Chapter 562

"Why would I know that?" he asked.

He frowned. "Why did you think I'd know?"

"You're doubting me?" His mind raced, quickly connecting the dots. After a moment of silence, Lily's subconscious formulated a retort, but she held back, finally saying, "Yeah, I figured you had something to do with his disappearance, but I wasn't sure. You have the resources and influence, but if you insist it's nothing to do with you, then that's it."

Trust shone in her gaze. Alexander believed her sincerity.

"I have no idea," he said. Nathaniel was insignificant, unworthy of his time. Yet, the mention of him sparked a flicker of jealousy.

"You're worried about him?" The question was simple, but jealousy tinged his tone.

Lily, having known Alexander for a long time, sensed his unease. Recognizing his jealousy, she was initially speechless, then found it amusing. "If I were worried, I wouldn't have asked so casually. I was just surprised."

"It's not surprising for anything to happen to someone like him." His sarcasm betrayed his inability to be easily reassured by her attempts at comfort.

He paused, cleared his throat. "Perhaps I could ask my people to look into it tomorrow."

He was jealous, but if Lily wanted to know Nathaniel's whereabouts, he would help.

"It's fine," Lily shook her head. "We don't even know if he's actually missing; someone would have reported it to the police. Let's leave this missing person case to the professionals, Mr. Russell."

"What? You don't trust my capabilities?" Her words pleased him, but he feigned doubt to tease her.

Circling his neck with her arms, she said, "Of course not! I just don't think he's worthy of your time and effort, Mr. Jealous."

Alexander started to retort, but she closed the distance, her lips silencing him. Damn! Her lips are so soft!

Knowing it was deliberate, Alexander couldn't resist. Whatever. Mr. Jealous or whatever, I don't care! There's nothing I can do when she's like this.

"Have you prepared the things I asked for?"

Arianna stood in the doorway, her body partially blocking the sunlight, darkening the room. Nathaniel, leaning against the door, was engrossed in his new phone, his fingers flying across the screen. In the dim light, Arianna saw he was playing a mobile game, and her expression darkened.

"I thought you were ready to start over. It seems you've just dug yourself into a deeper hole." Clutching her bag, she gritted her teeth. "If you're not planning to start over, get out of here!"

"What's with the nagging?"

He tossed a small bag in her direction; she caught it easily.

"You're fast!" Nathaniel pressed his thumb hard on the screen, then looked up, standing to meet her gaze. "I knew you were something special."

Changes Made:

• Improved sentence structure and flow: Many sentences were restructured for better readability and conciseness.
• Removed unnecessary words and phrases: Phrases like "After asking that" and repetitive words were eliminated.
• Corrected grammar and punctuation: Errors in punctuation (commas, apostrophes) and verb tense were fixed.
• Replaced informal language: Words like "shthole" and "dmn" were removed or replaced with less offensive alternatives. The choice to retain or change these depends on the desired tone of the writing.
• Enhanced word choice: Words were changed to create a more polished and professional tone.
• Improved dialogue tags: Dialogue tags were made more concise and less repetitive.
• Clarified ambiguous wording: Some sentences were rewritten for clarity.

The revised passage is significantly more polished and readable. The changes maintain the original meaning and intent while improving the overall quality of the writing.