Chapter 38
Sidney slyly winked at Richard, silently complimenting his clating skills, but Tiffany misunderstood the gesture. She thought Sidney was flirting with Richard, confirming her suspicion that the two of them must be a couple. That would explain why Richard always seemed so uninterested in the women who pursued him.
“Mr. Pauley, are you going to hang out with us the day after tomorrow?” Tiffany asked cautiously, worried that Sidney might get the wrong idea if she and Richard met up alone.
Before Sidney could respond, Richard cut in, “He’s busy”
In truth, Sidney had plenty of free time, but he didn’t dare contradict Richard. Instead, he just smiled and said, “Yeah, I have to check on the progress at Maple Mountain. I’ll be there all day
Tiffany nodded and didn’t press further.
Soon, the car pulled up in front of Cedar Ridge Villa. Tiffany got out and walked back inside. As soon as she stepped through the door, the aroma of freshly cooked food hit her. A nearby maid approached, taking Tiffany’s backpack from her. “Miss Kelley, your mother is in the kitchen.”
Tiffany headed toward the kitchen and saw Thalia carefully simmering a pot of soup, clearly meant for Sandra. It struck Tiffany that Thalia seemed more like Sandra’s mother than her own. With a slight frown of displeasure, Tiffany said nothing and went straight upstairs to her room.
After Sandra returned from the hospital, Thalia doted on her, making sure she had the best of everything. Sandra was pleased with the attention, but her inability to seduce Kenneth due to her injury left her feeling frustrated. Lately, she noticed Kenneth seemed distracted when they were together, and a sense of urgency gripped her. She knew she had to act
fast
That evening, as Sandra was pondering how to get her hands on a certain drug, her phone rang-it was Selena
“Sandra, your father is such a b**rd! He’s actually asking for a divorce!” Selena cried.
Ever since Selena found out about Stan’s affair, she’d been demanding money from him almost daily. But instead of getting what she wanted, she and Stan had been thrown out by Charlie.
By now, Sandra had pieced together the situation and tried to calm her mother down. “Mom, stop pushing. I really don’t think Dad has any money. If he did, why would he resort to kidnapping Tiffany? That was such a risky move-it nearly destroyed our whole family.”
If Sandra hadn’t secretly orchestrated the car accident, she too might have been kicked out of the Kelley family by now.
Selena sobbed. “If it weren’t for those s**ts he’s been messing around with, would the money be gone?”
Sandra tried soothe her again. “Mom, we’re not out of options yet. From now on, you both need to follow my lead. I promise, it long before you’re back in this mansion-and this time, this mansion will belong to yourlivo!”
won’t
“Alright, alright, we’ll do whatever you say.”
“Now, here’s the plan… Sandra began to lay out her scheme to Selena, and they talked for over an hour,
The next morning, Tiffany kept her promise and went with Eric to the hacker competition. Although she wasn’t particularly Interested in the event, she pretended to be excited and happy for Eric’s sake.
To her surprise, they hit a massive traffic jam halfway there. David Miller, the chauffeur, sighed and said, “There’s a funeral procession up ahead, blocking the road. We should take a different route.”
“Alright” Tiffany nodded.
As the car turned around. Tiffany glanced out the window. Suddenly, a memory that had been buried in her mind came rushing back, and her face turned pale.
I just remembered why Sidney always seemed so familiar to me Before I traveled back in time, the first time I saw Sidney was at his funeral, Tiffany thought, her heart pounding. He was at Maple Mountain, surveying the area for development, when he was caught in a landslide and died on the spot!
Sidney was the sole heir of the Pauley family, and his untimely death had led to the family’s complete downfall Back then, all the elite families attended Sidney’s funeral, and Tiffany remembered seeing his enlarged photograph there. She had felt a sense of pity at the time, but hadn’t given it much thought.
But now, after traveling back in time, she had met Sidney while he was still alive, all because of her connection with Richard.
“What’s wrong. Tiffany?” Eric asked, his voice filled with concern
“Eric, something really important has come up, and I need to leave right away. David will drive you home, okay?” Tiffany said, her voice trembling with urgency.
She quickly instructed David to pull over, reassured Eric with a few comforting words, and then hurriedly got out of the car. Without Sidney’s contact information, Tiffany had no choice but to hail a cab and head straight to Royal Tower to find Richard
During the ride, she frantically tried calling Richard several times, but each attempt ended in voicemail. Fortunately, it only took her ten minutes to reach Royal Tower
The entire area was dominated by the Hampton family, and their company’s skyscraper towered imposingly, a testament to the family’s immense wealth and power,
Tiffany rushed toward the entrance, but was stopped by the receptionist at the front desk.
“Who are you here to see? If you don’t have an appointment, I’m afraid you can’t enter,” the receptionist said politely but firmly.
Tiffany bit her lip, considering whether she should force her way in Just as she was weighing her options, the doors to the executive elevator slid open, and Richard stepped out.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
Without hesitation, Tiffany ran over to him, grabbing his sleeve urgently. “Call Sidney right now! Find out where he is and tell him not to go to Maple Mountain today!”