Michael gazed at the boy standing before him with suspicion in his eyes. If he recalled correctly, he had distinctly felt the boy wriggle out of his grip right before he fell. However, as he stared at the boy’s wide and innocent eyes, it beca impossible for him to assu that the boy had done this on purpose. After all, he looked around 4 to 5 years of age and it was unlikely that he had any ulterior motives.
Michael concluded that he was probably imagining things.
Since Jake did not have much strength, he could not help Michael up. People around them were laughing mockingly. Michael got back up on his feet with a frown, feeling awkward and embarrassed. This was the first ti that he had fallen like that in public. When he caught sight of the banana peel, he said furiously, "Which inconsiderate person littered here?!"
When Mr. York heard the commotion and realized that Michael was involved, he imdiately rushed over. "What’s wrong, Mr. Lucas?" he asked in a concerned tone.
"Nothing’s wrong..." Michael coughed softly.
Still feeling awkward, he said, ’"Contact the manager and have him check the surroundings of the airport carefully. It’s absurd for this to happen."
Mr. York glanced at the banana peel on the ground, and then at the embarrassed look on Michael’s face. Putting two and two together, he imdiately nodded.
"This child, take him..." Michael had not forgotten about the boy. He was just about to instruct Mr. York to escort him to the bathroom when he turned around and realized that he was gone.
He looked everywhere but did not see the boy anywhere. Frowning, he looked at the banana peel on the ground again. He could not help but feel sothing was amiss.
However, the boy was too young, and since Michael did not even know who he was, it seed unlikely that he would have done this on purpose.
Noticing the suspicious look on Michael’s face, Mr. York said, "Mr. Lucas, what were you saying?"
"I must have encountered a ghost," Michael muttered to himself. Turning to Mr. York, he said, "Did you see Wendy Stewart?"
When Mr. York heard that na, he felt worried again. He pointed at Jill who was approaching them at that mont and said, "Mr. Lucas, this is Corrine. She’s the person that we’ve been waiting for."
Michael followed Mr. York’s gaze and saw Jill waving at them. When she got near, she offered her hand, "Nice to et you, Mr. Lucas. I’m Corrine, and I look forward to working with you."
"You’re Corrine?" Michael’s expression grew doubtful. He did not take Jill’s hand. Instead, he said, "Did you just say that you’re Corrine?"
"What’s wrong?" Jill’s smile faded. She asked hesitantly, "Mr. Lucas, are you doubting my identity? Or did you not co here to welco here in the first place?"
"No, you’re not Corrine," said Michael, shaking his head, "At least, you’re not the sa person that I spoke with on the phone yesterday."
He was sure that the voice he had heard on the phone belonged to Wendy. Now, the so-called "Corrine" who was standing in front of him sounded nothing like the person he talked to yesterday.
"Mr. Lucas, we did speak on the phone yesterday," said Jill as she whipped out her phone and dialed Michael’s personal number.
Soon, his phone started ringing.
When Michael saw the sa number from yesterday, an incredulous look filled in his eyes.
However, he felt more disappointed than anything.
"Does this prove my identity?" asked Jill as she waved her phone at him.
"What exactly is going on?" Michael felt flustered at that mont. He was so sure that he had heard Wendy’s voice yesterday. Now, he was just confused.
Observing the terrible look on Michael’s face, Mr. York reminded him again, "Mr. Lucas, you might have been hearing things yesterday. You must miss Mrs. Lucas too much, that’s why you mistook Corrine for her."
...
Wendy remained where she was for a long ti before Jake finally returned.
"Mummy..." Jake grinned when he saw his mother. He reached out to her.
Taking Jake’s hand, Wendy’s face was filled with concern as she studied his expression. She said, "How do you feel? Is your tummy still hurting?"
"I’m fine now," said Jake with a laugh. "There was so discomfort, but I’m a lot better now."
Since Jake looked fine and was smiling so widely, Wendy sighed in relief. She said, "I already told you not to eat too much ice cream. Cut down on that in the future, okay?"
"I got it, mummy," said Jake. He was in an extrely good mood from the prank he had pulled on Michael earlier. He believed that they Would get plenty of opportunities to et again in the future.
Wendy walked out of the airport and took in the surroundings of Lake City which felt both familiar and foreign to her. Looking up, she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. Her lips curled as she said, "I’m back after all this ti..."
Since she had already booked a hotel room, she got into a cab and left the airport with Jake. She had returned today as a business partner of MC Enterprise, so of course, she could not return to her old apartnt. She no longer had a place there, anyway.
*****
Michael refused to believe that Corrine and Wendy were not the sa person. He stubbornly insisted on waiting at the airport. Mr. York tried to convince him otherwise, but it was futile. He waited until midnight, but Wendy did not appear.
Mr. York could only remind him of the cruel truth, "Mr. Lucas, stop wasting your ti here. Mrs. Lucas is... She’s already dead."
This ti, Michael did not lose his temper. Instead, he dropped down to his knees and buried his face in his hands. The airport at midnight was quiet and empty. Michael, helpless, stood out and seed exceptionally lonely.
Mr. York bent over slightly. He reached out to pat Michael’s shoulder, sighing. He knew just how upset Michael had felt the past five years because of what happened to Wendy back then.
This ti, Michael firmly believed that he had heard Wendy’s voice. He grew hopeful, only to end up disappointed. It might have been better to not have hoped for anything in the first place.
Mr. York really wished that Michael could forget about Wendy. At least this way, he would feel a lot less terrible.
After so ti, Michael stood up. He straightened his back as though nothing had happened. Turning around, he strolled out of the airport and instructed Mr. York coldly, "Do a thorough investigation on Corrine’s background."
"I’ve already done that," said Mr. York, who had done exactly that the mont they t Corrine.
Since he had been with Michael for so many years, he could more or less predict his every move. He knew that Michael would definitely ask him to look into Corrine’s background since he was convinced that she was Wendy in disguise.
He continued, saying, "Corrine is the chief designer of HG Enterprise and the female disciple of the renowned designer Timothy Woods. She graduated from the top design school in Rheinsville City, and she’s 29 years old. Three years ago, she designed her first collection, and the pieces were well-received worldwide. Ever since then, she made a na for herself in the design industry. In the past three years, she has created multiple clothing brands, and she has been very successful ever since." After a mont of silence, he added, "There’s no way that Corrine is Mrs. Lucas."
"What about her photos?" Michael was still convinced that he had spoken to Wendy on the phone.
"I can’t find any of her photos," said Mr. York. "HG Enterprise protects her very securely."
"Did you find any photos of her before she entered HG Enterprise?" asked Michael curiously with a slight frown.
"Mr. Lucas, you should know that it’s difficult to obtain information on such a renowned individual," said Mr. York. He could be very resourceful in Lake City, but his ability was limited in other places. He did not have the sa resources overseas.
"I don’t care what thod you have to resort to. Continue to investigate Corrine’s background, I must find out everything about her," said Michael in a much sterner voice.
...
Wendy had a good rest in the hotel. When she woke up, Jake’s cheerful voice rang out beside her, "Mummy, you should get out of bed now. The breakfast they serve in this hotel is really delicious."
He had woken up much earlier and ordered breakfast by himself since he was hungry. When they were abroad, they always had bread and milk for breakfast. Jake had long grown sick of it, and he always longed for a change in cuisine.
He was so happy to see that this hotel served olets and potatoes, which suited him much better.
Wendy was starving too. She touched her belly before getting out of bed for breakfast. The mont she sat down, Jake put his hands over the olets to cover them and said unhappily, "Mummy, you haven’t brushed your teeth yet."
"Can’t I just eat a few bites first?" Wendy blinked when she observed Jake’s reluctance, hoping she could catch him off guard. However, Jake saw right through her thoughts.
With a serious look on his face, he said, "Mummy, you’re the one who taught us the importance of brushing our teeth before eating breakfast. If you can’t do that yourself, I’ll stop doing it too."
"Fine," Wendy shrugged her shoulders, admitting defeat. She muttered, "I don’t know who’s doing the parenting here."
"I heard everything you said, mummy," said Jake as he watched Wendy turn around and go to the bathroom. He grinned delightedly.
After washing up, Wendy returned to the table and had breakfast with her son. Not long after, the doorbell rang. She expected it to be Jill Lynn.
Jill was the daughter of Timothy Woods. She had just graduated from university. Since she was Timothy’s only child, and he had hoped that she would go into the design industry and eventually take over his business. However, Jill was not interested in this field. In fact, she had a rebellious nature that made it difficult for Timothy to tell her what to do. When Timothy heard about Wendy’s upcoming partnership with MC Enterprise, he urged her to hire Jill as her assistant and show her the way.
Naturally, Wendy would not have rejected any request from Timothy Woods. After all, he was the one who rescued her and her children. On top of that, he also took her in as his discipline and made her his goddaughter. He spent so much ti teaching her, and he was the only reason she had been able to beco the World renowned designer that she was today. If not for Timothy, she would have perished in the sea five years ago.
Since Timothy was her savior, there was no way she would have rejected his request for her to teach his daughter on his behalf.
Just as she had expected, she opened the door to see Jill. She entered the room, saying, "Don’t Worry, nobody followed here."
"Was Michael convinced?" asked Wendy as she shut the door.
"I don’t know if he was convinced," said Jill as she recounted everything that had happened yesterday, "He was in complete disbelief at first, but he started to doubt himself when I called him using the phone that you gave . Thank God for that. Afterward, I heard that he insisted on waiting at the airport. He only left at midnight."
Wendy bowed her head, seemingly deep in thought.
"Aunt Jill, please have so water," said Jake as he obediently poured so water into a glass and handed it to Jill.
Jill pinched his cheek unhappily. She said grumpily, "Don’t call your aunt, I’m not that old. I’m more like your sister."
"You’re so strange, Aunt Jill," said Jake disdainfully. "How can you be like my sister when my mummy calls your daddy her godfather?"
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