Chapter 15: The past
“Ever since Mr. Gustin’s mother passed away, his father married her friend and sent Miss Gustin, who was around ten years old, and the newborn Mr. Gustin to live here alone,” Olivia added, feeding Paige as she spoke.
Paige ate the food Olivia fed her, thinking back to Enrico’s childish antics in bed. She sighed inwardly: ‘Enrico’s mother had passed away? So his mother, sister… they’re all gone? Every family had its own difficulties.’
But Enrico’s issues had nothing to do with her. Right now, she needed to figure out how to leave here and establish herself in Country A.
However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Enrico had already figured everything out about her.
She couldn’t stay here any longer. She was determined to leave.
Late at night, Susan and Olivia had already gone to bed. Paige sneaked into the study quietly.
On one wall of the study hung a large photograph of a young woman and a little boy.
Looking at the main character in the photo, Paige couldn’t help but marvel, “This must be his sister. She looks a lot like me.”
On the desk below the photo sat a crystal ball. Paige turned it on, and snowflakes swirled inside the crystal ball, gently falling on the figure of a young deer in the snowy field, accompanied by soothing music.
Beside the crystal ball, there was a notebook. Paige opened it and randomly flipped through a couple of pages:
–I wish that my dear little brother can grow up healthy. Even though we lost our beloved mother and Dad has a new woman. Even if the rumors are true that he killed Mom, I will never let him hurt my brother again.
–Dad let us live alone here, not only did the servants steal things, but they also bullied and beat us. I can’t bear it anymore…This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“This must be his sister’s diary, scattered with records of their past life. It looks quite miserable. By the way, the assistant mentioned before that his sister might also be crazy…”
Above the wall-mounted bookshelf, there were many specialized books on psychiatric disorders. Paige glanced at them and then turned off the lights, sitting down at the desk in the darkness.
She turned on the computer and began typing on the keyboard. Soon, a surveillance footage appeared on the screen. It was the monitoring of the Clarke’s courtyard.
Today, she had visited the Clarkes and saw a box in Molly’s room filled with electronic devices that Molly didn’t want. She had quickly made some modifications to one of the surveillance cameras, but because it was bulky and could easily be discovered at home, she had hidden it in the courtyard bushes.
Tonight, she mainly came to test the surveillance effect and be prepared for future needs.
…
The Gustin family’s villa, ranked as the world’s top mansion.
From afar, it was guarded by security, spanning several kilometers from a stone bridge leading to the majestic castle. Along the way, there were numerous exotic flowers and plants, with facilities like helipads, parking lots, private golf courses, and even a skiing field, all indicating its extravagant luxury.
Jaden crossed the magnificent hall and took the elevator upstairs.
Enrico’s door was tightly closed, with the butler and maids waiting respectfully outside. They kept their heads low, afraid to disturb the person resting inside.
The door suddenly opened from inside.
Enrico appeared at the doorway, wearing a loosely tied dark gray robe, with his short hair slightly tousled.
” Mr. Enrico.”
The butler stepped forward immediately, serving cautiously. “Would you like to pick something here or in the dressing room?”
Several maids pushed forward movable racks with various styles of men’s clothing hanging on them.
Giving a cold glance, Enrico’s gaze fell on a black suit.
The butler promptly took down the matching accessories.
Enrico turned and walked inside, with the butler and Jaden following behind. The maids stayed outside.
He changed into the shirt and pants, while the butler unfolded the suit in his hands and helped him put it on.
” Mr. Enrico,” the butler knelt down to put on his leather shoes, “Master asked me to tell you that he promises not to play with women anymore. Please give him another chance and don’t cut down his expenses too much.”
Upon hearing this, Enrico kicked the butler to the ground. “You tell him, if he dares to bring another woman here, I’ll personally perform a castration on him!”
The butler quickly got up and hurriedly retreated.
Enrico forcefully tugged at his collar, unbuttoning a few buttons to ease his breathing. “Damn it, nothing ever goes right.”
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Jaden noticed the bloodshot eyes.
“In this place, do you think I can sleep well?” Enrico’s expression darkened as he sat down. He would rather stay at Rose Estate than be here.
“Boss, I’ve found some information about that young lady you asked about. I found a bit.”
Upon hearing this, Enrico asserted, “She’s not a wanderer.”
Jaden was surprised by how he knew. After a moment’s pause, he said, “That’s right. Her name is Paige Clarke. I found out that Malik Clarke, he is a senator, he had someone send her to the slums. But why would he send an 18-year-old girl to such a place? I’ll continue to investigate.”
According to the laws of Country A, not all mentally ill individuals are sent to the slums; it must be someone who is completely alone and helpless, as enforced by the relevant authorities of Country A. For someone to be secretly sent to the slums like this, there must be a problem. Real homeless girls aren’t worth such trouble.
“Paige?” Enrico repeated the name and asked, “Who is Malik?”
“He’s a senator. Last quarter, he even came to the head office, wanting you to support him more,” Jaden reported. “His daughter Molly is quite a famous influencer, helping him garner a lot of support. Speaking of which, Miss Molly has been coming to the head office every day these days, wanting to meet you and ask for donations to Africa. I had someone turn her down.”
Enrico showed no interest in these matters. “Keep investigating. I want to know her background.”
This ‘her,’ naturally referred to Paige.
…