Chapter 29 

Allison hung up the phone and replayed the night’s events in her mind. Why did Kate sneak into her room while she was showering? It couldn’t be an innocent, casual look around, as Kate claimed, Kate must have had an ulterior motive. 

Allison wandered around her room, inspecting the layout of her belongings. Aside from the shattered porcelain puppy, everything seemed in place–nothing appeared off. Then, her eyes fell on the glass of milk on the nightstand. She had a bedtime ritual of drinking a warm glass of milk. The housekeeper would heat it before her shower, and she would enjoy it afterward. The porcelain puppy had also been on the nightstand before it was broken. If Kate had smashed the puppy, she must have been lingering near the nightstand. Kate could very well have been tampered with that glass of milk. 

Three hours later, Joshua arrived in Havenbrook. By the time Allison got his call, he was already heading to Stonebridge Court. At that moment, Allison was busy tossing bags of unwanted items into the trash cans outside the villa. 

“Joshua, I’m not staying here tonight,” she said, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder while she walked back toward the villa. The housekeeper off–duty, and she didn’t want to bother anyone else, so she took matters into her own hands. 

Joshua didn’t pry and just replied, “Alright.” 

“Have you booked a hotel?” Allison asked. 

Joshua mentioned a hotel name. 

“Great, I’ll book a room there too. Let’s meet at the hotel instead. You don’t to swing by here. Just head straight there.” 

She intended to pack up and leave the villa that very night. It was time to bid farewell to Shawn. As she loaded her suitcase into the trunk and tried booking a room online, she found out the hotel was fully booked. A quick search revealed that a major exam was scheduled at a nearby school the next day, leaving almost every hotel in the area packed. After some searching, she found a vacancy at a low–end motel. Browsing through the reviews and photos, she grimaced. 

One review said: [The walls are paper–thin. I could hear the couple next door ‘bumping uglies‘ all night long like they were right in my room. I was so frustrated I couldn’t sleep.] 

Allison got the message. She needed to show up at court at 3 PM and to leave by 10 AM, so she had little time left to rest. It was already past 11 PM, and she still had to meet Joshua. If noise kept her up, she’d be exhausted for court. 

After a moment’s thought, she texted Joshua: [The hotel’s fully booked, and the nearby ones are too. Can you help me find a room?] 

While the standard rooms were unavailable, luxury suites were often reserved for VIPs. As the heir to the Fisher family and CEO of Fisher Corporation, Joshua could easily score a room. 

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Chapter 29 

He responded swiftly: [I’ve got a penthouse suite with two bedrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. If you’re okay with it, you can crash here for the night.] 

Allison hesitated. They hadn’t seen each other in over three years, and sharing a space right away seemed a bit much. But where else could she find a room this late? 

Since the suite had two separate bedrooms, it didn’t seem too inappropriate. After a few minutes of consideration, Allison agreed. 

She was about to start the car when a message from Shawn popped up. He sent several photos showing Kate’s hand wrapped tightly in layers of bandages, which looked quite serious. 

Chapter 3