Chapter 206
Blake’s POV
“What do you think?” she replied, a smirk playing on her lips.
“If I don’t know Rachel Hayes, how would I know so many things about her?”
Before I could respond, Scarlett stepped between us, blocking my view.
“You know about Rachel because you took her phone!” Her voice cracked with desperation. “Rachel recorded everything in her memos. Anyone with her phone would know all the details of her life!”
She turned to me, grabbing my arm. “Blake, don’t fall for this. Audrey never knew Laurel had a sister before. Now she has Rachel’s phone and is pretending they were close. She’s clearly up to something.”
“Mrs. Rose, James cut in, “you’re saying Audrey knows about Rachel because she accidentally took her phone, right?”
Scarlett nodded quickly. “Exactly.”
“When did Audrey get this phone?” he asked.
“Two days ago,” Scarlett replied without hesitation. “She came here with Blake to get her own phone back, but our maid gave her Rachel’s by mistake.”
She glared at Audrey. “Now this thief is pretending she knew my daughter! If you were really Rachel’s friend, why haven’t I ever seen you before?”
James cleared his throat. “Mrs. Rose, Audrey has been designing jewelry under Rachel Hayes‘ name for over two weeks.”
The room went silent.
“If she only learned about Rachel after taking her phone two days ago,” James continued, “how could she have been using Rachel’s name weeks earlier?”
Scarlett’s mouth opened, then closed. Her eyes darted to Laurel, panic written all over her face.
Something wasn’t adding up.
“Audrey, you mentioned giving Rachel a model figure for her birthday,” I said, focusing entirely on her. “But I remember Rachel saying Laurel gave her that gift.”
Audrey didn’t flinch. Instead, she turned to Laurel with cold eyes.
“Miss Rose couldn’t even be bothered to show up for Rachel’s birthdays,” she said. “Can you tell us what anime character Rachel liked? What model figure she wanted?”
Laurel’s hands balled into fists, knuckles white. “I… I don’t remember.”
“You claim to be so close, yet Rachel’s only been a vegetative patient for four years and you’ve already forgotten everything about her?” Audrey’s voice was razor–sharp.
Chapter 206
“Five years ago, I gave Rachel a Transformers model figure,” she said. “You probably don’t know this, but despite her sweet appearance, Rachel was stubborn and strong inside. She loved Transformers.”
Her voice softened. “This was a secret she only shared with me. I’m sure she never wrote it down in her phone.”
How does she know this? Rachel had definitely told me about her Transformers collection. She’d said only her sister knew about this interest, something unusual for a girl that she kept private.
But Laurel clearly had no idea, while Audrey knew this intimate detail perfectly.
What the hell is going on?
“It seems Miss Sinclair has been planning this for a while,” Laurel said coolly. “No wonder she never complained when I returned to America and was seen everywhere with Blake.”
She faced Audrey directly. “You’ve known about my sister all along, haven’t you?”
“My sister Rachel became a vegetative patient after falling from a building four years ago. To protect her, we told everyone she died by suicide due to depression.”
“We’ve kept Rachel’s name and condition private. Even Blake doesn’t know all the details…” She turned to me. “Right, Blake darling?”
I nodded, barely listening, my focus still on Audrey.
Everything about Audrey screamed that she’d known Rachel for years. The details were too specific, her confidence too
genuine.
But if she and Rachel were close, why hadn’t Scarlett or Laurel ever mentioned meeting her before our marriage? Why hadn’t Audrey brought it up once in our three years together, especially knowing my connection to the Rose family?
How did she know Rachel wasn’t dead when I only found out these few days?
I couldn’t make sense of it. If Audrey truly was Rachel’s friend, why go after Scarlett and Laurel like this? And if she wasn’t, what was the point of this charade?
“You investigated my sister, stole her phone, and learned all her preferences, Laurel continued. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
When Audrey didn’t respond, Laurel’s eyes suddenly welled with tears.
“Are you trying to upset me until I have an emotional breakdown?” Tears streamed down her face. “If th congratulations, you’ve succeeded.”
our goal,
“I may not know Rachel liked Transformers. Maybe she only recorded it in her phone and never told anyone…”
“Our family respected her privacy after she became a vegetative patient. We never went through her things.
Her breathing quickened. “How ridiculous that someone claiming to know my sister best is actually a thief who stole her phone!”
Suddenly, Laurel’s eyes rolled back and she collapsed into my arms.
Chapter 206
“Laurel!” Scarlett rushed forward. “Nora, call an ambulance!”
She grabbed Laurel’s hand and glared at Audrey. “You knew her health is fragile! You did this on purpose!”
I held Laurel, but my mind was racing through all the contradictions.
“Blake, don’t waste time with them!” Scarlett demanded. “I’m having them thrown out!”
Hooked down at Laurel, then back at Audrey.
“You and James should go,” I finally said. “We’ll talk about the collaboration later.”
I turned and carried Laurel away, but couldn’t help glancing back at Audrey one last time before disappearing down the
hall.
Audrey’s POV
I watched Blake walk away with Laurel in his arms, her “fainting spell” perfectly timed to end our confrontation. So predictable.
Outside Twilight Mansion, James shook his head as he stared at the building.
“I’ll tell George tomorrow we need to find another company,” he said. “If I’d known it was Blake Parker, I never would have agreed to this!”
“Don’t bother,” I replied. “I still want to work with him.”
James looked surprised. “Won’t that be hard for you? With how he treats Laurel, can he really work with you fairly?”
“It’s not about comfort,” I said, heading toward the exit. “Since Blake is my only option, as long as he keeps his promise, I’ll work with him.”
“I’ve dealt with worse for three years. What’s a little more?”
I glanced back at the mansion. “Besides, you saw it. Laurel and her mother aren’t in my league.”
James caught up, smiling. “True enough.”
“Here’s the plan. When Blake contacts you about the collaboration, call me. I’ll join you to make sure they play fair.”
I smiled as I got into his car. “Perfect. I’d rather not face Blake alone.”
The drive back was quiet. At my apartment, I thanked James and headed inside.
When I opened my door, I found five or six suitcases stacked in my living room. Astrid was dragging one toward the guest
room.
She looked up when I entered, smiling. “You’re back!”
