Chapter 121
"Who is this?" Juliana reached out, her finger tracing over the face on the screen. The cold glass sent a chill through her fingertip.
"I had someone follow Logan. They took this. He's had this woman around him lately."
He looked at Juliana, his gaze searching. "Do you have... a long-lost sister or something?"
Juliana shook her head with certainty. "No. My mother only had me."
She stared at the photo, an eerie feeling washing over her. Someone in this world looked exactly like her? Coincidence? Or... deliberate?
Logan had found a woman like this to keep around—his intentions were obvious. What did he plan to do with that face? Disgust her? Provoke Lucas?
Juliana was lost in thought when she caught sight of a financial news notification at the top of Lucas's phone screen—'Sharp Group Annual Spokesperson Contract Expires, New Candidate Yet to Be Decided.'
A name suddenly came to mind.
"What about Bianca?" Juliana asked. "Wasn't she always the Sharp Group spokesperson?"
That name hadn't been mentioned in a while. Since that day at the hospital when Bianca's pleas had fallen flat, there'd been no word of her.
"She's missing. Has been for days now."
Juliana's heart skipped a beat. Missing? A major celebrity just vanished?
"Did anyone file a police report?"
"The Hale family did, but there aren't any leads." Lucas put his phone away and pulled Juliana into his arms. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle Logan."
Neither of them connected Bianca's disappearance with Logan.
In their minds, Logan's opponent was Lucas. His target was the Sharp family's power. To him, Bianca was just a discarded chess piece.
……
That weekend, Ashley sent a car to pick up the two kids.
Ever since her power play at the school, Ashley had been wanting to see her grandsons every few days. After discussing it, Juliana and Lucas figured they couldn't keep avoiding her forever, so they agreed.
The Sharp Estate was even more imposing than Lucas's villa—and colder.
Today Ashley wore a festive dark red dress, her hair impeccably styled, her face covered in smiles. She took the boys by the hand and led them into a room.
It was every little boy's dream come true.
The latest gaming systems, limited edition collectible figures, and an entire wall of LEGOs stacked like a mountain.
"Look! Grandma got all of this just for you!"
Matthew and Damian exchanged a glance.
Matthew strolled over to a massive Transformers model, tilting his head. "Grandma, the instruction manual for this one is in German. I can't read it. Can you read it to me?"
Ashley's smile froze.
She knew several languages—German just wasn't one of them.
"This... let me get the butler to..."
"But I want to hear you read it, Grandma."
Under his gaze, Ashley had no choice but to pick up the thick manual. She stared at the foreign letters like they were hieroglyphics, unable to make out a single word.
Meanwhile, Damian grabbed a remote-controlled race car, looking at Ashley with excitement. "Grandma, let's race! I'll give you a head start!"
Ashley looked at the car that would require her to crouch on the floor, then down at her expensive dress. Her expression showed clear reluctance.
"Dami, sweetie, Grandma's getting old. I can't move that fast..."
"Mommy says exercise is life," Damian said seriously. "Grandma, you just don't exercise enough. That's why your health isn't good. We're helping you get fit."
Ashley was speechless. She couldn't argue with that.
To put on a good show for her grandsons, she gritted her teeth, kicked off her heels, and actually got down on the floor to chase the race car with Damian.
In the massive room, an elegant old woman bent over, huffing and puffing as she chased a tiny remote-controlled car. One kid clutched the German manual asking "earnest questions," while the other sent his car zipping all over the place.
The butler and servants watched from the doorway, trying not to laugh, their faces turning red from the effort.
After a whole morning of this, Ashley's back was killing her. But the two boys were still full of energy.
"Grandma, I'm thirsty. I want fresh-squeezed orange juice. Made by you."
"Grandma, I'm hungry. I want fried chicken wings. Made by you."
Ashley was exhausted, but hearing her grandsons ask for things in their sweet little voices filled her with a strange sense of satisfaction.
She thought this meant the kids were starting to accept her. Suddenly energized, she waved her hand grandly. "Of course! Grandma will make you everything!"
She rushed into the kitchen, personally washing oranges and coating chicken in flour, bustling around enthusiastically.
Soon the kitchen filled with sounds of chaos and little yelps as oil splattered.
In the living room, Damian and Matthew sat on the couch, each holding a glass of water, completely relaxed.
"Dami, I think she's about to collapse," Matthew whispered.
Damian took a sip of water and coolly assessed, "Weak combat skills."
By afternoon, when Ashley emerged carrying a plate of blackened, unidentifiable "fried chicken wings" and two glasses of strangely colored "orange juice," she looked ready to pass out.
But looking at her two grandsons, her heart felt warm. All the hard work was worth it.
"Try it! Grandma's cooking!"
She watched them eagerly, full of anticipation.
The two boys looked at the plate and fell into a long silence.
When it was nearly time to take them home, Ashley didn't want to let them go. She wanted to spend more time with her grandsons, to enjoy this feeling of being "needed."
"Why don't you stay at Grandma's tonight?" she asked tentatively.
Matthew shook his head. "Can't. Mommy would worry."
Ashley felt a pang of disappointment but didn't dare force them to stay. She figured she'd go upstairs, change clothes, and personally drive them home—maybe show off to Juliana how close she'd gotten with the kids.
When she came back downstairs after changing, the living room was empty.
"Where are the children?" she asked the butler.
The butler looked confused. "They said they were tired of waiting and went upstairs to find you. You didn't see them?"
Ashley's heart sank with a bad feeling. She immediately had people search the entire estate, but after turning the place upside down, there was no trace of the two boys.
She was so upset she nearly had a relapse of her chronic condition. Gripping the staircase railing, her hands trembled with rage.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Juliana.
"Mrs. Sharp, Matty and Dami are home safe. Thank you for taking care of them." Juliana's tone was polite but distant.
Ashley froze, then fury shot straight to her head.
They went home on their own?!
Those little brats had snuck out without a word!
Ashley was furious and worried, but on the phone she couldn't lose it. She had to grit her teeth and say, "...Good that they made it home."
After hanging up, she couldn't hold back anymore. She yelled at the empty living room, "It's definitely that woman Juliana's doing! No manners at all! She's corrupting my grandsons!"