Chapter 308 Is There Anything you Need me to Do?
Silence hung in the air for a moment. Adeline let out a bitter laugh.
"So, you think Mrs. Foster is too smart to mess up, but I'm dumb enough to fall for your trap?"
Jasper's face darkened. He'd overlooked that detail.
The "Stella" in the chat logs had claimed to be Adeline.
"That's not what I meant," he said flatly.
"Then what do you mean, Mr. Foster?" Adeline stood up, anger simmering. She sat on the sofa opposite him, her posture stiff. "You say Stella wouldn't use her own name to cause trouble, but you think I'm Evelyn, someone who'd openly use Morgana's people in your city?"
Jasper stayed silent, staring at her.
"Remember what you told me after that imposter's funeral in Neon City?" Adeline's voice was icy. "You always suspected the real Evelyn was still alive."
"So why would I risk bringing Morgana's people to Radiance Springs, knowing you were already suspicious? This is your turf, yours and Jason's. Why would I lead them here, to such a dangerous place?"
"And why would I do it so obviously? One minute I'm arguing with Ava, the next I'm sending thugs after her? Does that sound like someone trying to hide their identity?"
Her logic made Jasper pause. He had to admit, she made sense. His doubts about Adeline's identity came from Jason's investigation. He'd never been fully convinced.
But the doubts lingered, casting a shadow over their interactions. He needed answers. He couldn't keep working with her while suspecting her.
He studied her face, a flicker of a smile touching his lips. The weight of his suspicions seemed to lift, replaced by a familiar ease. "Maybe you anticipated my thinking. Maybe you wanted me to believe you wouldn't be so careless, so you made yourself look reckless."
Adeline felt a surge of anger.
'Do you really think I'm that foolish?' she thought, feeling helpless.
She bit back a sharp retort and stood up. "Since you didn't ask me to stay to discuss Bennett and Lauren, I won't waste any more of your time, Mr. Foster."
"If you have concrete proof I'm Evelyn, show it. My words mean nothing against solid evidence."
"But if you don't, stop trying to pin that identity on me. The pain the Quinn family caused Linda is still fresh. Don't think you can accuse me without consequences."
With that, she turned and walked to the door, her anger palpable.
Jasper watched her go, a faint smile on his lips. He looked at the design drafts scattered on her desk, picking them up one by one.
The last drawing wasn't part of the initial batch. It was a new design, sketched quickly.
A man's ring, with a skull motif.
He frowned. The hand in the drawing looked familiar.
He glanced at his own hand, then back at the drawing.
It was identical.
'Is it just a coincidence?' He frowned.
He studied the details, his frown deepening. It was his hand, down to the smallest detail. Even the faint scar was replicated perfectly.
'When did she observe my hand so closely?' he wondered.
He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the drawing, saving it to his files.
Downstairs in the bustling café beneath the Foster Group building, Stella sat across from Thomas, a triumphant smile on her face.
"So, the person who hired you all those years ago," she began, her voice low, "was it she who told you to frame my husband for the attempt on my life?"
Thomas laughed heartily, clutching the check in his hand. "Of course it was her."
"It's remarkable, Mrs. Foster. You stayed so devoted to your husband, even when you thought he was behind that ordeal. I have to admire your faith."
"I thought you'd harbor some resentment, some anger towards him."
"The woman who hired me specifically instructed me to pin everything on your husband."
He leaned forward, his gaze intent. "You never suspected him, not even for a moment? Never felt any anger?"
Stella laughed, a melodic sound that belied the coldness in her eyes. "Of course not. He's my husband. I would never doubt him."
She smiled, her gaze shifting back to Thomas. "Did you ever see the woman who hired you? Get a good look at her face?"
Thomas shook his head. "All I knew was that she was a woman. Nothing more."
"Interesting." Stella sighed dramatically. "Before I married my husband, there was another woman, Evelyn. She was obsessed with him, tried repeatedly to harm me, to take my place."
"That car accident six years ago? It had to be her doing."
She smiled again, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Evelyn never contacted you again after that incident, did she?"
Thomas hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"That's because she underwent extensive plastic surgery. She changed her appearance." Stella produced a photograph of Adeline, sliding it across the table. "This is what she looks like now. She's infiltrated my husband's company, worming her way into his life, waiting to seduce him."
Thomas frowned, picking up the photograph. His eyes widened in recognition.
"Miss Wilson?"
He stared at the picture, his mind racing. It was her, the same woman he'd met at Tim and Tom's house, the one who'd helped him pick up Mia from the hospital.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice hushed. "I've met Miss Wilson twice now. She doesn't seem like the type you're describing."
"If she were easy to read, she wouldn't have fooled my husband for so long," Stella countered. "Think back to your encounters with her. Did she act strangely? Notice anything off?"
Thomas paused, replaying his interactions with Adeline. It was true, she always seemed to avoid his gaze, to shy away from him. He'd attributed it to the scar on his face, assuming it made her uncomfortable.
"You're starting to see the truth, aren't you?" Stella pressed.
Thomas nodded slowly.
"Good." Stella's smile widened. "Tell me, Thomas, are you willing to help me expose this woman for the fraud she is?"
"Of course, Mrs. Foster. Anything."
"Excellent." Stella pulled out another check, placing it on the table. "For now, keep her true identity a secret. Pretend you were hired by my husband all those years ago. Get close to her, earn her trust."
"In time, we'll reveal her true face to the world. We'll expose her as the manipulative, dangerous woman she truly is."
Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in them. This time, she blamed everything Molly did back then on Evelyn. She was convinced that as long as she pinned the identity of Evelyn on Adeline. And once Jasper realized the "truth," he would be forced to abandon her.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
