Chapter 246 Discovering the Truth
"What are you up to?" Isaac's voice suddenly came from behind.
Nora jumped, nervously saying, "I was just seeing if there was a diary or something in here. If there is, it might help me get my memory back." As she spoke, she discreetly slipped the pill bottle into her sleeve.
"You never kept a diary," Isaac replied.
Nora shut the cabinet and stood up, looking disappointed. "That's a bummer." She kept rummaging through other stuff, pretending she was really searching for something familiar.
Isaac watched her, feeling more and more uneasy and anxious. But he didn't stop her. He quietly walked back to the living room and sat there in silence, thinking about what Rhys had said on the phone earlier.
He had asked Rhys to find out who had given Nora the drug that could cause stomach cancer.
Rhys had already tracked down everyone who had bought that drug in the past ten years.
The person who made it didn't produce it for just anyone; they did it at their own discretion. No matter how much money others offered, they wouldn't make it otherwise. So, only three doses of the drug had been sold in the past ten years. Rhys had given him the names of the three buyers.
One name caught Isaac's attention.
Sylvie Hansen.
The Hansen family was also a big deal in Horizonia. In terms of wealth, they couldn't compare to the Porter family. But in terms of power, they were ahead.
A century ago, the Hansen family had produced several high-ranking government officials. Although no one was in office now, their ancestors' achievements still commanded respect. Plus, several daughters of the Hansen family had married top figures in other countries.
There was even a woman from the Hansen family in the Drakonia royal family where Mortimer was.
Isaac didn't know Sylvie well, but he knew Sylvie Hansen's current husband very well...
Daxton, his damn father, who had killed his mother for Sylvie! Daxton had ditched his wife and kid to join the Hansen family!
Remembering that Daxton had kidnapped Nora not long ago, he suspected that the drug Sylvie bought had been used on Nora by Daxton.
Thinking of this, a surge of anger rose in Isaac's heart.
He would never let Daxton get away with it! One day, he would personally kill Daxton!
Isaac went to the bathroom. After closing the door, he called Wesley.
"Mr. Porter, what can I do for you?" Wesley asked respectfully.
Isaac lowered his voice and ordered, "Check whether Daxton has had any contact with Nora in the past few months." After a pause, he added, "It doesn't have to be Daxton. Check anyone suspicious!"
Wesley paused and then seriously replied, "Yes, I'll do it right away!"
When Isaac came out of the bathroom, he saw that Nora had already come out of the room.
Nora said, "I saw some paintings in the room just now. Did I paint those? Where did I work before?" She wanted to visit the studio. If possible, she wanted to go back to work. Since she couldn't leave now and didn't want to face him at home every day, going back to work would make her feel much more at ease.
Besides, she wanted to see Sophia. She just didn't know if Sophia had returned to work at the studio.
Isaac said, "You used to run an art studio with a friend. Do you want to go see it?"
Nora nodded.
Isaac said, "Got it, I'll take you there."
Nora immediately left with Isaac.
When they arrived at the studio, Nora saw that the door was open. Her heart stirred.
Sophia had finally returned! Her return meant that her family issues had been resolved, which reassured Nora a lot.
Nora controlled her emotions, pretending not to be familiar with the place. She curiously looked around as she walked into the studio.
"Welcome... Holy crap, Nora? You finally came to see me!" Sophia was sitting at the front desk, chatting with customers online. Hearing the commotion at the door, she looked up. When she saw who had come in, her face showed a look of shock.
The next second, she jumped off her chair, quickly ran to Nora, and hugged her tightly, her voice choked with emotion. "Nora, you finally showed up. I couldn't reach you for a while, and you didn't come to the studio. There were even rumors that you had died. I thought you really..." She couldn't continue, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.
Nora felt a mix of emotions. She wanted to hug Sophia back but ultimately held back. She had lost her memory. To her, Sophia should also be a stranger. "Miss, I don't know you. Could you please let go of me?" She said calmly.
Sophia's body stiffened and finally let go of her. "You don't remember anything? Not even me?" She looked at Nora in shock.
Nora nodded. "Yes, I don't remember anything. Were we close before?"
Sophia's nose twitched, and her tears flowed even more. "We were so close, and you don't remember me? You're so ungrateful!"
Nora looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Sophia cried for a while, then wiped her tears and said, "It's okay. You can still recover your memory. Even if you don't, it's fine. Just think of it as starting over! My name is Sophia. We met in college and became good friends. After graduation, we opened this art studio together. You helped me a lot before. You said that even though we aren't related by blood, our bond is stronger than that of biological sisters!"
Nora asked doubtfully, "Really? You're not lying to me? I have no memory of it."
Sophia said, "I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone who knows us!"
Nora finally nodded skeptically. Her gaze suddenly fell on Sophia's slightly protruding belly. "You're pregnant?" She asked.
Sophia's face showed an awkward expression. "Yes, about six months along."
Nora felt a pang of sympathy. Being six months pregnant and still managing the studio alone was too hard. "Can I go in and take a look?" Nora asked.
Sophia said, "Of course, this place is yours too!"
Nora smiled.
Sophia affectionately linked arms with her and led her inside. "Come on, let me show you around. Look at those, you painted them. Do they look familiar?"
Nora said, "I've painted a few pieces recently. They do look like my work."
Sophia beamed with joy. "Then look at them more. Maybe the more you see, the more you'll remember!"
Nora was noncommittal.
Isaac was left behind, ignored by everyone.
Sophia had noticed him from the start. But because of Nora, she had some issues with Isaac and deliberately treated him like air.
Isaac initially wanted to follow them. But suddenly, his phone rang.
It was Wesley calling.
He answered.
Wesley's voice came through. "Mr. Porter, I reviewed the surveillance footage from the past six months outside Mrs. Porter's art studio. I did find someone suspicious entering the store!"
Isaac's face tensed, and he immediately stepped outside with his phone. "Did you capture their face?" He asked.
Wesley said, "No, the person was completely covered up, like a thief. We couldn't see their face."
Isaac said, "Send me the footage and keep looking."
Wesley replied, "Yes, sir!"
After hanging up, Wesley quickly sent a surveillance clip to Isaac's phone.
Isaac opened the video.
In the footage, a man in black pants and a black hoodie approached the store. He wore a hat, a mask, and sunglasses, covering his face completely, not showing any skin. Indeed, his face wasn't visible.
However, Isaac recognized him immediately from his build and the way he walked.
It was Daxton!
"Daxton, you actually sought out Nora in secret. What did you do to her? Why didn't Nora tell me? What is she hiding from me?" Isaac gripped his phone tightly, his face dark and stormy.
With evidence that Daxton had contacted Nora, he was even more certain that Daxton was responsible for poisoning her! He suddenly remembered something.
When Nora signed a contract with Steve to keep him for three months. Was she already under threat then, already taking the poison? Did she know she only had three months to live, so she only signed a three-month contract?
Isaac also recalled hearing Nora whisper in his ear while he was asleep, saying she would leave forever soon. At the time, he thought Nora was depressed and contemplating suicide. Now it seemed she was being forced by Daxton to take the poison, knowing her time was limited, which was why she said those things!
Isaac's face turned ashen, his chest heaving with rage, his anger nearly consuming his reason. "Daxton, I will tear you to pieces!"
The only consolation was that Nora hadn't taken too much of the poison. Now that she had lost her memory, she wouldn't continue taking the poison under Daxton's threat.
Thinking of this, Isaac's anger subsided a bit.
However, at that moment, Nora found an excuse to go to the bathroom in the studio. She took the pill bottle from her sleeve, urgently poured out a pill, and swallowed it. Her stomach had been hurting for hours.
This painkiller was very effective. Within a minute of taking it, the pain subsided. She sighed in relief.
Then Nora came out of the bathroom and told Sophia about her plan to return to work.
Sophia readily agreed. She couldn't manage the store alone.
Moreover, her specialty was comics, not oil painting. She had only learned some oil painting techniques from Nora after they opened the store together.
Over the years, thanks to Nora, they had accumulated many loyal customers who liked to hang landscape paintings or high-end oil paintings in their offices. So, their store's business was quite good.
Many old customers had come by recently. They specifically requested Nora's paintings.
Unfortunately, Nora had been unreachable, so she had to turn down those orders worth a million dollars.
At this moment, Isaac walked in. He approached Sophia and said, "How long do you keep your store's surveillance footage?"
Sophia was taken aback and said, "I think it's about six months."
Isaac said, "Can I see the surveillance footage?"
Sophia frowned. "That's not really allowed. We can't just show the footage to outsiders."
Isaac said, "I'm Nora's husband. She owns half of this store. I'm not an outsider."
Sophia said, "I remember you two got divorced!"
Isaac smirked. "We only signed the divorce agreement but didn't finalize it. We're still married. Her half of the store is still part of our joint property."
Sophia looked skeptical. "You're not just taking advantage of Nora's amnesia to lie, are you?"
Isaac said, "If you don't believe me, you can check with the court to see if we're still legally married."
Sophia, seeing how serious he was, started to believe him.
"Let me see the footage," Isaac insisted.
Sophia frowned and asked, "Why do you want to see it?"
Isaac didn't want to explain and simply said, "To see how she used to work."
Sophia said, "Haven't you heard the saying? Too little, too late."
Isaac pressed his lips together, his face cold and stern.
Sophia wasn't afraid and angrily said, "Nora was married to you for three years, and you didn't cherish her. Now you've signed the divorce agreement, and she's lost her memory. Why are you still clinging to her? When I talked to Nora earlier, I asked her how she feels about you now. Do you know what she said?"
Isaac clenched his fists. He didn't know. But he could guess it wasn't anything good.
Sophia said, "Nora said she has no feelings for you now. Seeing you is like seeing a stranger. No love, no hate. Mr. Porter, can you let Nora go? Do you know how much she suffered during those three years of marriage? Facing your coldness every day, watching you go to other women, enduring others' ridicule! You didn't care for her, but I did! You've tormented her for three years. Now that she's forgotten the past pain, can you let her go and not make her suffer again?"
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