Chapter 389 389: That's the lead
"How can you be so sure that Aunt Sherlyn has some connection with Jedrick?" Gabriel asked.
"There's no other reason he would have hired her. If he truly wanted to keep Valeria hidden, he wouldn't have picked someone so close to us."
Eveline's explanation made sense.
"Something is off, and we need to figure out what," she declared.
Gabriel watched as Eveline hurried to her desk, quickly turning on her laptop. She began sifting through information on Jedrick once more.
"You think we missed something?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, but it doesn't hurt to double-check. Besides, I want to see if there's any lead we overlooked."
Gabriel didn't say another word and joined her in combing through the data. But after hours of searching, they found nothing.
"Nothing seems unusual," Eveline muttered, disappointed.
Gabriel exchanged a concerned glance with her. They had everything about Jedrick laid out in front of them—every piece of information they could gather—yet it still wasn't enough. And that realization was frustrating.
Then, suddenly, Gabriel said, "How about we look into Aunt Sherlyn's details?"
Eveline met his gaze, understanding his intent, and nodded.
With swift movements across the keyboard, she pulled up information on Sherlyn Norman within minutes.
They carefully combed through every detail until something caught their attention.
"Wait a second… Did Jeremy Norman work with Jedrick in the past?" Gabriel asked, noticing a familiar connection in the records they were scrolling through.
Eveline frowned, deep in thought, but soon realized she was considering the same possibility.
"The information does suggest that," Eveline murmured. "But we don't know when or how they met. Also, there's no record indicating if they're still business partners."
"That's it!" Gabriel exclaimed. "This is the lead!"
Eveline fell into thoughtful silence, pondering his remark.
If their suspicions were correct, then Jedrick hiring Sherlyn suddenly made perfect sense.
***
Inside Ella's apartment, she told Stefan everything she had learned from Eveline regarding Sherlyn and their plan.
He knew Eveline was impulsive—always chasing answers without fully considering the consequences. But expecting Sherlyn to betray her profession? That was something he just couldn't understand.
"And they think it's that easy to make that woman talk when they're being watched?" Stefan asked, his tone laced with skepticism.
Ella pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't have an answer, but one thing made her agree with Eveline—everything fit together too perfectly.
The woman they had met was somehow connected to Jedrick, and the fact that Sherlyn had been hired to treat her felt completely out of the blue. But despite all the coincidences, one thing stood out—the woman they suspected might just be the one they had been searching for all along.
"Eveline believes that Valeria Lee is none other than Jedrick's mother—the woman we spent so long trying to find," Ella said, sharing a knowing look with Stefan.
A heavy silence fell between them, but the weight of her words unsettled Stefan.
If that was true, then why was Jedrick keeping his own mother captive? And why was she in such a terrible condition, as Ella had described?
Suddenly, Stefan's phone rang—it was none other than Gabriel.
Excusing himself, he stepped onto the balcony of the apartment and answered the call.
"I'm sure by now you've heard everything from Ella," Gabriel said.
"What are your thoughts on it?" Stefan asked.
Gabriel was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Have you heard of Jeremy Norman? He was someone Uncle Marcus once worked with."
Stefan searched his memory and soon recalled the name. "Yeah, I remember. What about him?"
"He's Sherlyn's father, and somehow, he has a connection with Jedrick. I need you to find out what it is."
Stefan's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Wait… Aunt Sherlyn is the mayor's daughter?" he asked, stunned.
"Yes," Gabriel confirmed. "And that alone makes him suspicious."
"What exactly do you want to know about him?" Stefan asked, quickly composing himself.
"Everything," Gabriel replied. "But I doubt we'll find much on him aside from what Aunt Sherlyn knows. The problem is, Eve doesn't want our suspicions to end up hurting her."
He then went on to explain how Kaden had been trying to track down the people helping Jedrick clear his name, yet even now, they hadn't been able to detain him.
"Don't worry, I'll look into it and keep you updated," Stefan assured him. "But if Jeremy has ties to Jedrick, then why would Jedrick target Sherlyn?"
"I don't know," Gabriel admitted. "But I have a feeling he's up to something. And before he puts his plan into motion, we need to be ready."
Stefan hummed in response before ending the call and heading back inside the apartment.
***
Meanwhile, at Sherlyn's house, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Kaden was still upset with her for everything she had done behind his back.
No matter how much she explained or apologized, he continued to give her the silent treatment.
An hour had passed since they returned, and without saying a word, Kaden had gone to take a shower, leaving Sherlyn waiting patiently for him.
Her eyes darted toward the door as her patience wore thin. Just as she was about to make a move to reconcile with Kaden, her phone rang.
Sherlyn's brows furrowed in surprise when she saw her father's name flashing on the screen. A familiar bitterness settled in her chest.
She might have been his only child, but her father had rarely made time for her—something she had craved while growing up.
And now, after all these years of neglect, seeing his name on her screen filled her with a mix of emotions. Still, without hesitation, she answered the call.
"Where are you, Sherlyn?"
The blandness in his tone made her scoff.
"Is that how you greet your daughter, Dad? No 'Hi,' no 'How are you?'" she said sarcastically.
She had never been particularly close to her father, but after so much time apart, she had at least expected a hint of warmth in his voice.
Silence stretched between them before Jeremy finally spoke. "How are you?"
His voice was calmer now, almost careful, and Sherlyn felt a rush of emotions wash over her.
"I'm fine," she replied after a pause. Then, with a hint of lingering resentment, she added, "What made you suddenly remember your daughter?"
"I heard you're dating someone," Jeremy said, his words piquing Sherlyn's curiosity.
It was surprising to hear her father take an interest in her personal life. Before becoming the mayor, Jeremy had been a highly successful doctor. However, his relentless pursuit of success had led him up the ranks so quickly that he had barely made time to acknowledge his own family.
"Yes, I am," she responded.
Silence stretched between them again before he finally spoke.
"Aren't you going to introduce him to us?"
His unexpected request left Sherlyn speechless.
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