Chapter 335 Uncovering the Mastermind
Nora's heart skipped a beat, and she hummed in response.
Ever since she and Aaron moved away a month ago, Hollis hadn't mentioned Aaron in her presence.
Meanwhile, it seemed that Quinn's relationship with Baldwin was going strong.
Hollis's sudden question had caught Nora off guard, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
"Go on, then," Hollis finally said.
Nora was taken aback, expecting some sort of backhanded comment, but Hollis simply meant for her to leave.
Observing Hollis's calm demeanor and warm smile, Nora curved her lips upwards slightly.
It appeared that Hollis had changed. Could it be that she had come to accept Nora's relationship with Aaron? If so, that was good news for everyone.
By the car, Frederic took a casual glance at Mary, who was holding onto Hollis, and squinted slightly.
He had always felt that this woman seemed awfully familiar, yet he could not recall where he had seen her before.
A sudden flash of recognition crossed his mind, and his expression turned grave.
After saying goodbye to Hollis, Nora got into the car, and they all returned to the villa Aaron had bought in Lindwood City.
Jacob was there in the living room, absorbed in the evening news.
"Grandpa Gordon, we're back," they announced as they entered.
Samantha held Nora's hand and greeted Jacob with a childish voice. The two brothers also spoke up in unison.
Jacob's face was filled with smiles, "Everyone's back."
Nora smiled, "Hi Grandpa Gordon."
"Hungry, aren’t we? Go wash your hands first, dinner will be ready soon," Jacob said with an easygoing demeanor.
"Okay." Nora's tension eased a bit, and she was about to take the little ones to wash their hands, but Master had already stood up and taken Billy's hand.
He said, "Come on kids, Great-Grandpa will take you to wash your hands."
The little ones obediently gathered around him and chorused, "Okay."
Nora was speechless at the scene. After a month of not seeing them, she felt like her role as a mother was becoming less important.
In the living room, as they watched the others leave, Frederic called Aaron over. "Mr. Gordon, I have some news to report."
"What is it?" Aaron asked.
"I think I've found the person behind the sabotage of your car's brake system that caused your accident," Frederic said with a serious expression.
Aaron's expression hardened, "Who is it? Where is he now?"
Frederic was silent for a moment, "The maid at Mrs. Brown's side should be the mastermind."
‘Her?’ Aaron's dark eyes narrowed with a flicker of uncertainty. "Are you sure about it?" he asked.
Just a maid, how could she have such power?
"Yes! Noe had said before that the mechanic who tampered with your car was a woman, and he has sent us a photo of that woman. Although the woman's face wasn't clear, I still remember her silhouette and profile. That woman should be the maid working for Mrs. Brown."
Aaron pursed his lips tightly and after a while asked again, "Are you absolutely sure?"
"I'm positive," Frederic asserted with confidence.
Aaron brooded as he recalled every encounter with Hollis.
No wonder she disliked him so much; he always thought it was because of Nora. Yet the real reason seemed to be him?
The maid must have been acting under Hollis's orders. But he had never interacted with Hollis, where did her hatred for him come from?
Hatred enough to nearly kill him?
"I understand." Aaron finally spoke, dismissing Frederic before dialing Noe's number. " Noe, I need you to look into someone..."
At the Ebenezer household, Sandy returned home and noticed that Kenneth's figure was nowhere to be seen.
‘Is he not back yet?’ she wondered as she felt an inexplicable wave of anxiousness.
"What are you spacing out for? Your husband hasn't come back yet, and you aren't in a rush to ask him if he's coming back for dinner?" Emma came down the stairs slowly, her face showing displeasure.
Sandy snapped back to reality, her gaze flickering for a moment before she pulled out her cellphone to dial Kenneth's number.
She wondered if he was still mad. Would he pick up her call? The phone rang several times, each ring echoing against her heart.
Finally, the call was answered. A man's deep voice came through, "Hello?"
"Kenneth, Mom asked me to check whether you're coming back for dinner," Sandy said, her voice tense as she swallowed hard.
After a moment of silence on the line, a mocking tone from the man ensued.
"So, Mom asked you to check on me? What about you? You probably don't want to see me, right?" he remarked.
"I..." Sandy opened her mouth, wanting to say that wasn't true.
But before she could get the words out, Kenneth cut her off. "I'm busy now, I won't be back for dinner." And with that, he hung up.
Sandy listened to the dial tone as her fingers clenched tightly. He was certainly angry, truly furious!
"What did Kenneth say?" asked Emma.
Sandy pressed her lips together, "He said he's busy and won't be back for dinner."
Emma looked at her, her expression turning sour. "So, it's just the two of us then?" she said.
Sandy meekly replied, "Yes."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and have the staff serve dinner!" Emma demanded. She was in a foul mood.
Suzy wasn't living at home anymore, and her youngest son was always in Houston, never coming back. The oldest son often had social obligations that kept him from coming home for meals. And her own husband was also, for reasons known or unknown, frequently absent from the dinner table.
So, it was often just her and Sandy staring blankly at each other. With hardly anything to say to her daughter-in-law, the house felt more lifeless by the day!
Sandy quickly went to the kitchen to help with the dishes and prepare the silverware, and they both sat down to have their meal. The dining room was extremely quiet, and as Emma watched Sandy eat silently across from her, she lost her appetite completely.
She put down her fork. "Sandy, you and Kenneth have been married for half a year now, and there's still no sign of a baby? Look at Mrs. Lee's daughter-in-law; she got married after you and is already pregnant."
‘Here we go again!’ Sandy was somewhat at a loss for words. "Mom, having a baby is not something we can rush."
Emma frowned as she scrutinized her. "You're not secretly taking birth control because you don't want kids, are you?" she accused.
Sandy quickly shook her head and denied, "I'm not."
Emma replied, "That's good."
"Kenneth is the eldest son of the Hamilton family. It's crucial for you two to grow the family tree as soon as possible so that some shareholders stop making a fuss about the lack of an heir. If you can't have children, the Hamilton family isn't the place for a hen that doesn't lay eggs," Emma remarked.
This was said without the slightest hint of courtesy.
Sandy's face flickered with unease, and she wished to retort sharply.
But the words remained unsaid as she eventually just replied, "I understand."
Emma gave her a lingering look, a flash of doubt in her eyes. She felt guilty for speaking rashly out of her own foul mood.
For a moment, she had expected that this affluent young daughter-in-law would stand up to her. After all, she was a wealthy heiress with a temper to match.
Yet she had shown restraint? Was she really that well-mannered?
However well-mannered she might be, as an heiress treated like a precious gem her whole life, after being likened to a barren hen, shouldn't she have snapped back?
"Mom, I'm full, please take your time," said Sandy, offering Emma an apologetic smile. Her chest felt tight, unsure if it was due to thoughts of Kenneth or Emma's words.
Watching her retreat upstairs, Emma furrowed her brow. Thought to herself, ‘This girl was too patient, patient in a way that didn't seem fitting for a highborn lady, but rather like an ordinary person.’
Sandy went back upstairs, first to the bathroom for a shower, and then settled onto the couch to read a medical textbook.
Kenneth's stern, handsome face kept popping up in her mind. The words on the page didn't register, her mind restless. Should she lay everything out in the open?
No!
She couldn't speak up! If she did, she wouldn't be the only one to suffer the consequences.
But could she truly keep this secret buried deep within her forever, to carry it to her grave?
If one day, Kenneth found out she wasn't the real Sandy, how would she cope with herself?
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