Chapter 1239

Rosa tried to stop Ned, but too late. She watched helplessly as he approached Skylar, imagining a seductive smile on Skylar's face. Ned then accepted a small shovel from Skylar. She stood aside, wiping sweat, as he helped shovel sand.

Rosa's eyes widened. This was the company president, always surrounded by people, performing such manual labor. Was this even the same Ned? Why did he seem so different around Skylar? What had she said to him?

Rosa's eyes welled, and she turned away, unable to watch further. Instead of confronting them, she returned to her car.

Meanwhile, after giving Ned the shovel, Skylar focused on the accident scene. With everyone's help, they quickly freed the trapped car, but its crushed and deformed state was alarming. Skylar's brow furrowed with concern for the injured.

"There's a child! The child isn't trapped! Let's get the child out first!" someone shouted.

Firefighters immediately cleared the area and began prying open the car door. Suddenly, Ned grabbed Skylar's wrist and pulled her back.

"We won't be of much help here," he said calmly, yet his grip was tight, almost possessive.

Skylar subtly disengaged herself. "They don't need our help anymore," she said, nodding towards the traffic police directing cars and people reversing to avoid the scene.

"We can take another route now. I'll be going," Skylar said later.

Ned gazed at her, his voice heavy. "Okay, go ahead."

Skylar walked ahead, aware of Ned's footsteps behind her. A chilling thought struck her: the person behind her was Joe; Ned was Joe. A powerful urge to stop and question him surged, but rationality held her back. She couldn't disrupt his life without proof.

The walk to their cars felt interminable. Only after she entered her car did she see Ned getting into his. She took a deep breath. Following the police's directions, she left the road, her mind a blank slate.

Back at Galaxy Villa, she remained in her car, calling Jeremy.

"Do you think it's possible Joe was separated from Paul three years ago? And that Ned, recently in Jipsburg, is actually Joe, hiding his identity?"

Jeremy paused before replying, "That's possible. I just learned Paul is still in Murida."