Chapter 229

Debra clenched her fists, blaming herself for forgetting Juan's past actions toward her, blinded by his recent kindness. Juan was inherently cold-hearted; he only loved himself.

Moments later, Juan emerged from the bathroom, clad in a white robe, water droplets glistening in his hair. Spotting Debra sitting silently on the bed, he approached her with a smile. “What’s wrong?”

As Juan reached out to adjust her hair, Debra turned away. His hand hung in midair. She stood up, saying, “There is something I want to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is Shelia really an orphan?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Is she a student at a private school?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you choose her?”

Juan replied without much thought, “She excelled academically at the private school. We were choosing several students to support, based on multiple considerations of their aptitude, family conditions, character, and image.”

“You sponsored so many impoverished students. Why treat her differently?”

He misread Debra’s expression, thinking she was jealous. He took her hand and explained, “I saw her feeding stray cats in her school uniform one day. When I asked about her, I found out she was one of the students sponsored by me. I saw potential in her and focused more on her.”

Debra lowered her gaze, finding his reasoning familiar from her past life. “If she joined Nichols Group in the future, it would benefit the company. I just didn’t expect her to become so sophisticated when she grew up. I’ve cut off all support. You can trust me. There will be no further involvement with her.”

Debra looked away, feeling no emotional turmoil at his words. However, she had gained something useful from him—the criteria the Nichols family used to select their sponsored students. Shelia seemed to fit that profile well. But according to Leanna and Michael, Shelia was not that simple.

In the afternoon, Debra returned to Frazier Entertainment. Ben placed the investigation report on her desk. As she glanced at the file, Ben explained, “This is the information about Shelia in high school.”

Surprisingly, the attached photo displayed a girl other than Shelia.

“Where’s Michael?”

“He’s on temporary leave due to… opinion influence.”

“Call him in.”

“Yes.”

She looked at the girl in the photo and then at the personal information. It stated that Shelia had a mother and that her parents were divorced. She then took out Shelia’s file from the private school. When she looked at the personal details, she discovered that both girls had attended the same elementary and middle schools.

“Could Shelia have been impersonating someone else?” she muttered.