Chapter 1119

It seemed that ever since Joe had made breakfast twice, he'd developed an interest in cooking. For dinner, he prepared a simple pasta dish. Skylar, walking over with sore legs, gazed at the fragrant food. She gave him a thumbs-up. "Your cooking skills are improving," she said.

"It's just instant pasta," Joe replied. "The sauce was pre-cooked. All I did was boil the noodles."

"Perfect timing," Skylar said. "I was just getting hungry." She remembered ordering some convenient instant pasta online a few days ago; it came with self-heating meal kits. They weren't the healthiest, but handy when time was short.

After finishing, she checked her phone for messages. Natalie sent a message: "Check this out, Skye. If I'm not mistaken, this woman is Annie, right? How did she end up with your brother?"

A video followed the voice message. The scene was loud and chaotic—a bar, music blaring, people dancing. The camera focused on a couple stumbling out, their bodies close, walking unsteadily before disappearing from view. The man's face was partially obscured, but Skylar recognized him instantly.

Natalie sent another voice message: "Looks like your brother had too much to drink."

Skylar quickly typed back: "Is that Steven? Is this happening right now?"

Natalie replied: "Yeah, so it really is Steven? Is he dating Annie now?"

"They were together before, but broke up," Skylar responded.

"Broke up? That doesn't seem likely. From how they look, it seems like they're headed to a hotel."

Seeing "hotel," Skylar frowned and immediately called Steven. The call went unanswered; she tried twice more.

Joe noticed her anxiety. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Nath just saw Annie with Steven at a bar, and now they're leaving together," Skylar explained. "I don't feel right about it. I'm trying to call Steven, but he isn't answering."

"Annie?" Joe asked.

"Yeah."

Joe nodded, picked up his phone, and dialed a number. "Find out what's going on with Annie," he said before hanging up. He looked at Skylar, whose anxiety was evident. "Let's go check on your brother's place first."

On the road, Skylar continued calling. She understood Steven better than most. After Annie's deceit, he'd ended their relationship definitively, never wanting to be with her again. Rekindling old flames wasn't his style; he was calm and thoughtful, always considering consequences. Yet, here they were, looking intimate. It felt suspicious.

"Don't worry," Joe said, taking her hand.

Skylar furrowed her brow. "I'm just afraid Annie might have some ulterior motive and use Steven, putting him in a position to get hurt again."