Chapter 244 The Past Five Years

    Chapter 244 The Past Five Years

    +20 Free Coins

    While Sloane was basking in the spotlight, things were bleak on the Rivers family’s side.

    Adrian had nearly turned all of Stonebridge upside down, but still hadn’t found Samantha.

    “Still no word from your sister?” Helen asked anxiously the moment he returned.

    Adrian shook his head in exhaustion. “I’ve checked that hotel a dozen times. Not a single lead.”

    Helen was beginning to panic too—it iwas /iher biological daughter after all. She pressed her lips together, then spat out coldly, “Go talk to Sloane. Make her help us figure this out.”

    Adrian frowned. He’d been hearing a lot about Sloely, and couldn’t believe that the girl they all once thought was useless had been hiding so much. “Do you think she’ll help?”

    “If she doesn’t,” Helen said confidently, “I’ll just expose everything she’s been hiding.”

    Adrian immediately knew what she meant. “You’re talking about the mental hospital?”

    “Exactly,” Helen said smugly. “I don’t care how impressive she is now. As long as we’ve got that hanging over her head, she’ll have no choice but to do what we say.”

    Adrian hesitated. But in the end, he was more worried about Samantha, so he nodded in

    agreement.

    Sloane

    got

    Helen’s call while Lucas was sitting right beside her.

    He noticed how her expression changed the second she picked up, and his brows drew together. “What happened? Something wrong?”

    Sloane gripped the phone tightly, her face hard and her voice tinged with sarcasm. “Adrian

    wants to meet.”

    Lucas’s eyes turned cold. “Adrian? What does ihe /iwant?”

    Sloane gave a soft scoff. “What else? He sees I’m doing well and can’t stand it. He’s just here to stir up troublei” /i

    Lucas’s gaze darkened. “I’ming with you.”

    At the Rivers residence, Adrian and Helen were already waiting in the living room. When they saw Sloane walk in with Lucas, Helen’s face darkened slightly but quickly returned to calm.

    “Sloane, you finally decided to show up,” Helen said, rising to her feet and immediately barking out orders. “Samantha’s missing. You better figure out a way to find her!”

    Sloane stared at her coldly, her tone mocking. “Your daughter’s missing. What’s that got to do with me?”

    Helen snapped back sharply, “Don’t forget–you’re still a part of the Rivers family! Samantha is your sister. You can’t just sit back and do nothing!”

    Sloane let out augh, voice chilly. “The Rivers family? You sure about that?”

    Helen was certain Sloane didn’t dare expose the truth. “If you want to keep that precious identity of yours, you’ll shut up and cooperate. Without the Rivers name, do you really think anyone would care about you?”

    Adrian finally spoke, adding pressure. “You don’t want Mr. Hawthorne to find out what really happened those five years, do you?”

    Sloane smirked. “What exactly are you saying happened?”

    Adrian, seeing her act unbothered, assumed she was just putting on a front. “Don’t y dumb! Where you’ve been these past five years–if he finds out, you think he’ll still want to protect you?”

    At that, Sloane’s eyes turned icy. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Oh? So ithat’s /iwhat you’re talking about.”

    She turned toward Lucas. “Lucas, he says if you knew I spent five years locked in a mental hospital, you’d run for the hills.”

    Lucas stepped forward, cing himself protectively in front of her. “Knowing that only makes me care about you more.” His voice turned sharp as a de. “And everyone who hurt you—I won’t let a single one of them off the hook.”