Free Web NovelChapter 116: The unexpected surprise II
The woman was beautiful, with a bright smile and very smart, curious eyes.
Lyvana felt her heart skip a beat. She recognized that face immediately. It was her mother, Aurora Glowen.
"Wait... you knew my mother?" Lyvana managed to ask.
"Yes. A long time ago. We went to high school together."
"Why didn’t Julian tell me?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Because he doesn’t know," Eleanor said, turning her head to look Lyvana directly in the eyes. "We lost touch. I only saw her name when I was trying to find out information about you. I was surprised to find out you were her daughter."
Lyvana stared at the photo, her finger lightly touching the image of her mother’s laughing face. It felt surreal to see her here, in this house, captured in a moment of joy with the woman who was about to become her mother-in-law.
"She looks so happy," Lyvana whispered.
"She was," Eleanor said, a sad smile touching her lips. "Aurora was always the one with the big dreams. She wanted to change the world with her science. While I was worrying about which dress to wear to the prom, she was staying up late studying the stars. Her interest in fashion was much later."
Lyvana looked up from the album. "But why did you lose touch? If you were that close, how did you end up so far apart?"
Eleanor sighed and closed the album slowly.
"Life happened. I married Julian’s father and stepped into this world of power and shadows. Your mother... she chose a different path. The last time I spoke to her was years before you were born."
Eleanor reached out and took Lyvana’s hand.
"You look very much like her. So beautiful. When I first saw you in Julian’s home, I thought I was seeing a ghost. I had someone investigate you, and that’s when I found the connection. Lyvana, I love the fact that you are considering your grandmother’s heart condition. It shows your character."
Before Lyvana could ask another question, she heard the heavy sound of a car door slamming shut outside.
"Julian is back," Eleanor said, standing up quickly. She slid the photo album back into the hidden drawer, and the secret latch clicked shut with a sharp snap.
She turned to Lyvana, her voice low and urgent. "If I can help with anything regarding your grandmother, just let me know. I want this whole mess with your engagement cleared before we take this any further."
"Thank you... Mother," Lyvana whispered, still reeling from the photo she had seen.
The bedroom door swung open a moment later, and Julian stood in the doorway. He looked windblown and tired, his eyes immediately searching Lyvana’s face for any sign of distress.
"Mother," he said, sounding surprised. "What are you two doing up here?"
"We were just getting to know each other," Eleanor said with a bright, easy smile, her voice perfectly calm as if she hadn’t just revealed a life-changing secret.
Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly, glancing between the two of them. "Um... okay."
"You need to bring her over to the main house soon," Eleanor continued, walking toward the door. "Your father needs to meet her. But we’ll wait until all these problems with the politician are resolved."
Julian nodded, though he still looked suspicious. "We’ll see. Right now, I need to get her home. I have a flight to catch."
"Expect me in your penthouse within the week," Eleanor said already walking out.
"So what were you two discussing?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Lyvana smiled. "I’ll tell you in the car."
....
John closed his apartment door with his foot. He was tired after a very long day. In one hand, he balanced a greasy brown paper bag that smelled of soy sauce and cheap fried rice. in the other, he gripped a lukewarm coffee cup that had long since served its purpose.
He dropped the dinner on the kitchen table and walked into the living room.
Everything was quiet. He took off his heavy jacket and threw it over a chair.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes stinging from staring at crime scene photos and computer screens.
Just as John reached for his food, his phone buzzed on the table. He didn’t recognize the number, but he picked it up anyway.
"Yeah," he said, his voice gruff.
"So, you’ve been avoiding all my calls."
John froze. He recognized that voice immediately. It was El.
"El," John sighed, leaning against the counter. "I’ve been meaning to come pay you a visit."
"No, you haven’t," El snapped back. "I had to bribe a prison guard to use his phone just to get you to answer. You owe me 200 bucks."
John looked down at his cold dinner, feeling a wave of guilt. "Look, I’m sorry man, okay?"
"I don’t need sorry," El said, sounding desperate. "What are you doing to get me out of here?"
John stayed silent for a moment. He looked around his empty, dark apartment. He knew the case was messy, and the people keeping El behind bars couldn’t be messed with.
"I’m working on it, El. But it’s not that simple. I don’t even know who to talk to... they have everyone in their pocket."
"Then find someone they don’t own," El said. "Because I can’t stay in here much longer, John. The food is Terrible."
John let out a long breath, the smell of his own lukewarm fried rice suddenly making his stomach churn.
"I get it, El. I’ll send some money to your canteen account tonight. That should cover the guard and get you something better to eat for a few days."
"I don’t want a snack, John. I want a lawyer who isn’t scared of his own shadow, and I want a court date," El hissed. "Every day I’m in here, I’m a sitting duck. You better do something or I will start revealing more than they are asking me."
John gripped the edge of the kitchen table. "Are you threatening me, you idiot."
