Facade of Love

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 No Proof to Disprove

After leaving those words hanging in the air, Idris got into his car and drove away.

I was stunned for a few seconds before realizing he had seemed angry.

What did saying thank you have to do with us being husband and wife?

Not bothering to think more about it, I returned to the office to work overtime. Given my father’s illness, it seemed Scott Corporation would be increasingly busy.

Inside Scott Corporation’s Office.

As I reached the door, I heard giggling from inside.

When I entered, I saw Sweety Taters sitting on the sofa, watching a drama on her tablet. When she looked up and saw me, she put it down, then pushed the lunch box on the coffee table toward me. Where’d you go? Weren’t we supposed to have lunch together? Your food’s gone cold.”

I sat down next to her, opened the lunch box, and began eating. “My dad’s in the hospital. I went to

visit him.”

She looked concerned. “Mr. Scott is in the hospital? What happened?”

“Late–stage liver cancer,” I replied, finding it hard to swallow my food.

“Late–stage liver cancer? How could that…” Sweety paused, then looked at me. “Are you…”

“I’m fine!” I cut her off, fearing she would say something sentimental. “This is all a part of life. We’re all going to die. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Ugh!” She scooted over and said, “That’s not what I mean. I wasn’t planning to comfort you. I was going to say that now is the time to get along with Mr. Scott. Stop arguing about what happened years ago.”

I pursed my l*ps, suddenly losing my appetite. I put down my utensils and stared at the ceiling, feeling a bit helpless. “Does the truth even matter anymore?”

She sighed. “If only we could find the man who took you away back then. Then he could tell the police that you didn’t elope with him and that he lured you to the border using your sister’s name. But now he’s gone, so we have no proof.”

No proof…

Five years ago, I was eighteen and had just graduated from high school. Attracted by the allure of Southeast Alara, I applied to Mandala University where Moore was studying for her Master’s degree. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

On enrollment day, Kane was busy with work and Mom had to take care of an elderly relative, so Moore was supposed to pick me up from the station.

However, it was not Moore who showed up but a dark–skinned man who claimed Moore had sent him

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to pick me up.

How could I have fallen for that? However, Moore then called and said that she was busy, telling me to go with him and that he would take care of me.

That day, the man showed me around Mandala, and we ate a lot of good food. I let my guard down, thinking he was just a friend of Moore’s. That was why when he suggested we go to a hotel to pick up some things, I did not think twice about the secluded location.

That was also why when something did happen, everyone thought it was my fault for being so

reckless.

“Yvette, do you really not remember what happened in the hotel?” Sweety interrupted my thoughts. She looked at me and said, “When we found you back then, the hotel owner said you and the man had been in the room together for several days. Then as you were leaving, you were being held up by the man. He even claimed that you were being so promiscuous at such a young age…”

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There was no surveillance footage or recording of what happened back then. Everything had been confirmed from the other people’s testimonies. I pursed my l*ps, unable to argue back. I simply looked at her sideways and said, “I lost consciousness as soon as I entered the hotel.”

She sighed and said helplessly, “The police investigated, thoroughly but couldn’t prove that Moore had conspired with that man to abduct you. There were no phone records, your phone was lost, and the man had run away. No one could prove that Moore had interacted with the man before. Plus,

there’s no motive.”

Motive?

I shook my head. “That’s something I’ve never been able to figure out. What could her motive be after eighteen years of us being family?”

“Could it be… Scott Corporation?” Sweety looked at me seriously. “Your parents only have two daughters, you and Moore. Wouldn’t you both inherit Scott Corporation one day? I’ve always felt like your parents loved you more. When you guys are together, Moore always seems like an outsider. Maybe she wanted to eliminate you so she’d be the sole inheritor when your parents passed?”

‘Could that be it?‘ I pursed my l*ps and pondered. Then I continued, “If Moore really had such ambitions, why hasn’t she worked at Scott Corporation all these years?”

Sweety shrugged. “That I don’t know.”

Not wanting to think further, I looked at her and said, “Alright. Thanks for lunch.”

She clicked her tongue and frowned. “Is that it? My seat’s barely warm, and you’re already dismissing me? Haven’t seen you be so pragmatic before.”

I smiled faintly. “What else would you like to talk about?”

She looked around, then leaned closer to ask, “Yvette, I’ve never asked you this, but in those six months after you were taken to the border, is it true what Moore said about you? That you were forced to work in a red–light district as a…..?”