Chapter 27 Shadows and Screens.
Xavier looked into Olive’s eyes, searching for any sign of guilt–but there was none. All he saw was been sat she maty bebeved she hadn’t done a single thing wrong
His chest ached, but he still smiled as he said. “Colton didn’t blame me Just.. next me you want to die something like that.
Ove didn’t care to hear another lecture. She turned on her heel and climbed into the car “‘”Let’s just go bove terally dont
to run into Colton right now?
Xavier besitated, wanting to stop her, but in the end he said nothing and got in.
Olive had no clue that Xavier–the one who always stood by her–was finally beginning to change.
Her face wore the usual sweet smile, but beneath it, her mind was seething. She was still burning from the hit she took when
She was losing everything. Colton was growing cold toward her, and Zayden had chosen to back Quinn, even at the msk ou offending the Pirchilds.
Everything that used to belong to her was now being stolen away. That cold, sinking dread crept up from her toes, smakine un herine antil i gripped the back of her skull.
No. She couldn’t just let Quinn take everything. She needed to find something–anything–she could use against her
Just then, sides came through on her phone. With her back to Xavier, she tapped to open it.
was footage from
man’s room. Just a routine check–up, nothing out of the ordinary. Walter had spent days digging for
bout to type out a message to scold him when a second message came through, a still frume
was grain shot from an odd angle, but it caught something strange–a nurse holding Norman’s hand. On the surface, it looked like she was checking his pulse
But the movement was soff unnatural. She leaned in too close, her eyes fixed intently on Norman’s face. There was something off about her posture, the way she hovered
It wasn’t condusive ( could’ve been part of a treatment. It was too fuzzy to say for sure.
Then came another dip. The doctors left the room and headed down the stairs. The once–empty hallway now had a pocket watching on the Boo
Olive’s stomach dipped
Wasir Quinn? Had the disguised herself as a nurse to visit Norman Had she found out something”
Her fingers froze over the keyboard. She wanted to message Walter, to press for more details–but then she changed her mind, deleting the words before she hit send
Purting her phone away, she turned to Xavier and sand calmly “Xavier, I don’t feel like going home right now. I’m going to walk a bit. You go ahead”
He saw something was off but didn’t press. He sumply nodded, watched her step out, and drove off
In a quiet corner of a mall, Olive men Walter, who wore street clothes to blend in
“You think that was Quinn?” she asked sharply
12:11 AM c c
Chapter 27 Shadows and Screens
Finished
Walter hurriedly pulled out his phone. “There’s more. Ms. Quinn sold the outfit you gave her–and the pocket watch. I confirmed it. I also talked to a few people at the hospital. Someone there mentioned a lost watch. That lines up”
Olive stared at the messages, forwarded them to herself, and tossed the phone back. “She sold it? Is she broke?”
“She’s registering a company. I’d guess she needs the cash. That outfit you gave her was the most expensive one you’ve bought recently. It makes sense.”
Olive scrolled back and forth through the updates, but there was nothing solid. The nurse in the video couldn’t be identified. and the footage was too blurry to prove anything.
Her hands curled into fists. She got away with it again.
She couldn’t believe Quinn had come out on top again–and using her own clothes, no less.
But Olive had no idea that things were only going to get worse.
Across town, inside the Grant estate, Zayden sat quietly swirling a glass of red wine. The deep crimson caught the light, casting faint shadows on the marble tabletop.
Finn stood at attention beside him, reporting dutifully, “Sir, I’ve put out the word just like you asked.”
Zayden gave a low hum of acknowledgment, then handed over a folder. “Cancel this order. Redirect the funds to Quinn’s company.”
Finn blinked. “Sir, this is a mid–sized account. Not huge, but not small either..”
Zayden said nothing.
Finn hesitated. Even though he’d come from the same orphanage as Quinn, his loyalty was firmly with Zayden.
“Mr. Grant, with the damage from last week’s scandal, and now losing a loyal client–if this keeps up…”
Send Gifts
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12:11 AM
The Disowned Heiress Fine and Ashes
