The True Heiress's Return

73

With everyone's eyes on her, Yvette bit her lip, lowered her gaze and wore a hint of helplessness and sadness on her face. "After Grandma Martha's birthday, Xanthe started distancing herself from me. Ever since, she's been hanging out with my sister, and they seem to get along really well now. Mitchell's with them too... I shouldn't assume the worst about my sister, but it all feels way too coincidental..." Jessie immediately jumped in, her expression fierce. "Coincidence? I think Shakira planned this! They used to be like oil and water, but now they're all buddy-buddy? Shakira shows up, and right after, Enrique is outside taking Mr. Joyce away. They must be in cahoots!" Fueled by anger, Lago clenched his fists tightly. "If she tries to ruin our plans, I swear I'll make her pay!" The thought of Shakira scheming against them made them feel vengeful. Cody's y's face grew darker, his expression grim. It was clear he believed Yvette's suspicion. 'Otherwise, how could Shakira, a mere maid from the Lopez family, waltz into Veiled Vine with no problem? She's definitely plotting something!" Finn added. "This is serious; we need to keep this under wraps."

Lago reassured them multiple times, "Mr. Nelson can relax. I even hired the best risk expert from Crescentville to evaluate our investment. Tomorrow, I'll have my secretary send the final results to the Nelson Group. Plus, with Mr. Joyce's connections and Yvette's grandpa backing us, we'll definitely come out on top. No matter how hard Enrique tries, he can't compete with us." Cody maintained a businessman's polite smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Alright, then we'll wait for good news from Mr. Smith."

Finn nodded slightly. "We should be on our way

now.

smiled. "Take care, you two."

Once the Nelson family's car drove off, Lago's flattering smile faded completely. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, his face turning ominous. "Get me a few people-make sure they know what they're doing!" Inside a private room, Shakira leisurely enjoyed some fancy snacks. When she saw a text from Xanthe, a smile crept onto her face. Kyle, pouring coffee from the pot, filled her little cup. "Did the sabotage go well?" Shakira set down her phone, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Almost there." She looked at the table full of delicious food. "You didn't invite me over just for a meal, did you?" chuckled. "I thought you weren't curious. Seems like you're all about pranking others before worrying about me." "Seventy percent," Shakira replied without hesitation. "The remaining thirty percent needs a better healer to finish the job."

Kust showing

inhaled slightly. "You mean..."

on Walter's recovery?"

Matthew, Shakira said, sipping her coffee. The fresh aroma cleared her palate of the sweet pastries, leaving her feeling much more refreshed.

Kyle looked troubled. He confessed to Shakira, "After Matthew retired, he became hard to track down. Our families have luck." been trying to locate him for Walter, but we haven't had

any

It wasn't an exaggeration; the White family's information network was global. The intel passed down through generations

was their greatest advantage, If they couldn't find someone, it would be nearly impossible...

Shakira said slowly, "I know where he is, but the information from that place is really tight, making it hard to find him." was shocked and instinctively glanced at Shakira's hands. "Matthew is your...

Shakira shrugged. You could say he's my mentor.

Kyle's expression froze. The calm and gentle young man couldn't hide his surprise. "To be so casual about it, calling him 'that old guy' and 'mentor...

Kyle slowly put the pieces together. "No wonder your acupuncture skills are so incredible, able to treat leg injuries that leave other famous doctors stumped. With Matthew around, Walter's leg will heal quickly!" "Yeah, hopefully." At first, Shakira hadn't wanted to bother him. That old man and his friends were all about enjoying life, completely cut off from the world. They wouldn't want to deal with outside problems. Even if she wanted to find Matthew, it wouldn't be easy.

Shakira nodded thoughtfully and then

Kyle a knowing look. "If there's more, just spill it."

Kyle was taken aback. "Am I that obvioued, can still pick up on your emotions if I pay close attention," Shakira analyzed.

"Even though you seem calm and com

He laughed helplessly. "There's actually something else... You're hiding your identity from Walter?"

Shakira replied without missing a beat, "What identity do I even have?"

Kyle was at a loss for words. .He knew

they had to keep things under wraps. His expression grew serious. "After Walter got hurt, he asked us to look for Matthew, but he also wanted us to keep an eye on someone." "I know, the woman, right? Isn't he supposed to have found her already?"

"It's about the owner of that shell necklace, the one he went through thick and thin with-the 'Fox.""

Kyle's voice dropped low. "And Berry has that necklace. Walter thinks she's the Fox."

Shakira suddenly understood. "So that's the deal."Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

"How did your necklace end up with Berry?"

"A lot of my things were stolen by Yvette, and I guess she gave that necklace to Berry a long time ago. It was probably just a coincidence." Just thinking about it, Shakira could figure out what had happened. She could easily guess that, knowing Yvette's selfish and domineering nature, she must have realized she couldn't pull off a fake herself, so she pushed the favor onto Berry. That way, she could use Berry to get something good from Walter while keeping Shakira in check-killing two birds with one stone. Seeing her so calm, Kyle started to feel uneasy. "You're not mad that Berry is impersonating you?"

"What's there to be mad about? Besides..." Shakira's lips curled slightly, a spark in her eyes. "If she has the guts to impersonate, she better be ready to face the consequences when she gets caught."

Kyle stared at her, caught off guard. He felt like Shakira was different now-she seemed more confident, brighter, and

wilder.

After stepping out of Veiled Vine, Shakira opened her phone and saw several messages from Xanthe: [Oh no! Shakira's plan failed! My old man didn't succeed...]