Charlotte and Wesley stepped into the master bedroom. One of the housekeepers approached and said, “Sir, madam fell asleep again not long after finishing her soup.”

Wesley nced back at Charlotte, who quietly walked over to the bed and gently tucked the covers around the sleeping woman.

So her real mother hadn’t abandoned her after all…

The thought made her eyes sting with tears. She blinked, trying to hold them back.

“Sir, is she-”

“She’s your true youngdy,” Wesley interrupted softly.

A flicker of surprise crossed the housekeeper’s face, but it faded quickly, reced by a ready smile.

True or not, it didn’t really matter. None of the staff liked Loretta anyway.

Once the housekeeper left, Wesley spoke. “Why did you agree to let her stay?”

Charlotte frowned. “She looked so shocked when she saw me. It was as if I wasn’t supposed to show up at all.”

“You think she had something to do with the ident?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. That’s why I let her stay–for now. It’ll

be easier to watch her.”

Wesley ced his hand gently on her head. “I’ll keep an eye on things for you,”

Charlotte smiled. “Thanks, Wes.”

When Charlotte headed downstairs, she found Loretta waiting at the bottom of the staircase, trying to sound friendly. “Lottie, I’m really sorry aboutst time. I misunderstood you, okay? Can we let it go?”

13:04

Chapter b353 /b

Charlotte met her eyes and smiled coolly. “No.”

“What-? I just apologized to you!”

“And you think I have to ept it just because you said sorry?”

Without waiting for a reply, Charlotte brushed past her.

Loretta’s hands clenched at her sides, her voice dropping to a bitter hiss. “Why couldn’t you just die…”

“What was that?”

The words were barely out when Charlotte’s voice rang out behind her. Loretta spun around, startled, to find Charlotte’s steady gaze fixed on her. Hadn’t she just left?

“I–I didn’t say anything! You must’ve misheard.”

Charlotte looked at her, calm and unruffled. “Miss Donovan, did your parents really abuse you?”

Loretta’s eyes dropped, her tone suddenly pitiful. “Of course. They were always hitting me or yelling at me…”

Charlotte’s gaze lingered on her face. “That’s strange. I heard your father say he only took Mr. Howard’s eight hundred thousand because they were struggling, and partly for your sake.”

“He’s lying!” Loretta snapped. “Why would he ever do anything for me? If he really cared, why wouldn’t he just give me a hundred thousand when I asked?”

“What did you need all that money for?”

Loretta’s mouth opened, then she caught herself, covering her lips with her hand and ring at Charlotte. “You’re trying to trick me!”

Charlotte didn’t flinch. “Just curious, that’s all.”

“Whatever he says about doing it for me, it’s all lies! They’re selfish, they just want the money for themselves!”

b13.04 /b

Watching the way Loretta spat out her parents‘ names, Charlotte said nothing more and turned to leave.

The moment she was gone, Loretta’s sulky expression twisted with anger. That woman’s trying to set me up! How irritating!

Charlotte caught a cab back to her hotel and pulled out her phone to contact Vera, asking her to get Stevenson’s number from the hospital’s inpatient department.

Vera picked up in the hospital hallway. “Sure, I’ll head over there in a bit. Charlotte, when are youing back?”

“I’ll be back when I’m done. Why?”

Vera moved to a quiet corner, lowering her voice. “I saw Tricia a couple days ago.”

Charlotte paused at the elevator. “She didn’t see you, did she?”

“No, I was bundled up–she didn’t recognize me. She was with some foreign professor, here for a neurosurgery lecture.”

Charlotte guessed the foreign professor must be Professor Aldridge.

It looked like Tricia was still making her rounds in the field, using that thesis from ten years ago. But no matter how far she got, stolen work was still stolen.

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