Chapter 239

Chapter 239

"Not that fast," Ethan said.

Isabella's little face scrunched up when she heard this. "So when she came to our house today, was she really after Daddy?"

"Pretty much." Ralph snorted. "Dad's so handsome, there must be tons of women eyeing him."

Just then, Audrey came home. Hearing the children's discussion, she asked curiously, "What are you all talking about?"

"Mommy!" Isabella looked up at her, worry written all over her face. "Someone's making a move on Daddy! A pretty woman came to the house today looking for Great-Grandma, but she really just wanted to see Daddy!"

Audrey sat down next to them and picked up a fork. "Did she get to see him?"

"No!" Isabella shook her little head vigorously. "Great-Grandma sent her away! Didn't even let her through the door!"

Ralph added, "But I don't think she's going to give up easily. My brother and I both think she'll come back."

Audrey ate quietly, not immediately responding.

She thought back to yesterday at the coffee shop, to Arabella's slightly flustered figure as she hurried away.

A woman willing to go to such lengths to get close to Vincent definitely didn't seem like the type to give up easily.

But Audrey's mind was on something else.

Was Arabella really approaching Black Raven just to get to Vincent?

That logic didn't quite add up.

If she truly just wanted to rekindle an old flame, there was no need to go through all the trouble of touching the Black Raven connection.

How could an ordinary overseas artist possibly have access to that level of covert network?

Unless her real target, from the very beginning, had been Black Raven.

What exactly was her relationship with Declan?

"Mommy?"

Seeing Audrey spacing out, Isabella tugged at her sleeve. "What's wrong?"

Audrey snapped back to attention and smiled down at her. "Nothing. Don't worry, no one's going to steal Daddy away."

At eleven that night, only a bedside lamp was lit in the master bedroom of the Brown Mansion. Audrey came out of the bathroom, her hair still half-wet on her shoulders. Vincent was leaning against the headboard, and when he heard her, he looked up, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Audrey sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I heard Arabella went to see you?"

"Yes, but she didn't say anything substantial. Just tried to convince me to have Black Raven participate in Declan's project."

She paused. "She not only knows about Black Raven, but also knows it belonged to my mother. She's just an artist—she shouldn't have the capability to know Black Raven exists, let alone know what's behind it."

Vincent was silent for a moment. This wasn't the first time he'd heard Audrey mention Black Raven. He knew it was a system her mother had left behind, but Arabella being connected to it still came as something of a surprise.

"When we were young, Arabella and I did have a good relationship," Vincent said. "During those college years, we often discussed some pretty deep topics. She was studying art at the time, but she was interested in many fields—philosophy, sociology, and even military history. She could hold her own in any conversation."

He paused. "To be honest, for a while, I really did consider continuing things with her. The Brown family had their objections at the time, but I was young and thought that as long as I stood firm, they'd eventually come around."

Audrey listened without showing any sign of displeasure.

"But then she went abroad," Vincent said. "After she left, our contact gradually faded. That's when I realized she didn't leave just because my family opposed us—it was more that she wanted to leave."

"She knew the Brown family wouldn't accept her easily, so she chose to exit gracefully, to end things in a dignified way."

He looked up, his gaze returning to Audrey's face. "I never reached out to her again after that, because I knew that when she made that choice, she'd already drawn a clear line between us."

After listening, Audrey smiled. "You're being so serious about this, like I'm here to interrogate you."

"Don't worry, I trust you."

"I just want to tell you—I suspect her target isn't you at all."

Vincent's brow twitched slightly. "Then who?"

"Me," Audrey said bluntly. "More precisely, probably what my mother left behind."

She paused, her tone growing more serious. "Arabella knows far more about my mother's background than most people. She not only knows the name Black Raven, but also knows it has an operational contact network that's still running."

"Even you only learned about this recently. How could an artist who's been overseas for years know so much?"

Vincent's brow furrowed slightly. "Are you saying there's someone behind her? Declan?"

"I'm not sure if it's Declan, but something about her behavior just doesn't add up. Would a woman trying to win back an old love use such a complicated approach to get close to you?"

"She's gone in circles—first contacting retired Black Raven members, then bridging through Declan's project, and only then appearing in front of you. It's too deliberate."

"So what do you want to do?" Vincent asked.

Audrey was silent for two seconds, then looked up with a sly expression. "I want you to get close to her."

The study fell quiet for a moment.

A flash of shock crossed Vincent's eyes. "What did you say?"

"I want you to approach her, help me figure out what she's really after."

"Since she's willing to go to such lengths to get close to you, it means you're still an important piece in her plan. If you reach out to her first, she definitely won't suspect anything."

Vincent looked at her, silent for a long while before speaking. "I'm against it. I'm your husband—how can I get involved with another woman?"