. “Did you know that the man you’re looking for is childhood friends with Jade?”

“Are they from the same village?”

“Yeah. They even got into the same top high school in the city. You know what’s funny? The man who hosted us for dinner today is that guy’s uncle.” Upon hearing that, Vespera was stunned.