Chapter 364

Ian scratched his head, puzzled. Sure, they hadn’t worked with John in a while, but even then, the front desk had always been polite and cordial, at the very least.

So why the sudden change in attitude? He stepped up to the door, speaking clearly toward the inside.

“Hi, I just want to ask a few questions. I won’t take much of your time or disturb your boss. Would you mind opening the door so we can talk face-to-face for a minute?”

He kept his tone sincere, trying to strike a professional balance. But the moment he mentioned “your boss,” the receptionist’s face visibly shifted again.

“Our boss isn’t here anymore. You’d better just go. I’m leaving in a few days, too,” she replied curtly, voice sharp.

Her boss wasn’t here anymore? That made no sense.

“Then where is he? Can you at least tell me where he went?”

Without another word, the receptionist shut the inner door as well, clearly done with the conversation. The message was loud and clear: she didn’t want to talk, and he wasn’t welcome.

Ian stood there, snubbed, his expression stiff. He was the executive assistant to the general manager of Walton Corporation, and yet he was being treated like a nobody. It stung more than a little.

Fine. If they didn’t want to give him face, there was no point in staying longer. He was about to leave when he noticed the small shop next door.

Thinking quickly, he stepped in and casually asked the shopkeeper about the office next door.

“Ah, you mean the place next door? Still open?”

The shopkeeper leaned back in his chair, casually fanning himself with a magazine, looking laid-back in a sleeveless tee. “Honestly? No clue what’s going on. The guy just disappeared a few days ago and hasn’t been to work since.”

Ian frowned. “He hasn’t come in at all?”

“Not once,” the man said, shaking his head. “And no one else really has either. They’re not taking clients, the office is basically shut down. I’ve even heard the staff’s getting ready to jump ship.”

“I see. That’s all I needed to know. Thanks.”

No point in prying further—anything more would just seem intrusive. With everything he needed to report, Ian turned and left. There was no reason to stay any longer.

On Aurora’s end, her mind was tangled in thoughts of how to make things right with Lucas. It would’ve been easier if she’d remained unaware of what was happening online, but she did know.

And knowing that all of it stemmed from her made the guilt so much harder to shake. She wanted to make it up to him. But there was still one thing she couldn’t quite get past: the so-called true love from his past.

After spending all this time around Wendy, Aurora could say with certainty that she wasn’t the one. There was no way Lucas saw her as anything more than a younger sister.

But if that was true, then who was the person saved in his notes? That mysterious “true love” he once couldn’t let go of?

Aurora pressed her lips together, frustration rising. No matter how hard she tried to focus, the files in front of her blurred into meaningless words.

She knew that after everything they’d been through, she should trust Lucas more, stop digging into the past, and stop letting herself be consumed by jealousy.

But she couldn’t help it. That one name, that one memory buried in his phone, still haunted her. Who was she? Who was the woman Lucas once couldn’t forget?