It had been over two weeks since she last saw him and he seemed to have matured a great deal during the time.
Seeing him, the lobby manager approached Kendrick with a courteous greeting. “How can I help you, Mr. Waldburg?”
Kendrick looked at Niamh. “Give this lady whatever information she needs.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll print everything out.” The manager complied politely.
Niamh stared at the man in confusion.
Feeling Niamh’s gaze, Kendrick looked down to meet it with a faint smile. “This hotel is under my name. All Felipe took was a portion that belonged to Waldburg Corporation.”
Niamh was stunned.
It explained why Kendrick was hardly frantic, for Felipe had not even gotten close to his main sources of income.
“I thought of giving all of this to you when you wanted to get a divorce, Nia, but I knew you wouldn’t want it.”
Niamh smiled meaningfully. “What makes you think that I wouldn’t want it? You must know that what I want most is to see a jerk like you lose everything.”
Although he was shocked, Kendrick merely smiled. “Any time and day, as long as you want it, it’s yours to take.”
“Miss Montgomery, here is the information and room card you wanted.” The lobby manager interrupted them and handed the things over.
Taking the room card and the papers, Niamh left to take the elevator up without saying a word to Kendrick as the man followed her into the elevator.
From the papers, Niamh realized that Felicity had yet to check out of the room. It appeared that she had intended to rent the room for a long period of time even though she seemed to have disappeared.
Niamh swiped the card and entered the room, her eyes immediately falling on a familiar pair of shoes by the entrance.
The reflection on the glass closet was indeed that of Felicity Walker.
There was much to uncover of this woman who looked so similar to Niamh.
Niamh was trying to look for clues and hints when she suddenly heard Kendrick’s solemn voice calling out for her. “Come quick, Nia. There’s something here in the bathroom you might want to see.”
Confused, Niamh went to the bathroom without hesitation.
The main difference between it and the living room was the gush of resentful energy that seemed to fester inside.
Walking in, she was baffled by the scene that met her eyes.
“Look at this, Nia. These are all pictures and information on you and me.”
Kendrick walked toward the wall and took the image of Niamh. Her face was marked by a red pen and her portrait was marred by a sharp object. His brows furrowed and he felt uneasy.
Niamh could imagine the intensity of Felicity’s hatred for her from the images plastered all over the bathroom. “Something tells me that she despises me but is in love with you.”
Kendrick looked serious. “I didn’t know the two of you looked so similar, Nia. And even if I did, there’s still no way I’d harbor feelings for her.”
“You might not feel anything, but she most certainly does. I’m inclined to believe that the similarities in our appearances are hardly a coincidence.” Niamh concluded. “This woman is most likely someone you, or we, used to know. She loves you a lot and therefore hates me, the woman you married and got a divorce with.”
Niamh met Kendrick’s peach blossom eyes.
“Perhaps you should rifle your memory for this fanatic follower who wants to kill me, Mr. Waldburg?”
Niamh’s words reminded Kendrick of something.
This woman was picking on Niamh, which meant that as long as he had yet to uncover her true identity, Niamh would still be in danger.
He refused to endanger her.
Niamh was walking out of the bathroom when her eyes fell on the few sticky notes disposed into the trash can.
On them recorded the time and date that corresponded to Lily’s last known location before her death.
“Lillian.” Niamh exhaled, her heart aching.
Clenching the paper in her hand, she found more notes with words along the lines of [You’ll regret this, Eveline Montgomery. I’ll kill you] written on them.
It was evident how much this person hated Niamh.
Now that she thought about it, there was only one person who came to mind who fit the requirements of loving Kendrick and hating Niamh enough to kill her.
Nevaeh Delgado.
Niamh’s mind supplied her with the pitiful-looking appearance of the two-faced b*tch.
However, it had been a while since Nevaeh was executed. How could she still be alive?
Just then, Kendrick accepted a phone call from someone who seemed to have given him an important clue. His expression changed when he hung up the phone. “I think I know where Felicity went, Nia.”
Niamh’s eyes sparked as she pressed on. “Where is she?”
“This person harbors too deep a hatred for you, Nia. She’ll likely do something to hurt you if she sees you. I think it’s best I go alone this time.”
“What makes you think that you’ll be safe? This woman even resorted to drugging you just to have you. She’ll eat you alive before you even know it.”
Kendrick smiled as he read the nervousness on Niamh’s expression. “It won’t happen,” he swore. “And even if she drugs me or put me in a daze, I can promise you that I won’t feel anything for any other woman who isn’t you. Nia, you’re the only one who makes me impulsive.”
“…”
Niamh felt her heart skip an inexplicable beat as her face grew hot.
With her memory recovered, Niamh remembered how Nevaeh had roared unrestrainedly in indignance because Kendrick had never touched her at all.
Now that she thought about it, Niamh found herself sighing internally.
Despite never coming home ever since they got married, it was obvious now that Kendrick had never stayed the night with Nevaeh as she previously assumed.
Niamh snapped back to reality only to find Kendrick staring at her. The warm smile in his eyes had Niamh feeling uneasy. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Your face is red, Nia.”
“…”
Not wanting to argue about it, Niamh turned her expression into a serious one. “Tell me, where is Felicity?”
“F Country.”
“F Country?”
That further solidified her suspicion of Felipe’s involvement.
Without another thought, she pulled out her phone to book a ticket for the next flight out.
Kendrick immediately tried to stop her when he saw her. “Lillian is my daughter too. I haven’t even done much for her as her father, so let me do this alone.”
Niamh pushed away his impeding hand. “Lillian is my daughter as well, Kendrick. Do you have any idea what she means to me?”
Kendrick was pulled into a trance as he took in Niamh’s heavy look.
“Felipe may have brought me back to life when you ruthlessly left me to die back then, but I had already lost the will to live. It was Lillian’s presence that gave me the hope to start over and live. I may have given her life, but she gave me the strength to live on.”
Kendrick felt his heart tighten.
He knew that he had no reason to hold Niamh back, and that made his heart hurt more.
He opened his arms to pull an unguarded Niamh into his arms. “Alright then. Let’s go and find the truth about our daughter together.”
Niamh did not push Kendrick away this time. At that moment, she found her hatred and distaste for Kendrick vanishing.
Niamh and Kendrick left the hotel and returned to their respective homes to explain the situation to their families before they took off to F Country.
Three hours later, the flight landed.
As Niamh had lived in F country for three years, it could be said that she was more accustomed to the place than Kendrick.
They went to check-in at a hotel. However, as the hotel they chose was one close to the heart of the city, all but a double bed was booked.
“It’s alright, I can take the couch.” Kendrick suggested when he saw hesitation sweep past Niamh’s features.
With the room booked, Niamh then took Kendrick to a black market in F Country.
The place held a mix of all sorts of people who were all here for the same reason—money. Not to mention that this place was also the best and fastest place to gather information.
It was just after six o’clock when they arrived, but the sun had already set long ago.
The wet and bone-chilling winter night seeped into F Country.
Regardless, there were still many people drinking noisily by the bars and streets.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.