Thinking about everything revolving around Natalie and her mother, Justin couldn’t help but wonder just who Caryn Shaw really was. A woman powerful enough to orchestrate her own death and vanish without a trace, yet still hold influence even after years of hiding, was no ordinary person.
She’s definitely not simple.
"Have you found out anything about Caryn Shaw yet?" Justin asked. "Her past?"
Noah shook his head. "No, Mr. Harper. It seems her past doesn’t exist—or at least, there’s no record of it. The only information we have starts from her ti at the orphanage."
"How did she end up there?" Justin pressed.
"When she was eight, the orphanage head found her unconscious at the gate," Noah explained. "She claid to rember nothing, and since then, she was cared for by the orphanage."
"Soone must have left her there," Justin mused, his brows furrowing.
"Unfortunately, we couldn’t uncover anything more. It happened decades ago, back when surveillance caras were rare, especially in areas like that. Even if there had been caras, retrieving footage from so long ago would be nearly impossible."
Justin couldn’t argue with that. Even if soone had left her at the orphanage gate, tracking them down almost forty years later was a daunting task. If it had been an older individual, they were likely long gone. If not, they would be deep into old age by now.
But Justin wasn’t one to give up easily. If uncovering her past was what it took to protect Natalie, he was willing to go to any lengths to do so.
His eyes turned cold, Seems like I’ll have to get those answers from that woman itself.
----
Inside Natalie’s ho, after Justin had whisked her away, Victor and Vincent were left alone.
Vincent, his attention seemingly on the news playing on the TV, broke the silence. "So, you’re this guy on the screen?"
Victor humd in response, glancing at the TV. "Don’t you watch movies?"
"I prefer action. Real-life action," Vincent replied with a smirk, his sharp eyes flicking to Victor.
Victor, unfazed, leaned back lazily on the sofa, one leg stretched out and the other folded casually. "Seems like there’s plenty of real-life action going on around Natalie," he comnted. "Especially with you personally here to... annoy her."
"You’re not an idiot for being an actor," Vincent remarked dryly.
"I get smart when it cos to her," Victor retorted, his tone casual yet firm.
"Are you a drain hole boy?" Vincent asked, his smirk widening.
"Are you a mafia boy?" Victor countered smoothly.
The two n exchanged a glance, the unspoken understanding clear between them. Natalie had clearly already told each of them about the other. After a beat, they both smirked.
"Alright," Vincent said, his gaze turning serious. "You stay close and look after her from the inside. I’ll handle things outside."
"I’m always looking out for her," Victor replied confidently.
"That would explain why I had to co running here," Vincent quipped with a chuckle.
"You’re no different," Victor shot back with a smirk.
"Are you going to stay here?" Victor asked.
Vincent smirked playfully. "Want to keep company now that the owner’s gone?"
"Without the owner, there’s no fun," Victor replied as he stood up. "Enjoy your stay. I’m sure she won’t be coming back here anyti soon."
"I won’t see you out, then," Vincent said nonchalantly, his attention seemingly back on the TV.
Once Victor left, Vincent picked up his cellphone, which was buzzing with an incoming call. He muted the TV and put the call on speaker as he walked into the kitchen to make coffee.
"We’ve taken care of them all before they could get close to Natalie," a voice reported on the other end of the line.
"Did you manage to grab anyone to get answers?" Vincent asked, opening cabinets with ease. She hasn’t changed her habits at all—everything’s in the sa place. Truly my sweetheart’s ho.
"Sa story as always," the man on the line replied. "They’d rather die than talk. But we found sothing interesting. So of their n crossed paths with another group and were confronted."
"Who?" Vincent asked, his brows furrowing slightly.
"The group belongs to Aiden Shaw—the man we investigated a while ago. Natalie’s husband."
Vincent’s eyebrows rose in mild surprise as he stirred the coffee. He thought back to the man who had arrived with Natalie earlier. So, he’s already taking care of her? he mused silently.
The voice on the other end continued, "We’ve also discovered that Aiden Shaw is focused on protecting soone who’s hospitalized. He hasn’t left the hospital and stays close to this person at all tis. It seems like the patient is the target."
Vincent leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. "So, not just Natalie then," he murmured, his voice low. "Interesting...Wait! You said Aiden Shaw doesn’t leave the hospital at all?"
"Yes, he’s always there," the man confird.
"What’s his current location?" Vincent asked, a hint of doubt creeping into his tone.
"He’s at the hospital," the man replied confidently.
"Are you sure about that?" Vincent questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Because I just saw him at Natalie’s ho. He was with her and took her away. It’s impossible for him to be at that hospital and here at the sa ti. Check again. Confirm if Aiden Shaw is truly at the hospital—and find out Natalie’s location."
The man agreed, and Vincent ended the call, his mind swirling with questions.
After a while, the phone buzzed again. Vincent picked it up, and the sa voice delivered the report. "Aiden Shaw is confird to be at the hospital. As for Natalie, we’ve lost track of her. Our people can’t locate her at the mont."
Vincent ended the call without a word, setting the phone aside as he leaned back thoughtfully, replaying the earlier scene in his mind.
The man with Natalie... who is he, if not Aiden Shaw?
Vincent’s jaw tightened as his thoughts drifted back to Natalie. Natalie, who are you, really? To have been hunted for years by such a dangerous and mysterious group? I’ve spent years protecting you from those shadows, keeping you safe from people no one can trace. I let you co to this city, believing it would be safer for you—far from a place full of criminals—and continued to protect you from afar.
His gaze hardened as he stared into the distance. I hope you haven’t fallen into the wrong hands, sweetheart. I need to find out who that man is. And you... you’d better be safe.
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