As she had expected, the phone was shattered to the point where there was no way to turn it on, its cracked screen resembling a spider web.
However, her phone still contained a lot of important information, so she had no choice but to keep it for now.
Shirley dragged her heavy body upright. When she turned, heading to the bathroom for a shower, she saw the photo frame, tossed onto the desk.
She walked over and took it for a look. She immediately felt heat surging to the corners of her eyes.
If she had not made that decision back then, would Carter have turned out differently?
She remembered. During those years when she knew him, he would smile.
…
Back on this end, Kendrick, standing on the balcony, tried calling Shirley for the third time. He still had been able to get through on the first call, but now the phone seemed to be turned off. Kendrick figured that Shirley had turned off her phone, deliberately ignoring his calls.
He had no other options for now, so he could only go back to his room.
As he returned to the bedroom, much to his surprise, he saw Niamh slowly waking.
Kendrick quickly ran to the side of the bed. “Nia, are you awake?”
Niamh moved her eyelids, opening her eyes.
When she saw the man in front of her, Niamh pressed her lips together into a small smile. “Kendrick…”
Her tone sounded extraordinarily weak, as if all of the energy in her body had been sucked dry.
“Nia, I’m here. How do you feel now? Are you still feeling unwell?” Kendrick helped Niamh sit upright, letting her lean on his chest.
Niamh shook her head. “I’m fine now. I just feel exhausted all over.”
Kendrick tightened his embrace, empathizing. “Nia, let’s head back to Glendale. Adam will think of a way to help you.”
“Can we still leave today?” Niamh looked out the window. Initially, they were going to take the flight this afternoon, but it was already night now.
“I’ve already booked plane tickets for tomorrow afternoon. We’ll definitely go home tomorrow, Nia.” Kendrick promised as he held her hand.
Niamh looked into Kendrick’s gaze, filled with concern and empathy, and lifted her hand to touch his cheeks. “Okay.”
However, the doorbell rang at this moment, which was followed by the sounds of hurried knocks on the door.
Kendrick and Niamh shared a look before he got up and walked to the entrance.
He cautiously peered into the peephole, but he did not see anyone standing there. Then, the doorbell started ringing again.
Kendrick opened the door decisively, scaring the person outside, who was about to continue ringing the doorbell, into retracting their hand in fear.
“You again.” When Kendrick saw the woman standing near the wall by the door, his eyes were filled with disdain. “It’s best if you stay away. My wife and I don’t want to see you.”
Of course, Ada knew Kendrick hated her, but this time, she was ready to go all out.
Camille already hated her anyway, so if she wanted to fight for the chance to get into the Gray family, she could only scheme her way through.
Seeing that Kendrick was about to close the door, she quickly reached out her arm to stop him.
Who knew Kendrick would be this callous? Without the slightest concern about her hand, he continued pushing the door close.
Ada’s arm was crushed by the door. “Ah!” She let out a wail.
When Ada saw that the door was closing, she quickly blurted out, “I know Shirley Brown’s weakness!”
Despite some distance laid between them, Niamh could almost hear Ada’s roar even inside the room.
‘Shirley’s weakness?’
Kendrick’s eyes narrowed slightly. Doubtful, he asked, “You know Shirley Brown?”
A pleased expression immediately emerged on Ada’s face. “Of course, I know her. You could say that I know her very well because I used to live with her, and it wasn’t merely for a year or two.”
Judging from confidence written all over Ada’s face, Kendrick was certain that Ada truly knew Shirley.
‘Shirley was from Glendale and Ada was from St. Piaf. How would they have known each other?’
Ada saw the curiosity in Kendrick’s eyes, and she grew more confident. “You must want to know more about Shirley, yes? May I come in? After all, it’s not convenient to talk here.”
Kendrick could not stand seeing Ada’s villainous glee. Ashe was about to object, he heard Niamh’s approval from behind him.
“Let her in.”
He turned around and saw Niamh standing a short distance from him.
“Nia, why did you get up? Sit down and rest, quickly!”
Kendrick strode next to Niamh and held her shoulder, bringing her back to the bedroom.
At this moment, he heard the door closing. He lifted his eyes and saw Ada walking in, minding her own business.
Ada peered at the weak-looking Niamh and rolled her eyes in contempt. Then, she sat on the sofa and spoke in a muffled voice.
“I don’t really want to see you at all. I wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t for the sake of my future.”
“If you didn’t want to come, then get out now! No one begged you to come in!” Kendrick mercilessly chastised her as he walked over to her.
Ada’s initial smug instantly froze. She even felt a little fearful.
How could she have forgotten Kendrick’s concern for Niamh?
She would be digging her own grave if she targeted Niamh in front of him.
Ada pressed her lips together, not daring to speak another word against Niamh.
However, Niamh, unbothered by Ada’s words, walked straight over. Bluntly, she asked, “How did you know Shirley? What’s the point in coming over to find us?”
“I came here to make a deal. As for how I know Shirley…”
Ada kept Kendrick and Niamh on tenterhooks, the corner of her lips curled.
“Before learning how I met Shirley, I think you should know something else first.”
Kendrick’s eyes filled with disgust seeing Ada making a show out of this.
“I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. Just tell us if you want to. If you waste any more time, you should just get out immediately.”
“…”
After suffering two consecutive defeats, Ada no longer dared to put on a mysterious act.
However, she hesitated for a moment before speaking, as if considering something.
“Carter gave Shirley her name.”
‘Carter and Shirley knew each other?’
The revelation about that relationship caught Niamh and Kendrick by surprise.
Kendrick finally understood. The person who had been manipulating Shirley was Carter.
“When Carter was ten years old, he brought Shirley back to the Gray Manor. Ever since then, they had been living together, spending time with each other, day and night. Although I could be considered as Carter’s childhood sweetheart, honestly, compared to Shirley, I’m still a bit far off.”
Ada was visibly unhappy and discontent as she said these last words.
The man she liked since childhood had never cared about her.
“I don’t know where Shirley came from. I just know that had stayed by Carter’s side for over ten years. In fact, for a long time, I could tell that Shirley liked Carter, but Carter doesn’t reciprocate her feelings. She was just a homeless child abandoned by her parents, yet she hoped to become a viscountess? She’s obviously dreaming!”
Ada gritted her teeth. Jealousy was an ugly look on her.
She snorted. “She’s pretty tactful though. She had left the Grays on her own accord a few years ago. From that time on, the Grays never mentioned her again. She had never resurfaced, as if she was dead, yet now she’s suddenly returned! I saw it all!”
Ada recalled the scene she had witnessed not long ago at the Gray Manor’s entrance as well as the scene at the convenience store entrance, where Niamh and Shirley had confronted each other.
“I didn’t expect her to turn out like this after leaving for a few years. She seems more charming and coquettish than before. Tch, did she think that she could come back and fight me for the position of the viscountess just because she got prettier?”
Ada’s fists were tightly clenched. A while later, she relaxed. “Okay, I’ve told you everything I know. Now, it’s your turn to help me.”
Kendrick coldly glanced at Ada. “The things you’ve said don’t seem useful to us in any way.”
“…” Taken aback, Ada suddenly felt anxious. “What do you mean it’s useless? If it wasn’t for me, would you have known the relationship between Shirley and Carter? Mr. Waldburg, you’re a businessman, and all businesses run on trust.”
“Trust? You dare talk about trust with me?” Kendrick chuckled, immediately lifting his fierce narrow eyes. “That day, in this exact spot, you had told me that you had wanted to make a deal with me as well.
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.