But now, with only the two of them left, they just sat there, looking at each other, with no desire to even start a conversation.
Chapter 13
Claire had lost count of how many frantic calls she had made, but Walter still wasn’t picking up.
It was just as quiet
t at Whispering
Villa. It didn’t I seem to matter where she was.
As the night deepened and the temperature dropped, neither Walter nor Ayrton could sit still any longer, so they headed back to Whispering Villa.
The moment they opened the door, they found Claim dozing on the sofa.
The villa was softly lit with a warm, yellow glow, dim yet cozy. But Ayrton and Walter were in no mood to appreciate any of it!
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Walter’s voice was laced with exhaustion and a hint of irritation. He really didn’t have the patience to care for another problem right now.
Ayrton headed straight for his room, leaving a cold remark behind, “You should go to bed at a reasonable hour. Don’t wait up for us.” Claire sank back into the plush sofa, her face a canvas of bewilderment.
How did it come to this? They used to be so kind to her. Was it really because Lucille left that they turned so cold?
Claire found herself pacing outside Ayrton’s and Walter’s rooms.
After a while, a resolve hardened within her
Back in her own room, she hurriedly deleted the messages she had sent to provoke Lucille.
Lucille might have left willingly, but she couldn’t let it seem like she’d forced her out.
Ayrton lay in bed, unable to sleep. His mind was blank.
Lucille was gone, yet she had never told them where her family lived in Axelvale City.
The Simpson family was well–known in the social circles of Axelvale City, so tracking her down wouldn’t be difficult 2
But she had kept her departure a secret, which probably meant she didn’t want them to find her
The thought hit Ayrton with a sharp pang of pain.
Walter was just as restless. He quickly called Fiona, hoping to find out why Lucille left without a word.
The phone rang a couple of times before Fiona picked up. She was on a night shift and had just stepped off the operating table. She hadn’t even removed her gloves, letting a trainee nurse hold the phone for her.⠀
“Hello? Walter, what’s up? Why are you calling me at this hour?”
their aunt
The three of them had grown up together, and Walter and Ayrton also regard Fiona as Walter asked urgently. “Aunt Fiona, do you know where Lucille’s family is in Axelvale City? Why did she leave so suddenly? I need to find
her*%
you guys don’t know why she left? She told me you and Ayrton knew…
There was a brief silence before Fiona spoke uncertainly, “You you
In that instant, both of them realized that Lucille had lied back then.
But Fiona, being Lucille’s relative, quickly tried to cover the slip
“Oh, that’s right, Watter, I must’ve mixed things up. Lucille just wa
wanted to visit her parents in Axelvale City. It’s been years since she last saw them, and you both have been so busy. That’s why she didn’t tell you”
Fiona tried to sound calm as she patched up the story.
Walter wasn’t convinced.
“Really?”
Even if Walter didn’t believe it, he knew he wasn’t going to get any clearer answers from Fiona
He just hadn’t expected Lucille to keep this from only the two of them.
Visiting parents? Such a flimsy excuse
If that were the case, why keep it secret?)
Something more significant must be going onl
Walter couldn’t wait any longer. He grabbed his coat and headed out
But as he stepped out of the villa, he saw Ayrton leaning against the car, cigarette ashes scattered on the ground.
Chapter 14
