Chapter 429 - 426: Stained with an Aura of Sorrow
Nora looked at her. "Have we met somewhere before?"
Sierra studied her carefully. "And you are...?"
Nora was a little taken aback, but she recovered quickly. "I’m Luna Ainsworth and Faye Sinclair’s godson’s wife."
Sierra’s hands instantly tightened on the tabletop. "You’re the Grants’ daughter-in-law?"
"Yes."
An emotion that Nora couldn’t begin to fathom flickered in her eyes.
’Intricate and complex. This was a girl with a heavy heart.’
"I’m their youngest daughter, Sierra Ainsworth."
Nora chuckled. "No wonder. I thought you looked familiar when I saw you from outside. I’ve seen a picture of you before."
Sierra nodded, pulling a pen and paper from her bag. She quickly scribbled down an address and handed it over. "My dad’s home. This is the address. You can go."
Nora took it, noted the elegant handwriting, and gave her a nod. "Thank you."
She stood up and left the coffee shop.
Once in the car, she handed the slip of paper to Quentin. "There’s something... special about that girl."
"What do you mean?"
"She feels like someone with a story. She’s your godparents’ youngest daughter, in her early twenties, and from such a wealthy family. Shouldn’t she be more energetic and expressive? But from that brief interaction, I’m sure she’s not. She’s just steeped in this air of sorrow."
Quentin mulled this over, then said, "Nora, it’s quite a coincidence that Catherine Callahan is here too. Things are rarely just a coincidence. As far as I know, your godfather controls more than half of Valeria’s economy; his power is something ordinary people can’t fathom. Regardless, the child is almost certainly with her. Let’s first wait for news from Grestin about someone taking your place at the meeting, and then we’ll go to your godfather’s house."
Nora agreed. "Okay."
The car slowly pulled away. Just then, Nora’s phone rang. It was a call from Leon.
"Why didn’t you tell me something this big was happening?" Leon was clearly frantic on the other end of the line.
"Quentin and I are abroad right now."
"Where are you? I’ll come over immediately."
Nora said, "Leon, don’t come just yet. We haven’t confirmed the child’s exact location. I’ll let you know as soon as we have any news."
Leon had no choice but to agree. "Well, you two be careful over there."
"We will."
After hanging up, Nora leaned limply against the seat. "Quentin, I feel like I can’t breathe."
"I’ll park near your godfather’s house."
He said, squeezing her hand tightly. "It’s going to be okay. Trust me."
Nora’s mind was a chaotic mess. "I hope so."
Leon’s mood was no better.
He’d been consumed with anxiety ever since he learned about the incident from the news.
After pacing back and forth, he grabbed his jacket and left the office. Just as he reached the ground floor, he saw a familiar, slender figure by the stairwell in the distance.
He looked closer and realized it was Holly Wood.
’When did she start working here?’
Leon walked over and stood behind her. "Holly."
She turned and smiled at him. "Mr. Lynch."
"Why haven’t you... called me?"
She looked a little embarrassed. "I, I didn’t want to bother you. I really couldn’t find a job that day, but then I saw this company was hiring cleaners. The pay is actually pretty good, twelve hundred a month, so I came. I’ve been working for a few days now, and I think... it’s quite nice. Mr. Lynch, which department do you work in?"
"Me?" Leon repeated. When she nodded, he said, "Upstairs. Do your parents know you’re working here?"
Holly nodded. "Not yet. I don’t want to tell them just yet. Because if I don’t, I can save three or four hundred a month. Then I can eventually save up enough to pay you back. If I tell them, I won’t be able to. They’ll definitely take it all."
A smile touched Leon’s lips. "You don’t have to pay me back."
But she refused. "I don’t like owing people anything. It feels like a heavy weight on my shoulders. Whether it takes two years, or three, four, or five, I’ll save up and I will definitely pay you back."
Leon thought the girl in front of him had a lot of pride. "Alright, how about this," he said. "If you have perfect attendance for a whole month, I’ll give you a one-thousand bonus. We can deduct that bonus from the money you’re paying back to me. It’s my reward to you."
"Really?" Clearly excited, she bowed to him. "Mr. Lynch, I’ll work very hard."
"Keep it up!"
She bowed to him again. "I will. Thank you."
"Get back to your work. I have something to do, so I’ll be going."
"Mr. Lynch..."
Leon stopped and turned around. "Yes?"
She said to him quietly, "I heard the rules at this company are very strict. If you skip work like this and the boss finds out, you’ll be toast."
He rubbed his nose. "It’s fine. I’m just heading out for work."
She nodded. "Oh, that’s good then. You should go. I need to get back to work, too."
Leon watched her turn back to her task. Every movement she made while mopping was diligent and careful. The area she had just cleaned was spotless, and he could tell at a glance that she was a girl who was used to doing chores.
When Catherine Callahan got home, Claire Sinclair was peeling fruit. Seeing her back so soon, she couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you back already? Did you not like him?"
"What was there to like? The man never even showed up. He was a no-show. I assume he’s not that great of a catch anyway."
Claire handed her a piece of fruit. "How could that be? He’s the son of your father’s lifelong friend. He’s extremely capable and charismatic. Do you have any idea how many women in Valeria who want to be his girlfriend never even get the chance to meet him? He’s just a bit arrogant, that’s all. You should have waited longer. And where’s Sierra?"
"She was still there waiting when I left."
Claire said at once, "See? You’re so impatient. She’s still there waiting. You hurry back there right now, Catherine. You’ll definitely like this man. He’s the same type as Quentin Grant, just a bit more ill-tempered. Go on, quickly! If you let Sierra get him first, you’ll regret it."
Catherine said dismissively, "The way she’s dressed? Who would be interested in her? But, Mom, they were classmates in college."
"I know. Now hurry back there."
Catherine reluctantly went back out and had the driver take her to the coffee shop.
She went back inside.
She had assumed the man still hadn’t shown up, or had already come and gone. After all, it had been a good forty minutes.
But as she stood a short distance from their table, she froze.
The man sitting across from Sierra had a wild, untamable air about him. While his face couldn’t quite compare to Quentin Grant’s, he was still a crane among a flock of chickens, standing out from the crowd.
She straightened her clothes, then glided over with an air of cool elegance and sat down next to Sierra.