CHAPTER 258: CHAPTER 258 THE PAST WANTS TO STAY HIDDEN

Author’s POV

After dinner, Eleanor chose to remain in the living room rather than returning to work, positioning herself protectively near Serena. Olivia joined them with a cup of tea, adopting a gossipy demeanor.

"Serena, when did you two meet? Tell me all about your love story," she urged.

Serena, seeing her interest, provided a simplified version. "Three years ago, Ryan rescued me after I fell into the water. I lost my memory after that."

Olivia froze, clearly not expecting this revelation. "I had no idea... you two really were destined to meet."

"We certainly were," Serena agreed with a soft smile, offering no further details about the three years that followed. That Chapter was closed as far as she was concerned.

"I remember the day you fell in," Olivia said, leaning forward. "I was frantic, searching everywhere for you. I never imagined you’d lost your memory—that explains why there was no word from you."

Serena smiled faintly, fragments of memory from before her fall suddenly flickering through her mind.

"Olivia," she asked carefully, "can you help me remember something? Was anyone else around when I fell into the water?"

Olivia visibly tensed. "Serena, what are you suggesting? Do you think it wasn’t an accident?"

Serena sighed, her expression troubled. "Sometimes I feel like it wasn’t. I have this sensation... like someone pushed me."

Eleanor’s expression darkened at Serena’s suspicion. If someone had deliberately pushed her sister into the water, the Quinn family would stop at nothing to make them pay.

"Unfortunately there were no security cameras on that section of the deck," Olivia remarked, her tone oddly regretful.

After a moment’s hesitation, Serena nodded. "Eleanor, do you still have the guest list from the celebration that night?"

"Of course I do," Eleanor confirmed with a curt nod. "We keep backups of everything."

Olivia swallowed visibly, her eyes darting nervously around the room. "Serena, it’s been so long... Even if someone did try to harm you, wouldn’t it be nearly impossible to find proof now?"

Eleanor shot her a withering look. "Difficult doesn’t mean impossible. And make no mistake—we will investigate thoroughly. Anyone who dared to harm Serena made an enemy of the entire Quinn family."

"I’m just being practical," Olivia protested, her face flushing. "Dredging up the past might only cause more pain. What good would it do now?"

"What good?" Eleanor’s voice dropped dangerously low. "My sister nearly died. She lost three years of her life because of what happened that night. And you’re suggesting we just let it go?" She leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "That’s a curious position to take, Olivia. Almost as if you’d prefer we didn’t look too closely at what happened."

"That’s not what I—"

"Tell me," Eleanor interrupted, "why are you so concerned about Serena investigating her own accident?"

Olivia’s hands trembled slightly as she set down her teacup. "I’m just worried about her wellbeing. She’s just had a baby. This kind of stress isn’t good for her recovery."

"How thoughtful," Eleanor replied, her tone ice-cold. "And how convenient."

Without another word, Eleanor rose from her seat and headed upstairs to retrieve the guest list, leaving Olivia visibly shaken.

As soon as Eleanor was out of earshot, Olivia turned to Serena with glistening eyes. "Serena, does your sister hate me? Everything I say seems to offend her."

"I’m only trying to help. You’ve just had a baby—you should be focused on your recovery and your beautiful daughter, not dwelling on painful memories from the past." Her voice quavered. "What’s the point of all this now?"

Serena studied her former friend carefully, her gaze lingering just long enough to make Olivia shift uncomfortably.

"My sister is protective of me, Olivia. Try to understand." Serena’s voice softened, but her eyes remained watchful. "She’s my family. What kind of sister would she be if she didn’t care when I was hurt?"

A hint of pride crept into Serena’s smile.

Olivia’s expression flickered briefly before settling into something resembling envy. "You’re so lucky, Serena. A perfect husband, a protective sister... you have everything."

She reached across to touch Serena’s hand. "I’ve thought about you constantly all these years. Seeing you living such a wonderful life now... I’m relieved. Truly."

"Thank you," Serena replied simply, neither confirming nor rejecting Olivia’s assessment of her supposedly perfect life.

During their conversation, Ryan had gone upstairs to handle some business matters. He didn’t reappear before Olivia finally left.

Ever since Serena had mentioned her suspicions about the fall, Eleanor had thrown herself into investigating the incident. At the time, the Quinn family had believed it was simply an unfortunate accident—that Serena had been drinking and lost her balance.

For three years, they’d focused solely on finding Serena, not questioning how she’d disappeared in the first place.

After retrieving the guest list, Eleanor began analyzing it meticulously. LUXE Jewelry wielded significant influence in London, and they’d invited very few business rivals to the celebration. The remainder of the guests were either families with good relationships to the Quinns or business associates with London connections.

Eleanor reviewed the list several times but couldn’t identify anything suspicious. Frowning, she decided to call Zoe for help. Zoe hadn’t attended the celebration that night.

"What is it?" came Zoe’s clipped greeting.

Accustomed to her sister’s abrupt manner, Eleanor got straight to the point, explaining Serena’s suspicions about being pushed.

After a thoughtful pause, Zoe responded, "If Serena feels she was pushed, then that’s almost certainly what happened."

"You were at the celebration. Think carefully—was there anything unusual that night?"

Zoe’s reasoning was clear and direct. She didn’t doubt Serena’s instincts for a second. She’d harbored similar suspicions herself but had prioritized finding Serena over investigating the fall.

"Anything unusual..." Eleanor repeated, sighing.

"Consider this," Zoe suggested. "Who was close enough to Serena that night that she wouldn’t have been on guard around them?"

"Someone she trusted who could get close without raising suspicion," Eleanor mused, following this line of thought.

After considering for a moment, she shook her head. "Serena was always quite selective about who she associated with. Men found it nearly impossible to get close to her."

"However..." Eleanor paused, a realization dawning. "Serena did bring a friend that night—Olivia."

As soon as she said it aloud, Eleanor drew a sharp breath.

"We shouldn’t make accusations without evidence," Zoe cautioned. "For now, reach out to anyone who spoke with them that night. There might be something we’ve overlooked."

Eleanor agreed, and Zoe added a final warning: "Remember, be discreet. We can’t risk alerting whoever is responsible."

"I understand."

After ending the call, Eleanor began contacting the younger guests who had attended that night. It was the younger crowd who might have noticed something important or overheard a telling conversation.