CHAPTER 495: CHAPTER 495: COULD SHE REALLY STILL BE ALIVE?

Shane thought that back in the day, Sean was the person Grandpa most valued, meticulously groomed for so long as a successor, and now that someone had killed him, Grandpa would probably wish he could catch the mastermind and tear them to pieces.

If there were any talk of shielding someone, under those circumstances, the only person Grandpa might have sheltered would be Vincent.

After all, regardless, Sean was already dead, and the Warner family still needed a successor, so Grandpa naturally wouldn’t want to lose Vincent too.

So thinking about it this way, Shane felt the most suspicious person was still Vincent.

But according to the current investigation clues, Vincent’s suspicion was being cleared. Just where did this go wrong?

If analyzing according to the hints in his heart, the murderer might have actually targeted Vincent, so we have to look into Vincent’s circle of friends back in the day; that person is likely among his friends.

The reason why Grandpa might protect someone is probably because he doesn’t know the truth either, just simply wants to safeguard Vincent, so he lets the matter silence over quickly.

Shane didn’t tell Vincent these thoughts directly but instead called Franklin after leaving Vincent’s office and shared his theory, asking Franklin to find time to meet with Vincent.

He still couldn’t bring himself to handle these matters shoulder to shoulder with Vincent as brothers.

The most he could probably do was, like now, slightly set aside his opposition and hatred towards him, but them mutually helping each other as brothers was something that would never happen in this lifetime.

The afternoon rain had become heavier; whether it was the weather’s dreariness or something else, Shane had no mood for work. Seeing it was past four o’clock and knowing that Audrey had no classes, he called her and then drove to the school to pick her up.

When he called her, she was still sleeping, and when she came out of the dorm with an umbrella, she still looked groggy. After getting in the car, she yawned and asked Shane, "Why did you get off work so early today?"

Shane turned to look at her and said without thinking, "I missed you."

Audrey chuckled and eyed him: "You’re getting more shameless by the day."

Shane softly reminded her, "Buckle up your seatbelt."

Audrey looked down and fastened the seatbelt, then pitifully looked at him and said, "I threw up again after returning to the dorm this afternoon."

As Shane started the car, he asked, "Weren’t you fine when you returned?"

Audrey: "I thought I wouldn’t throw up, but after lying on the bed for just a bit, Bear was eating instant noodles in the dorm, and just smelling it made me suddenly nauseous."

Shane: "Then I’ll take you back for a nap at noon from now on."

Audrey pouted: "But I get so bored being home alone."

Shane: "I’ll keep you company when I get back."

Audrey was pleased for a second, then immediately drooped her eyes and said, "You’re so busy, how could you have time to keep me company every day?"

Shane: "Busy or not, that’s for me to decide."

Audrey: "I don’t want to be The Vixen who disrupts the court and keeps the king from attending morning court. You’d best keep earning that diaper money."

Having said this, Audrey rolled the window down a bit, the wind blew in, and a few raindrops came in too.

Seeing this, Shane glanced at her and asked, "What’s up? It’s raining and you opened the window."

Audrey: "I feel stuffy and a bit nauseous."

Shane: "Are you getting carsick?"

Audrey: "A little bit, but it’s much better with the window open."

Shane saw the cold wind blowing on her head through the window and, worried she’d complain of a headache again, parked the car by the roadside after driving out of the campus. Taking an umbrella, he got out of the car, walked around to her side, and opened the car door for her: "Come out, let’s walk."

At this point, Audrey also felt that walking was better than being in the car. Upon hearing his suggestion, she immediately unfastened the seatbelt and got out: "What about the car?"

Shane wrapped his arm around her: "I’ll have someone drive it back later."

In the rain, walking with a loved one sharing an umbrella felt quite romantic to Audrey, making the walk more willing.

Shane: "What do you want to eat tonight? We can visit the supermarket along the way to pick up some groceries."

Audrey: "We’ll see when we get there. I can’t think of anything I want to eat right now."

Soon, they walked past the door of Clarissa’s former dance studio and noticed it was closed, with a transfer notice posted at the entrance. Audrey mumbled, confused: "Wasn’t she doing well here? Why transfer it?"

Shane glanced aside, then turned her curious head back with his hand: "Don’t pry into others’ affairs."

Audrey pouted and murmured: "True, she’s probably busy filming now, likely doesn’t have time to manage the dance studio. If it were me, I’d choose to be a dance teacher living a quiet, artistic life. Running off to the entertainment industry feels like a noble swan coming down from the pedestal to me."

Shane said in a tone of an elder guiding an inexperienced child: "Everyone has different thoughts and pursuits, leading to different ways of living. Just because you like simplicity doesn’t mean others do."

Audrey nodded in agreement: "True, she doesn’t seem like someone who’d settle down quietly. A woman who can sell out her marriage for profit is obviously one who’ll sacrifice everything for fame, and she’ll never be satisfied with what she currently has; she’ll always want to climb higher."

After taking a few more steps, Shane asked: "By the way, the last time you said you thought you saw Lan Irving, where was it?"

Audrey gazed upward sideways, thinking, and said: "Can’t remember clearly, seemed like it was on the street, during a crosswalk when I vaguely saw. There were many people, and it was far, so I didn’t see clearly."

Finally, she asked: "Why? Why ask this all of a sudden?"

Shane: "Today Faye Xavier went to the hospital and said he saw someone who looked a lot like Lan Irving, but that person was wearing a mask, so he didn’t see the whole face—just felt it looked alike. Since he’s familiar with Lan, he probably recognized the eyes."

Audrey suddenly remembered something and quickly said: "Yes, yes, when I went for a prenatal checkup a few days ago, I also saw a woman in a lab coat who looked like her, but I didn’t think much about it at the time. Then my brother called me to pick up the results, so I didn’t pay attention. Now that you mention it, I remember."

After a moment of silence, Audrey turned to Shane and asked: "...Could she really not be dead?"

Shane: "Faye personally sent her to be cremated. It’s impossible to come back to life. At most, it’s a woman who looks a lot like her. Besides, you said she was wearing a lab coat, meaning she’s a doctor at the hospital. Lan Irving had no prior involvement in that field, so even if she weren’t dead, she couldn’t have switched to being a doctor in such a short time."

Audrey: "I’ll ask my brother when I have some time. They’re in the same hospital, so maybe he knows something."

Shane: "Faye probably already started investigating on his own."