Chapter 186
Laurel’s POV
“Sure, I don’t think I’ve ever had a private chat with Miss Sinclair before,” I replied, reluctantly letting go of Blake’s arm.
I turned to Blake. “Blake darling, it’s getting late. Why don’t you stay for dinner tonight? Nora can show off her cooking skills. It’s been a while since you’ve tasted her dishes, hasn’t it?“.
“Fine,” Blake nodded.
Mom immediately stepped in. “I’ll have dinner prepared right away.” She glanced at me before turning to Audrey. “As you’ve noted, it’s getting late. Whatever business you have with my daughter, please handle it quickly. We wouldn’t want to delay your return home for dinner.”
“Don’t worry. I have no interest in your family dinner.” Audrey yawned and walked toward the garden. “I’m just here to retrieve something from Miss Rose and ask a few questions. Once that’s done, I’ll be on my way.”
I frowned, following after her. “Retrieve something from me? What exactly?”
Audrey didn’t answer, continuing toward the garden. Twilight Mansion’s garden was in full bloom, filled with flowers I’d instructed my mother to plant. As we entered the central gazebo, the evening breeze had grown cooler.
Once we were alone, Audrey turned to face me, her casual demeanor replaced by sharp focus.
“You should know why I’m here,” she said. “My phone. And Rachel Hayes’s phone.”
The name hit me like an electric shock. I stood frozen, completely unable to move or speak.
How does she know about Rachel? How does she know Rachel’s name? And how does she know about the phone?
“Jennifer told me everything. Both phones are with you.”
Terror gripped my chest as I struggled to find my voice. “So Jennifer told you… your phone and Rachel Hayes’s phone are with me?”
I needed to know how much damage was done. “Besides the phones, what else did Jennifer tell you?”
“Nothing else at the moment,” Audrey replied.
Relief washed over me. Thank god. That useless woman still has some brains left.
I understood Jennifer’s game now. She’d told Audrey about the phones to bring her to me, but hadn’t revealed Rachel’s secrets. It was a warning – Jennifer was leveraging Rachel to force me to get her out of jail.
The evening grew darker as I studied Audrey’s face. My initial shock gave way to calculation.
“Yes, I have both phones,” I admitted. “I can return yours, but I won’t give you Rachel’s phone. That phone doesn’t belong to you anyway.”
Four years ago, I discovered Rachel’s phone and the detailed notes she’d kept in her memos. Every day, every conversation, every interaction between Audrey and Blake during those days when she was caring for him in that village – Rachel had recorded it all.
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Chapter 186
That discovery was the moment I decided to pretend I was Blake’s savior. When Blake recovered from his blindness, I immediately approached him. As long as I memorized the details from those memos, I could perfectly play Audrey’s role.
Without Rachel’s notes, I would have made countless mistakes over these four years. I never could have fooled Blake for so long.
I’m not officially Mrs. Parker yet. I still need that phone. I can’t possibly give it to Audrey. If she sees those memos, she’ll understand everything, and my entire charade with Blake will collapse.
“But it doesn’t belong to you either,” Audrey countered. “That phone belonged to my friend. My best friend. Four years ago, she fell from a building and became a vegetative patient.”
“Her family always disliked her ordinary friends like me, so after her accident, they took her abroad for treatment and cut off all contact with us.”
Audrey looked directly at me. “I know it’s odd to be telling you this, given our relationship. But Miss Rose, I need to know where you got that phone, and if you have any contact with her family.”
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