Chapter 79: Chapter 87

Angeline quickened her pace when she saw the old man. “Are you the man in charge of watching over this house?”

“That’s right.” Arthur was puzzled as he had not seen her before. “Not many know of my identity, young lady. Who might you be?”

Angeline was just about to tell him but suddenly recalled the myriad of suspicious circumstances surrounding the house and swallowed the words she was about to utter.

After a moment’s thought, she answered, “I am a good friend of the owner. She promised to sublet this place to me, but I can’t help but notice it’s already occupied.”

Arthur appeared confused at her words. It was plain that he was unaware of the finer details of that arrangement.

“Oh, Ms. Sorelle has never mentioned this to me. I’ll ask for you when she next drops by.”

Ms. Sorelle.

Angeline’s gaze turned grim. Though her fists were clenched, she politely asked, “Might you be referring to Ms. Joseline Sorelle?”

The old man nodded. “That’s right. Ms. Sorelle would drop by twice a week to visit her boyfriend.”

Boyfriend?

Angeline examined the clothes on the rack and recalled seeing Stuart emerge, disheveled, from the mansion. With shock flashing across her eyes, she understood.

As Arthur was elderly, it would not be unusual for him to be unacquainted with news surrounding the entertainment industry.

I can’t believe Joseline would stow her lover away in my mansion.

Angeline sneered at that thought.

Despite Joseline’s apparent devotion to Hanson and their appearance as a loving couple, she turned out to be an adulteress after all. If that’s the case, the child in Joseline’s belly is likely not Hanson’s.

Angeline became excited. She fished her phone from her pocket and scrolled down to Nancy’s number.

As Joseline has no regard for me, I won’t mind reciprocating the favor. The news of her having an affair with a celebrity will definitely overshadow mine of having a child out of wedlock.

She was about to make the call when Nancy called her instead.

Angeline hastened to answer. “I have something to tell you, Nancy.”

“Hold that thought, and let me go first. I have to hand it to you for finding that Photoshop artist who somehow edited the photograph of you being pregnant into another woman. That woman even issued a public apology to clarify that she, instead of you, was the one who was pregnant.”

“What?”

Angeline’s eyes widened in surprise. Has the gossip of my having a child out of wedlock been resolved?

“Wasn’t it your doing?” Nancy’s voice shook with excitement. “Forget it. The matter is in the past anyway. The director of The Journey, Mr. McKenna, asked me to tell you to come on set tomorrow.”

Angeline did not respond.

“I’ve got to run to take care of things for you. Chat later.” Nancy hung up without offering any more details.

Despite the short call, Angeline gained a rough understanding of the situation.

Aside from Evander, not many people would have the ability to find a double for me and suppress the rumors.

She clutched her phone with a complicated look in her eyes, feeling guilty upon recalling her churlish retort against him earlier that morning.

“I must insist that you stay for a meal, young lady, seeing as you are a good friend of Ms. Sorelle’s,”

Arthur offered.

“No, thank you. I have matters to attend to.” Angeline smiled and flapped her hand, deciding not to give anything away. “Please don’t mention my dropping by to Joseline, will you? I’m concerned about burdening her.”

“Rest assured, I understand,” Arthur promised with a kindly gaze. “For some reason, miss, you remind me of my employer.”

Angeline’s heart twinged at his words, and she instantly thought of her mother.

People used to comment on our remarkable likeness when I went out with Mom, who would brag childishly about her age.

Without further ado, she concocted an excuse and departed the estate.

Angeline stepped on the gas instinctively once on the road and felt the cold wind whoosh by her ear through the open window. She clutched the steering wheel with both hands.

Looking back at herself five years ago, she felt foolish.

I failed to take back the company’s shares, and Joseline has taken over the only house Mom left me. I have to take back everything from her!

“I have handled the matters you asked of me, Mr. Golding. The press will no longer publicize the news regarding Ms. Sorelle anymore. She can now shoot her scenes in peace.”

That night, after getting into the car and shutting the door, Sylas handed a folder to Evander, who was seated in the back seat.

“As long as you’ve taken care of it.”

Evander tossed the folder aside before asking distractedly, “How goes the investigation regarding Jonathan?”

It was only after the mention that Sylas recalled he had been so busy he forgot about it.

“Hanson had temporarily lost his vision in an altercation during his second year of university, and it pertains to Jonathan,” he said at once.

Evander frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I contacted their classmates to ask about that, and they told me Jonathan had just transferred there during his second year and became acquainted with Hanson. They played basketball together, and it was due to Jonathan’s arrival to dethrone Hanson as the best player that they formed a grudge.

However, Jonathan did not spend much time there as he was expelled by the next semester through the Yiurk family’s connections.”

Evander was dumbstruck.

“From then on, no company that relied on the patronage of the Yiurk family would hire Jonathan. You were right, Mr. Golding. Jonathan has been trying to approach Ms. Sorelle. Or, more accurately, Jonathan has been trying to get revenge on Hanson through Ms. Sorelle.”

Pursing his lips, Evander lapsed into thoughtful silence following the other’s words.

Surely it isn’t that simple. Jonathan would not hold a grudge over the years and, through so much effort, manufacture a false identity just to pay Hanson back over basketball. There must be something else to it.

“Should we assign some men to guard Ms. Sorelle, Mr. Golding?”

“No need.” Evander stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray and wound down the window to let out the smoke. “Let’s go home.”

The matter is a personal grudge between Jonathan and Hanson. No matter the former’s motive for using Angeline, his end goal is Hanson. Besides, that cruel woman won’t reciprocate my feelings anyway.

“About the dinner appointment with Mr. Halls, Mr. Golding…”

“Reschedule it.” Evander leaned back against his seat and shut his eyes.