Chapter 161
Laurel’s POV
I stood in Blake’s villa living room, trying to look casual while scanning the place. A noise from upstairs made me tense up. Someone was definitely moving around up there.
“What was that sound?” I asked, looking at the ceiling.
Blake kept eating his noodles without looking up. “You heard something?”
“Blake darling, are you hiding someone upstairs?” I tilted my head.
He finally looked at me with a neutral face. “You must have heard wrong.”
I turned to Michael. “I heard wrop
Michael nodded quickly. “Yes, perhaps Miss Rose is just tired and hearing things.”
“I have excellent hearing,” he continued. ”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Their obvious coordination made me suspicious, but Blake seemed so calm that I started to doubt myself. Who would he
even hide here?
“Maybe I did hear wrong,” I said, dropping it for now.
I sat at the table, noticing the chair was still warm. Someone had definitely been sitting here. I pushed that thought aside and focused on my goal.
“Blake darling, when did you buy this place?” I asked with a smile. “If Thalia hadn’t mentioned you might be here, I never
would have found you!”
I looked around the room. “And decorated like this…”
The cottage–style decor was everywhere – flowers, warm colors, soft fabrics. Nothing like the modern style Blake usually preferred.
“I hate this cottage style,” I said honestly. “It looks tacky and cheap.”
I leaned forward. “Blake darling, how could you possibly like this?”
Blake’s chopsticks stopped halfway to his mouth. “You… hate this style?”
His surprise caught me off guard. Had I said something wrong?
“Of course,” I laughed. “When have you ever seen me wear floral dresses or anything with this cottage feel?”
I gestured around. “I avoid this style/completely. How could I like it?”
I blinked innocently a move that always worked on Blake. “But if you like it, I can try to like it too!”
I smiled. “But really, Blake darling… this is something only teenage girls would like.”
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Chapter 161
Blake’s expression shifted to confused and cold. But five years ago when we first met, your sister specifter liked this style
My heart skipped. What? Rachel told him I liked cottage style? I needed to recover fast,
“Did she?” I laughed awkwardly. “I might have forgotten after getting sick…
Blake studied me. “Laurel, you seem to have forgotten many things.”
Panic rose in my chest. Every gesture I’d made was carefully planned. In the past, my innocent act always worked on Blake. But now his piercing gaze made me nervous.
I needed my illness as a shield. I put my head on the table, rubbing my temples.
“Maybe my condition is getting worse,” I said softly.
Inside I was furious. What had Rachel told Blake about Audrey? Why did that woman have such basic taste?
Audrey’s POV
Through the wall of the hidden room, I heard every word Laurel said about hating cottage style. Each comment stung.
So I’d been wrong. Blake hadn’t styled this villa in my favorite aesthetic because he remembered what Rachel told him five years ago when I rescued him. He’d done it for Laurel.
He must have prepared this place as a surprise for her. But his careful planning backfired. His precious Laurel didn’t even remember liking this style.
My chest tightened. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
Then Blake’s voice came through, deliberate and measured: “Laurel. Do you remember what day it was when you and I
met?”
I held my breath. When exactly did they meet? It couldn’t be the same day I rescued Blake, could it?
“Blake darling, are you testing me?” Laurel sounded smug. “The day we met was June 28th! The sun on the beach was so strong I got sunburned!”
I couldn’t believe it. June 28th – the exact same day I rescued Blake. The same date as the code 0628 for this hidden room.
But when I met Blake, it had been cloudy. There was no strong sun. I didn’t get sunburned.
It really was just coincidence. Blake created this villa for Laurel. He used 0628 as the password because that was the day they met.
I should have known better. If Blake truly remembered everything from five years ago, why never m three years of marriage? Not once, not even during our divorce.
A cold laugh escaped before I could stop it. At this moment, Michael’s phone rang.
Blake’s POV
n it during our
Chapter 161
Michael frowned at his phone. Mr. Mel, about today’s meeting possibly
He glanced at me, looking for direction.
I waved my hand. My furrowed brow relaxed slightly. After all, this conversation made me Increasingly suspicious at Laurel
from small things like her taste in colors to bigger matters like her supposed racing skills, and now forgetting her. preferred style.
L’à consulted doctors about how cancer affects memory. They said late–stage patients might experience temporary memory
not fundamental preferences. loss, but typically only forget certain events.
except claiming she and Rachel rescued me when I was blind. Everything else Yet Laurel seemed to remember nothing about her supposed past with me was blank.
Though she did remember the exact date – June 28th. Could her illness really be causing these memory gaps?
Michael understood my gesture and stepped away with the phone. “I’m sorry, but our boss has personal matters today…
Laurel pressed her lips together and looked at me.”
“Blake darling, aren’t you going to work?”
“No,” I decided. “Didn’t you want me to help investigate those two people who died last night?”
I met her gaze. “I think you’re right. Today, I’ll skip business and help you identify the deceased.”
After our conversation, I was suspicious of everything Laurel said and did. Going with her to investigate these “deaths” would let me observe her more closely.
“That’s great!” Laurel perked up. She jumped up and linked her arm with mine. “I knew it! Blake darling, you care about me so much!”
Her face lit up. “You’ll do anything I ask!”
“Hmm,” I said noncommittally. “Shall we go?”
“Yes!” she agreed eagerly.
As we approached the door, I paused and glanced back. “We’re leaving in such a hurry. Michael will need to arrange for someone to clean up the kitchen.”
I hoped Audrey would understand – this would give her a chance to leave while we were gone.
“Michael will handle that without you saying anything,” Laurel dismissed.
Her mind was already elsewhere. “I heard one of the people who died on the beach was a college start looking at New York University?”
My eyes darkened at the mention of NYU, but I kept my face neutral. “Whatever you say.”
ent. Why don’t we
