Chapter 42

But the truth may not be quite so simple. Over the next couple of days, Celeste made time to check on Alaric’s recovery amid her busy schedule. She heard that after her acupuncture treatment, his condition had improved significantly. Three days later, Alaric was discharged from the hospital. That very day, Joshua brought Celeste’s background information to the Wrenford residence.

“Mr. Wrenford, the information on Ms. Morin before her marriage to the Wrenford family is pretty unremarkable. Her mother passed away early, and her father remarried. She was raised by her grandfather, Stephen Morin, a renowned scholar. Unfortunately, he passed away several years ago, and after that, Ms. Morin married into the Wrenford family.”

“That’s it?”

As the report concluded, Adrian’s displeasure was evident; the findings clearly fell short of his expectations.

“Uh…” Joshua hesitated before continuing, “I’m not sure if her medical skills were passed down from Mr. Morin Senior. But after looking into it, I found that although Mr. Morin Senior was a highly skilled doctor, he only accepted male apprentices. He had one apprentice, but that person has been living under a false name for many years, and it wasn’t Ms. Morin.”

“So, you’re telling me we didn’t uncover anything useful?”

Adrian threw the folder onto the table. His deep, penetrating gaze darkened with a subtle, chilling fury, making the air feel like it had frozen.

“Actually, Ms. Morin’s background is rather uncomplicated…” Joshua paused, then his expression shifted as if he’d just remembered something important. “But I did find out that Ms. Morin has been working on documents related to a clinic. It looks like she’s planning to establish her own medical facility.”

“Run her own clinic?” Adrian’s brow furrowed slightly. “Where?”

“At 186 Silverstone Road.”

It wasn’t until the day after Alaric’s discharge that Celeste learned he had returned home. She finally relaxed, her focus shifting fully to preparing for the clinic. It was also conveniently located, only a ten-minute drive from the Aviso Tower. The place was on a busy street, and the interior was brand new, so no renovations were needed. The previous owner had also run a clinic, but the elderly gentleman, Callum Carroll, retired at his daughter’s insistence, and she planned to lease out the space.

What Celeste hadn’t expected was that the person who came to sign the lease would be Callum’s daughter, Simone Carroll. The moment Celeste saw her, she recognized her instantly. She was Lucy’s only friend outside the industry, and one of the people behind Celeste’s imprisonment. The sound of approaching footsteps drew Celeste’s gaze upward, allowing her to finally get a clear view of Simone’s features. Their gazes met, and Simone’s brow furrowed.

“Celeste? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to sign the contract. Where’s Mr. Carroll?”

Simone seemed surprised but quickly masked it with a sneer in her voice. “The person interested in my father’s clinic… It’s you?”

Chapter 43