Chapter 25
Charles was driving, tailing Maxine’s car from a distance.
He’d done this kind of thing before, so he knew the ropes. Meanwhile, Maxine in front didn’t notice anything off.
But when he saw Maxine’s Range Rover enter an old residential area, Charles couldn’t help but be surprised.
Sebastian also sensed something was wrong–wasn’t this where Ivanna lived?
His expression grew even more serious.
He knew Maxine was trying to get away from him to gather evidence.
Today, Patrick told him about Maxine causing
a scene at the law firm.
Sebastian knew Maxine would act soon. But he didn’t expect her to come here for evidence right away, in the middle of the night.
He had Charles follow into the neighborhood and park under some hidden trees.
Meanwhile, Maxine, oblivious to all of this, got out of her car and hurried into Ivanna’s building.
Ivanna’s place was a cozy two–bedroom apartment about 700 square feet. The decor was a bit outdated, but it was warm and tidy.
Even though no one had been living there recently, Maxine hired reliable cleaning services regularly, so it still felt like Ivanna lived there.
Turning on the lights, Maxine went to Ivanna’s bedroom and started searching carefully.
Ivanna’s bedroom was devoid of unnecessary items; even the bedsheets were excessively plain, with frayed edges curling at the corners.
It was visible how tight the budget was for the mother and daughter.
Maxine searched around but found nothing useful.
Just as she felt lost, her eyes landed on a bedside table by the bed.
The placement of this table seemed odd–it wasn’t against the wall but kept some distance away as if something behind it pushed it forward.
Frowning, Maxine moved the table aside.
Sure enough, behind it was a small cabinet embedded in the wall, painted to match its color, with an old–fashioned lock on it.
Maxine searched for a long time in the cabinet but couldn’t find the key. Finally, out of options, she just grabbed a hammer and smashed the lock open.
The cabinet door opened, revealing an album and a transparent file bag inside.
Maxine silently apologized to Ivanna in her mind and then took out the two items.
Her professional habit led her to first open the file bag–inside was the property certificate of this apartment and a marriage certificate.
Opening the marriage certificate, Maxine spotted a photo, and her expression subtly shifted.
The certificate showed that Ivanna and Nathan/Smith had married six years ago; in the photo, Ivanna was smiling warmly, looking exceptionally gentle and beautiful.
What surprised Maxine even more was how eerily familiar Ivanna’s husband Nathan looked, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
Maxine thought hard for a while but came up empty.
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09 Wed, 18 Jun
Chapter 25
Nathan was strikingly handsome, no exaggeration, and Maxine was sure she didn’t know him.
‘So, where did this sense of familiarity come from?‘ Unable to figure it out, Maxine decided to first put away the marriage certificate and then reach for
the album.
However, just as she was about to open the album, a faint sound suddenly came from outside.
Maxine was instantly alerted, holding her breath as she stood up and quietly approached the bedroom door.
She pressed her ear against the door, listening carefully, her expression growing more serious.
‘That rustling sound… Is someone trying to break into Ivanna’s house?!‘ A spine–chilling thought crept into her mind.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
