Chapter 256 The Culprit.
Connor had booked a nearby hotel. He ensured Madison was settled in bed before checking his reflection in the bathroom mirror and noticing his face was covered in bruises.
Connor felt somewhat relieved. Thankfully, I’ll be busy lately, so my injury should heal when the team–building event comes around. How embarrassing would I be if I were to meet Lenora with this facet
There were no pharmacies around, and the hotel didn’t have any ointment for bruises and injuries either.
Connor had ordered a box online and was now waiting for the delivery.
He was seated in a chair, scrolling through his phone.
Suddenly, Madison, on the bed, murmured fearfully as if she were having a nightmare. “S–Stay away. N-
No
Connor hastily put down his phone and sat by the edge of the bed, gently comforting, “It’s all right now, The bad guys are gone.”
Madison slowly opened her eyes, and suddenly, she threw herself into Connor’s arms, sobbing in agony.
Connor paused for a moment, attempting to push Madison away. “You
Madison, however, didn’t let go. He held onto Connor even tighter, weeping sorrowfully. “I’m so scared…. I’m really so scared.
Connor hesitated for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand. She’s probably terrified and feels no sense of security. Pushing her away now will be very cruel. Forget it. I’ll let her hold on for a bit if that’s what she wants.
On the day of the team–building event, all the employees, accompanied by a family member, gathered at the company’s main entrance.
Sophia parked her car on the side of the road in a temporary parking space and stepped out of the vehicle.
Lenora, wearing a mask, got out of the passenger seat.
She wasn’t truly in love with Connor, so she never mentioned it to Sophia. It was only last night that Sophia found out about this. Under intense questioning. Lenora had no choice but to brush that matter off vaguely
The two of them walked together toward the entrance of the company.
Several employees and their families were already waiting.
Connor was squatting on the stairs, holding two servings of bread and soy milk.
His eyes darted around the room until they landed on Lenora and Sophia. Immediately, he jumped to his feet and hurried over to them, unable to hide the delight on his face. “Lenora Sophia, you’re here too”
Sophia gave Connor a playful punch on his shoulder. “Well done, Connor. You’ve won over Nora so swiftly. You better treat her right in the future, understand?”
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Rest assured, Sophia. I’ll definitely treat you well.” Commor glanced at Lenora beside him.
A twitch tugged at the corner of Lenora’s mouth, but she said nothing
Sophia jingled the keys in her hand. “I’m leaving first, then?”
“Goodbye.”
“Take care, Sophia.”
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Once Sophia had gotten into the car, Connor guided Lenora toward the stone steps, casually handing over the breakfast he held to Lenora.
“Connor, is this your girlfriend?”
All the colleagues had seen Connor’s Instagram post that day. One after another, they came over to greet him, taking the opportunity to size up Lenora. “That mask is fooling no one. Just by looking at your eyes, we can tell you’re a real beauty
With a smile, Lenora said, “My apologies. I’ve been a bit under the weather these past couple of days.”
“Don’t worry. Once you take a dip in the hot springs with Connor, I guarantee your cold will be all gone,” a Colleague said with a chuckle.
The bus arrived punctually. Lenora and Connor boarded it, choosing seats toward the interior, and sat side by side.
The number of people on the bus kept increasing, and colleagues greeted each other.
Right then, Connor called out, saying, “Mr. Fuller.”
Lenora looked up, only to see Stanley boarding the vehicle and making his way down the aisle.
He heard Connor’s voice, glanced to the side, and saw Lenora, who was wearing a mask.
Lenora nodded at him.
Stanley also gave a nod, then headed toward the seat at the back.
Once everyone had gathered, the bus headed toward Hot Spring Resort in the suburb.
Lenora had visited that place once but was still looking forward to soaking in the hot springs during
Winter
The bus passed through the highway intersection, drawing ever closer to its destination.
The interior of the bus was filled with the others‘ cheerful chatter and laughter, but Lenora grew increasingly silent, her hand quietly clutching her backpack tighter.
The warehouse belonging to Daryl was just up ahead.
After rounding a bend, the bus suddenly came to a halt
The other employees curiously craned their necks to see what was happening up ahead.
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A freight truck had come to a halt up ahead, with numerous logistics boxes of various sizes tumbling down on both sides.
The warehouse staff were frantically picking up items.
Daryl stood by the roadside, hands on his hips, impatiently watching the scene. He signaled to the passing bus to wait a moment.
Stanley rose to his feet, walking from the back to the front, as he asked, “What’s going on?”
The bus driver opened the door and said, “Seems like a courier truck has tipped over.”
Stanley stepped out of the car and went over to converse with Daryl. Roughly two minutes later, he returned to the vehicle. He then said to the bus driver, “Hold on a moment. They’ll be done picking up the items shortly”
Someone asked, “How could a courier truck just topple over?”
“The truck had a sudden tire blowout as it entered the station,” Stanley replied.
Daryl was livid, cursing. “Some moron scattered a handful of hatpins all over the ground!”
When Connor saw Daryl, his eyes lit up, and he was ready to open the window and greet the latter. However, he suddenly noticed Lenora staring intently at Daryl, her lips tightly pressed together, and a profound sadness filled her eyes.
Connor whispered, “Lenora, what’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing” Lenora retracted her gaze, lowered her eyes, and gently shook her head.
She insisted that nothing was wrong, but her expression clearly told a different story.
A few minutes later, the bus resumed its journey.
Afterward, Lenora’s expression remained rather solemn, seemingly upset.
She was genuinely unhappy while also putting on a show for Connor to see.
In the morning, there was an event in their department, but Lenora chose not to participate. Instead, she spent the entire morning in her own room, fostering an atmosphere of her discontent.
At lunchtime, Connor came to find her, and they both went to the restaurant to dine together.
Seeing that Lenora barely touched her food, Connor couldn’t help but ask, “Lenora, what’s wrong? Are you upset or not feeling well?”
Lenora let out a sigh. “I’m not feeling great.”
“What happened? Everything was perfectly fine at the start.”
Lenora casually popped some pasta into her mouth, licking it with her tongue. “Do you remember the man Stanley was talking to by the roadside when we passed the courier warehouse on our way here?”
“I remember.” Connor hesitated for a moment. “I know him. He’s a good friend of my dad’s.”
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Lenora looked at him, taken aback.
Connor continued to ask, “What about him?”
“He is the one responsible for my father’s death,” Lenora uttered in grief and anger.
Connor was shocked.
He knew that Lenora’s father, Fernando, had died in a car accident and that Daryl had apparently spent time in prison for some reason. However, he hadn’t expected that the two could be connected in any way.
A flicker of regret passed over his face. “I’m sorry, Lenora. I didn’t think.
With a sigh, Lenora muttered, “I didn’t expect such a coincidence either, to spot him by the roadside. He must be a warehouse worker.”
“No, he’s the warehouse owner,” Connor said somewhat awkwardly. “He’s been running this warehouse for years, and it’s doing pretty well. My dad has a good relationship with him. In fact, when my parents returned to the country, he picked them up.”
Lenora lifted her head in surprise. “Has this place been built for years?”
“Yes.”
“Back then, he had lost all his wealth in a civil lawsuit. How could he have possibly afforded to construct this?”
Connor paused, hesitating for a moment. “Could it be borrowed money?”
Lenora casually looked up at Connor and nonchalantly asked, “He just got out of jail and didn’t have a penny to his name. Who would lend him such a large amount of money? And where did he meet these wealthy friends?”
