Chapter 323: Not the Style of a Business Rival
The kitchen door was ajar. Mr. Sutton and Mrs. Sutton were inside, busy cooking.
The sounds of vegetables being washed and chopped, mixed with idle chatter, created a soft backdrop of sound in the living room.
Adrian Lancaster sat on the sofa, holding Owen. Wren Sutton poured him a glass of water.
He reached out to take it, and their fingers brushed lightly against the glass.
Adrian’s fingers were cool, Wren’s warm. For a fleeting instant, the light touch felt like a soft feather brushing against their hearts.
There was no deliberate intimacy, no sleazy attempt to test the waters. Yet a faint, tender ambiguity quietly blossomed in the air, warm and natural.
They both paused for a beat. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before they quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
Wren Sutton sat on the sofa as well, holding their daughter Nina, keeping a careful distance from Adrian Lancaster.
She turned on the TV and switched to the cartoon channel. Spongebob Squarepants was on, a favorite of both Owen and Nina.
Nina cooed, nestled in her mother’s arms, her big eyes full of delight.
Owen was the same, his eyes glued to the screen. His serious, focused expression was adorable.
Adrian glanced down, his gaze full of adoration for the two children, before his eyes gently came to rest on Wren.
"Having you and the children here with me... I feel so content. Life is only rich and meaningful when you’re with family."
Wren lowered her eyes. The corners of her lips twitched upward in a barely perceptible smile.
Adrian then asked how she’d been these past few days, his every word laced with concern for her.
Wren’s responses were gentle. She wasn’t distant or cold, but she wasn’t overly warm, either.
They fell into an easy back-and-forth, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
"Oh, right." Adrian lowered his voice so only Wren could hear, honoring his promise to keep it a secret. "You haven’t felt like anyone was following you when you went out these past few days, have you?"
"No." Wren shook her head, her gaze flicking to the kitchen doorway.
"It’s because you arranged for bodyguards. Whoever it is has gotten cautious."
"Besides, I haven’t really left the estate these last couple of days. I just take the kids downstairs to get some sun and chat with the other moms here."
Adrian nodded and said gravely, "Until we find out who that person is, we can’t pull the bodyguards. Have them continue to protect you and the children from the shadows."
It was a matter of personal safety, so Wren didn’t argue.
Just then, she remembered something she felt Adrian needed to know.
"A few days ago, I got a call from an unknown number," Wren said, deliberately lowering her voice so her parents in the kitchen couldn’t hear. "The person on the other end said just one thing—two words. It was really unhinged and creepy."
Hearing this, Adrian’s eyes instantly turned sharp and alert. "What two words?"
"I asked who they were looking for. They just said, ’For you,’ and hung up. When I tried calling back, I got a message that the number was disconnected." Wren frowned, still feeling unsettled.
"The stalking and the phone call happened on the same day—one during the day, one at night. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence."
Adrian’s expression turned cold, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes.
"We’ll find out if it’s a coincidence once we investigate. You still have the number in your phone, right?"
"Yes." Wren nodded and, as if on cue, pulled out her phone.
Adrian leaned closer, his tone firm. "Send it to me. I’ll have someone look into it right away. We have to find out who it is. This might even be the lead we need to find the person who’s been stalking you."
...
After lunch at the Suttons’, Adrian chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Sutton for a while.
When it was time to leave, he put Owen and Nina in their stroller and took Wren’s hand.
"Dad, Mom, we’re heading back now."
Mr. and Mrs. Sutton walked them all the way downstairs to the car.
"Adrian," Mrs. Sutton added, "drive safely. Don’t rush."
"I will, Mom. Don’t worry."
As he spoke, Adrian placed the children in their car seats, buckling them in securely. Then he folded the stroller and put it in the trunk, along with all their bags.
"Dad, Mom, we’ll head out now," Adrian said. "Take care of yourselves. I’ll bring Wren and the kids back to visit when I can."
Mr. Sutton nodded, gratified, and patted Adrian’s arm. "Take good care of Wren and the children. You’re welcome back anytime. This will always be your home."
"Dad, I promise you, I’ll take good care of my wife and kids. I won’t let them be wronged in any way." Adrian’s tone was solemn and sincere.
Wren exchanged a few more parting words with her parents before getting into the passenger seat.
The window slid down, and she waved to her parents. "Dad, Mom, go on back inside and rest."
"Alright. Be safe. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Mr. and Mrs. Sutton stood and watched until the car turned out of the estate and disappeared from view. Only then did the old couple slowly turn and walk back, supporting each other.
While waiting for the elevator, Mrs. Sutton broke the silence. "Sutton, I’m asking you something, and I want a serious answer."
Mr. Sutton looked at his wife, his eyes twinkling with affection. "Mm, and what does the venerable Mrs. Meng want to ask?"
"Do you think Wren will be able to accept Adrian again?"
Mr. Sutton fell silent for a few seconds, considering the question seriously.
"As long as Adrian doesn’t screw up again, stays serious and faithful to their marriage, and with a little god-tier assist from Owen and Nina, they have a good chance of getting back together."
...
「The Villa.」
A maid stood respectfully at the door, a welcoming smile on her face, adding a sense of ceremony to their arrival.
"Welcome home, Young Madam."
Adrian held Wren’s hand all the way to the bedroom before letting go.
After making sure his wife and children were settled in, he went to the study and closed the door.
Adrian sat down, his expression grim, and dialed his assistant.
"I want all the information on this phone number: 138..."
"Yes, President Lancaster."
「A dozen or so minutes later.」
A detailed report landed in Adrian’s personal inbox. At the same time, his assistant called.
"President Lancaster, we found it."
"Report."
"The number is from a disposable burner phone, the kind that’s easily available and doesn’t require registration. It’s only ever made one call: the one to Mrs. Lancaster. The call lasted six seconds before they hung up."
"The tech department traced the call’s point of origin using cell tower and network signal data. After cross-referencing multiple points, they’ve pinpointed the location to somewhere within Aston."
"Narrowing it down further, the signal originated from a high-rise apartment building near the Sutton Estate, right next to the community park. We’ve even been able to isolate the call to a specific range of floors."
Adrian’s dark eyes were inscrutable, and a menacing aura emanated from him.
"Now that we know he’s in Aston, don’t let him get away."
"Contact the building’s property management and the local residential committee. Pull the resident information for those floors—the more detailed, the better."
"Yes, President Lancaster."
His subordinate was incredibly efficient. Within half an hour, the property registration files arrived.
The system showed that the unit matching the signal’s location was registered to a homeowner with the surname Miller, male.
When investigators ran this Mr. Miller’s ID through the civil registry system, a red flag popped up immediately.
Forged identification. No matching individual. Fraudulent registration.
The so-called "Mr. Miller" was nothing more than a fake identity that never existed.
The trail went cold.
In the study, Adrian stared at the registration information marked ’FORGED.’ His expression was grim, but he showed no sign of impatience.
He knew perfectly well that his opponent had used a burner phone, a fake ID, and had deliberately chosen a stakeout point near the Suttons’ home. It was clearly premeditated. The person had a strong counter-surveillance sense.
This only strengthened his conviction that the person stalking Wren and the one making the harassing phone calls were one and the same.
’The obvious lead going cold didn’t mean all traces were gone.’ He remained perfectly calm and rational.
"First, pull the surveillance footage from all building entrances, elevators, and the underground garage of that high-rise. Focus on the last ten days. Screen for any suspicious individuals—anyone entering or exiting alone, loitering, or deliberately avoiding the cameras."
"Second, pull public footage from the surrounding parks, streets, convenience stores, and all nearby restaurants. I want every frame of footage related to the target building. Go through it frame by frame."
"Third, inform the bodyguards. Have them set up a perimeter. Tell them to pretend to relax their guard. Observation only—don’t tip our hand. When the time is right, we’ll lure the snake from its hole."
"The person set up their nest near the Suttons’ home; they must have left a trace. As long as they’re still operating in this area, we can find them, even without a real identity."
After hanging up, Adrian stared out the window at the darkening sky.
’A burner phone, a fake ID, stalking, a creepy call...’
’This was far more than simple harassment. It was more like a calculated campaign of surveillance and probing, with the faint undertones of revenge.’
’The person was targeting Wren. Was she the direct target, or were they using her to threaten me?’
Adrian’s fingertips tapped lightly on the desk, each tap like a pluck on a taut string.
’Revenge...’
That one word flashed through his mind, and he dredged up a few long-forgotten names.
’Grudges made in business, rivals he had crushed, loose ends from the past that weren’t tied up cleanly...’
’Too many people had a reason to hate him.’
’If they were really after me, they could have come at me directly. Why target my wife?’
’Besides, these methods didn’t seem like the work of a typical business rival.’
’That airy, two-word phrase, "For you," was both a provocation and a declaration of war, aimed squarely at Wren.’
’Adrian racked his brain. Who could his wife possibly have as an enemy?’
Then, in a flash, his pupils contracted. He thought of someone.
’Could it be...’