âWhen I saw her, she was alone.â
âHmm. It would be much easier if her father wasnât here.â
Ellinor observed Balfour with a thoughtful expression, sensing that something was amiss.
Balfour knew his sister was scrutinizing him. His mind was indeed preoccupied with concerns.
Reluctant to reveal his worries to Ellinor and unable to perfectly mask his apprehension, Balfour turned to gaze out the car window, preventing her from reading his face.
Earlier, he had witnessed something unsettling during his meeting with the auction house manager.
Sophia had not arrived alone. She was accompanied by a man and a child.
The man, seated in a wheelchair, was unmistakably Theo.
As for the childâ¦
The security camera could only capture the top of the childâs head due to the childâs short stature, preventing him from seeing the childâs face.
Judging from the height, the child appeared to be about the same age as Adrian and Layla.
For now, he could not tell Ellinor.
If she knew, her emotions would spiral out of control, possibly leading to irrational actions.
He decided to investigate the situation first before considering whether to inform Ellinor.
Upon reaching the Blanchet Villa, Ellinor led the children out of the car. After waving goodbye to Balfour, she went inside.
As soon as he saw his sister and the kids safely enter the house, Balfourâs expression darkened. âFind out where Sophiaâs hotel is and take me there now.â He ordered Quinton.
Quinton hesitated before responding. âYes, Mr. Howard.â
What had gotten into Balfour? Was he intending to confront Sophia over Ms. Mendoza?
After entering the living room, Ellinor collapsed onto the couch, too exhausted to move.
At the auction house, although she spent most of her time sitting, she had to stay alert to look after the three children.
To make matters worse, Adrian had run off at one point, and she had spent considerable energy searching for him.
She then discovered Sophiaâs malicious bidding, leading to a confrontation.
The combination of mental stress and physical exertion left her drained.
Veronica greeted them upon their return and picked up Layla to comfort her. While glancing at the pensive Ellinor slouched on the sofa, she asked, âEllinor, what happened? Did something go wrong at the auction?â
Ellinor replied nonchalantly, âI ran into Sophia. The plot of land we wanted to bid on belonged to Sophiaâs father. Sophia deliberately inflated the price, forcing us to pay more than ten times the market value for it.â