Chapter 185

Chapter 185

The smell of gunpowder didn't just appear out of nowhere at an engagement party.

And Edward called me over... was it really just to try on dresses?

As I thought back to what he said to me, it felt like he was deliberately revealing his plan.

Edward wouldn't joke about the lives of all the guests. The only people he wants to kill are me and Raymond.

"What are you thinking about?"

Before I knew it, we had already walked to the parking lot. Edward opened the car door. "Get in, I'll take you home."

At this moment, he was once again the polite and gentlemanly Edward.

I shook my head and walked to the passenger side. "Nothing, just spacing out."

Edward suddenly asked, "Have you been in touch with Flora recently?"

I didn't expect to hear that name again, especially from him.

"No, after I went abroad, I changed my phone number and social media accounts. Unless she sees me in person, she can't find me online."

Was my reunion with Edward a coincidence or the result of his long search?

"That's right, I forgot. She already received the invitation to our engagement party. She called me before I picked you up, asking for your contact information. Can I give it to her?"

The invitation only had Edward's assistant's contact information. It was not surprising Flora could reach Edward directly.

And me... while avoiding Raymond this past year, wasn't I also avoiding Flora?

"Do you even need to ask? Of course, give it to her. No, wait, I'll contact her myself. It's been a year, she must be worried sick."

Ignoring Edward's presence, I dialed the familiar number.

I could never forget Flora's number.

But Edward stopped me from pressing the call button.

"She changed her number too. She has almost abandoned everything from before, even changed her nationality to Vesperia."

Was that so!

I murmured, "We've both been in Vesperia for a year and never ran into each other... What's her number now? Tell me quickly!"

The joy of reuniting with Flora had already surpassed my wariness of Edward.

Edward wasn't so bad most of the time.

Whether he was using me or not, he always put on a perfect facade.

No, I reminded myself.

Edward was indirectly responsible for the deaths of her child and Diana.

"Here."

He showed me the contact information on his phone. "This is her number, save it."

After entering it, I finally called Flora.

The first time... she hung up.

I stared at my phone and called again.

She hung up again.

If I had kept calling, would she have blocked me?

"She might not answer an unknown number. She's been getting a lot of spam calls lately. Maybe you should text her first to explain."

That seemed like the best option.

I quickly edited a text and sent it, but there was no response.

After all that, we had arrived at my apartment.

I tried calling again.

However, I had been blocked. She must have blocked me after the second call, so she never saw my message.

Frustrated, I turned to Edward for help.

"Mr. Lopez, can I borrow your phone? Or could you tell Flora to unblock my number?"

Since they had already been in contact, it wouldn't be hard for Edward to explain.

Edward called the number right in front of me.

"What is it?" Flora's tone was curt, but I hadn't heard it in over a year.

"Caroline's trying to reach you. Don't block her number."

There was a moment of silence before she hung up.

What was that about?

"Go on upstairs. If you still can't reach her, I'll think of something."

I guessed Flora had some resentment about my faked death.

I could imagine how she felt when she heard the news of my death.

"Thanks for your help."

Once I got home, I called the number again, and this time it went through.

"Flora."

She remained silent.

She didn't respond, and I didn't push. We just stayed on the line, aware of each other's presence.

"It's been over a year, almost two years now," Flora said in a low, trembling voice. "You were alive this whole time. Why didn't you tell me? You could hide it from others, but why from me?"

Her voice started to break, and I felt a pang of guilt.

I had my reasons for hiding it from Flora, but I didn't plan to explain, as it would sound like I was justifying myself.

"I heard your studio has grown into a company. Business must be good. When can we meet up? I want to celebrate with you."

Flora laughed. "Celebrate what? I'm swamped with work. But I'll come find you soon. I have to attend your engagement party."

In just a few words, Flora seemed less angry.

We were always forgiving of each other, or maybe... she never truly blamed me.

"When are you coming? I really want to see you."

Initially, I hid my identity to avoid being found by Raymond.

But now, he already knew I was here, so there was no point in hiding anymore.

"The day after tomorrow. Your engagement is this weekend, right? I'll make it in time."

Flora had many questions for me and was curious about my current situation.

We would talk about everything when we met.

I didn't know when Raymond left that day. I thought he wouldn't come back for a few days.

When Avery returned, she looked upset, and Natalia followed her in.

"Caroline, Raymond is downstairs. How dare he come here?"

My heart skipped a beat. "He's here again?"

What was the point of hanging around my place at night?

"Again? This guy... he's shameless!"

Natalia remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

"Ignore him. He has a wife and kids now. I haven't done anything to provoke him. It has nothing to do with me."

Despite my words, I walked to the window and looked down.

The streetlights in front of the building were still on, but the area was empty.

He must have left.

"Caroline, be careful when you go out. Vesperia isn't as safe as your previous country. You could easily be targeted by certain groups."

Normally, I wouldn't think much of such a warning, but today I felt odd.

"Certain groups? What do you mean?"

Every country has its shady forces, and I never thought Vesperia was particularly safe.

Since Natalia mentioned it, I would be more cautious.

"...There are many. I can't explain it all at once."