Chapter 581
“Are you awake?” Calvin’s voice resonated in her ear.
Upon lifting her gaze, a subtle blush graced her cheeks. She hummed absentmindedly and swiftly disembarked from the
vehicle.
Simultaneously, Calvin followed suit.
Throughout their journey, regardless of Rosalie’s pace-be it brisk or leisurely-Calvin trailed behind her unwaveringly, escorting her to the entrance of her rental home.
“Well, I shall make my way back,” Calvin remarked. Initially, it appeared he had no intention of entering the rental room. However, just as he was on the verge of turning away, a realization struck him. He spoke abruptly. “On a related note, even if the authorities remain clueless about the incident in the lounge at present, I will persist in my investigation. Regardless of the individual the culprit seeks to implicate, I am determined to unveil their identity and elucidate the truth for you!”
Rosalie asked, “So, you trust Fiona’s account? Do you think someone wanted to harm her, and I ended up being a substitute since I entered the lounge accidentally?”
“It’s not a matter of belief. I simply seek the truth,” Calvin responded earnestly.
Rosalie gazed directly at Calvin as she inquired, “If you uncover the truth, and it turns out to be her doings, will you impartially hand her over to the authorities?”
His eyes flickered briefly. “Should Fiona indeed be responsible for all of this, justice must prevail for Rosalie,” he mused. However, the notion of turning Fiona over to the police without bias seemed complicated, especially given that it could lead to her imprisonment. “She… once saved my life in my youth,” Calvin admitted with evident struggle.
A bitter smile tugged at Rosalie’s lips as she realized she had brought this situation upon herself.
After all, she was the one who chose to conceal the truth from him. Rosalie had saved him in their childhood, but now he was defending Fiona due to that particular past relationship she had with him.
It felt like a profound irony.
She remained tight-lipped about her true identity. If she confessed that she was the person he had been searching for, the likelihood of him abandoning his pursuit would be slim.
Unable to offer what he sought, she had no choice but to uphold the current charade.
Rosalie fell silent. She turned away and fumbled for her keys, attempting to open the door to her rental home.
“But…” Calvin’s voice came from behind her, “Regardless of who has harmed you, I won’t let them escape easily. Be it Fiona or even myself, no one is permitted to inflict harm upon you.”
Rosalie turned her head abruptly, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at Calvin.
His face, inherently appealing to women, was tinged with the hues of the setting sun. Instead of his usual indifference and detachment, a resolute determination now marked his expression. Rosalie’s face was reflected in his eyes.
He continued, “Rosalie, I can’t compel you to willingly step into my world, but I have the power to decide if I want to enter
yours! You are the person I cherish most in my life, and I won’t allow anyone to hurt you again!”
At that moment, her heart felt a magnetic pull, and her gaze remained fixed on his face, unable to move away.
Rosalie felt a lump in the depths of her throat, accompanied by a desire to cry, evoking an overwhelming sensation within her.
The driver dropped Fiona off at her residence and departed. Fiona, frustrated, stamped her feet vigorously before entering. the residential area. She made her way to the building where she lived and stepped into the elevator.
This area was among the affluent neighborhoods in Strico. Even though it comprised merely condominium buildings, the smallest unit/here was valued at more than 4 million dollars.
Calvin had purchased this specific condominium for Fiona.
In the past, Fiona perceived Calvin as exceedingly kind, always ready to fulfill her desires by purchasing whatever she wanted.
Yet, upon witnessing his interactions with Rosalie, she came to realize that genuine kindness from a man to a woman transcended material possessions. It was an authentic tenderness that radiated from the depths of his heart, a subtle but unmistakable indicator of his sincere affection, evident to anyone who observed closely.
Therefore, she was sure that Calvin, at this point, cared about Rosalie deeply.
Fiona couldn’t help but question what right Rosalie had to take Calvin away from her.
Even though Fiona couldn’t fathom why her cousin, despite regaining her memory, chose to remain silent, she strongly believed that if Rosalie wished to keep the truth hidden, she shouldn’t be so intimately connected to Calvin and capture his
Upon reaching Fiona’s condominium floor, she opened the front door of her unit and entered. Before she could shut it, a figure hurriedly darted inside.
The unit’s door was then closed swiftly behind the intruder.
Fiona was about to let out a scream, but the person’s voice silenced her instantly.
“Ms. Haberly, have you forgotten me so soon? I’ve taken the liberty of redirecting the surveillance cameras just for you!” the person said.
Fiona shuddered as she recognized the voice, realizing it belonged to the cleaner she had hired for a certain task in the past. However, the person before her was distinctly different from the cleaner she remembered. More precisely, this individual was dressed in a fashionable manner, without glasses or hats obscuring her face, thereby transforming her entire demeanor.
“Why are you here? H-Haven’t I already given you the money? What more do you want? If word gets out that you’re responsible for locking the lounge door, you’ll end up in jail!” Fiona stammered in disbelief.
Her feeble attempts at explanation elicited a burst of derisive laughter from the other party.
“If I am to face jail time, Ms. Haberly, you will too, for you were the mastermind behind that incident!” the person retorted sharply.
“You!” Fiona’s face flushed red.
“By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Loretta Leighton!” the individual declared her identity outright. “Coincidentally, you happen to be my cousin as well.”
Fiona’s eyes widened in disbelief as she scrutinized the woman before her. It was difficult to comprehend that this seemingly ordinary person, with an unhealthy pallor on her face, could be Loretta.
“Loretta? Is she really Loretta?” Fiona wondered. The woman before her was entirely different from Fiona’s memories. Despite their familial connection, there was no blood relation between them.
Fiona had glimpsed Loretta a few times in her childhood, but as she grew older, Loretta faded from her life, becoming a distant memory.
The last time Fiona had seen Loretta was through some photos of her on the internet. Fiona had heard that Loretta used to be Calvin’s girlfriend, prompting her to search for Loretta’s pictures. Back then, Fiona had even considered Loretta somewhat beautiful,
But now, it appeared that Loretta fell far short of Rosalie in terms of beauty.
Even without makeup, Rosalie possessed a natural attractiveness. In contrast, the Loretta standing before Fiona seemed vastly different from the photos of her adorned with makeup that Fiona had seen online.
Even Fiona couldn’t help but think that she was no less attractive than Loretta in terms of looks.
“Did you do this deliberately? Did you intentionally lead me to believe you were just a cleaner? What is your motive?” Fiona questioned angrily.
Loretta sneered, “Consider yourself fortunate that you found me. If someone else were here, you might not even know your fate. Whether I was a cleaner or not is irrelevant. What truly matters is whether you want Rosalie to suffer…”
