Chapter 73

Wellington's POV

"Wellington!" Thea's voice came from behind, interrupting my thoughts.

I turned around and saw her jogging toward me.

"Why did you come out alone? Where's the car?" I frowned slightly, looking behind her.

"Some weird warning light came on the dashboard. I called for maintenance, and the driver will come pick me up later." Thea shrugged and walked up beside me, affectionately linking her arm through mine.

"Who was that girl you were talking to at the entrance just now? She's pretty good-looking, but she seemed kind of scared of you? Wellington, you didn't do something to her, did you?"

"Just an employee."

I looked away somewhat uncomfortably.

Thea had been too well protected by the family since childhood. She was outgoing and curious about everything, especially any woman around me—she always showed great interest in investigating them.

"An employee?" Thea raised an eyebrow.

"What employee would be that scared of their boss, like she'd seen her natural predator? And the way you just looked at her didn't seem like you were looking at an ordinary employee. Come clean—is she my future sister-in-law?"

"Thea." I gave her a warning look, my voice dropping lower.

"Don't talk nonsense. She already has a fiancé."

"A fiancé? That guy next to her with the weird hair color? They look completely wrong for each other!" Thea's eyes widened in surprise, then she pursed her lips.

"So what if she has a fiancé? They're not married yet. But..." She looked me up and down, then suddenly smiled more slyly.

"Bro, don't tell me it ended before it even started? No wonder you've been in such a foul mood lately, even complaining that the outfits Vivian picked out for you are tacky."

Her words made my temples throb.

I raised my hand to press them, "The driver should be here soon. Wait here—I have something to take care of."

"Huh? Where are you going this late?" Thea complained.

"Work." I answered briefly, raising my hand to flag down an empty taxi that happened to be passing by. I opened the door and got in, saying to Thea through the window.

"Text me when you get home."

"Got it! Workaholic!" Thea made a face at the car.

When the car stopped in front of the villa, it was already late at night.

I pushed the door open. Kerena was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. When she heard the noise and looked up to see it was me, her face immediately broke into a delighted smile.

"Mr. Learmond? Why are you here so late?"

She put down her book and hurried over, naturally reaching to take the coat I was removing.

"Have you had dinner? Should I have Uma prepare a late-night snack for you?"

"No need."

I avoided her outstretched hand and draped my coat over the armrest of the sofa.

"Let Uma and the others handle these things."

Kerena's hand froze in mid-air, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face, but she quickly recovered her smile and withdrew her hand.

"Would you like some tea? I'll pour it for you."

"Uma," I called out.

Uma, who had been watching from the kitchen, immediately came out with a cup of warm black tea, placed it on the coffee table in front of me, then quietly stepped aside.

"You can all go rest now," I said to Uma. "Ms. Williams and I have some things to discuss."

"Yes, Mr. Learmond."

Uma and Irene respectfully left the living room.

Only Kerena and I remained in the living room.

She seemed a bit nervous that I had deliberately dismissed the servants, looking at me with eager eyes.

"The information you provided earlier," I got straight to the point.

"About Caspian planning to go to Mexico soon to negotiate that mining deal—are you certain?"

Kerena nodded quickly, picking up her phone from nearby and holding it out to me.

"I'm certain. These are the records of Caspian contacting me over the past few days. He's been trying to convince me, wanting me to gather more information from you about the progress of that case. He promised that if I cooperate, when he returns from Mexico and gains control of the new resources, he'll give me a better life."

She scrolled through the chat history to show me. "He's asked me out several times to talk in person, but I've made excuses to put him off."

I quickly scanned those messages, my eyes growing cold. Caspian clearly hadn't given up yet.

"I'll verify the information." I handed the phone back to her.

"Also, in a few days, I'm going on a business trip to the West Coast to handle some family matters. While I'm gone, all the preliminary files and evidence chains you took over from Ms. Hamilton regarding Caspian's case must be carefully reviewed again. Check for gaps, organize everything into a clear and complete report. This is your last chance, Kerena."

I raised my eyes, looking directly at her. "If you can't do this well, you'll have to leave the firm. The firm doesn't keep useless people."

Kerena's face paled, but she quickly nodded firmly, "I understand, Mr. Learmond. Please rest assured, I will work hard and won't disappoint you again. Thank you for still being willing to give me a chance. I'll definitely make the most of it!"

Her attitude in admitting her mistake was sincere, so I didn't pursue it further.

With employees, you can't push too hard—it easily backfires, especially now that Kerena had caught Caspian's attention.

As for observing her loyalty, that could be done from the shadows.

I gave a faint acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Kerena quickly picked up the teacup and held it out with both hands.

"Have some tea. You must be thirsty after talking so much."

I raised my hand to take it when suddenly, an extremely faint yet instantly familiar scent wafted over, making me feel momentarily dazed.

I looked up at her, "Is the perfume you're wearing today Dew Whisper?"

Kerena paused, instinctively raising her hand to smell her wrist, then shook her head, "No, Mr. Learmond. With my current financial situation, I can't afford that."

A hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.

"It's another off-brand perfume. I was organizing things today and found it. The scent hadn't changed, so I sprayed a little."

"Let me see it." I put down the teacup.

Kerena obediently got up, went to her room, and returned with a dark blue glass bottle that looked quite old.

I took it and opened the cap, bringing it close to smell.

The scent was indeed very similar.

That cool, dewy top note was highly similar to the lingering fragrance from that chaotic night deep in my memory.

Kerena smiled somewhat sheepishly and explained.

"I bought this at a boutique shop on the street when I had just graduated and got my first job offer. It was the first decent bottle of perfume I bought for myself. Back then, I didn't know anything about brands or top, middle, and base notes. I just thought it smelled really good and special, so I bought it. Unfortunately, that shop closed down later, and I never had the heart to finish this bottle..."

I rubbed the cool glass bottle, my gaze falling on the blurred label.

Similar, very similar.

But something felt off.