Chapter 342: The Connection of Three Families

The moment I locked eyes with Whitney, tears fell down my face. It felt as though a piece of my heart had been ripped out, leaving a hollow emptiness. Why did I feel such complicated emotions for a stranger I had barely met?

Damian, noticing my silent tears through the rearview mirror, spoke softly to comfort me. “Mrs. Zoey, don’t be sad. Many people in this world are helpless in their situations. There are too many of them, and we are unable to help them all.”

“Damian, you noticed it too?”

Damian echoed, “Even when Taylor held her, she was trying to escape, not wanting him to touch her. But on the other hand, she’s with the Carlyns. We can’t just take her away by force.”

I sighed deeply. Is this all I could do? If she didn’t leave the Carlyns, I couldn’t take her away.

When I got home, Snowflake jumped into my arms, begging for affection. I thought back to when Snowflake had been a stray cat, rough around the edges, and now, she was well-fed and pampered, her fur shiny, her face puffed up with health. Every day, the cat loved to snuggle and seek attention.

But Whitney was still with the Carlyns. Despite living in luxury, she had no freedom. What was the difference between her and a prisoner?

“If only she were like you,” I muttered. “A single leap, and she could escape, leaving that place behind for good.”

“Meow…” Snowflake mewed in agreement.

Carter appeared at the door, his face marked by exhaustion. I knew that, besides work, he was secretly investigating the whereabouts of Bloodshade, the shadowy organization that had briefly disappeared. It had given us a temporary break, a fleeting sense of safety, but no one knew when they might return or what schemes they were planning. Carter wanted to be prepared before their next appearance.

I put Snowflake down and took Carter’s coat. “You’re home,” I said.

“Yeah.” He opened his arms, pulling me into his embrace. “I missed you.”

Today, I had been at school all day, unlike the past few days when we had spent nearly every moment together. I thought that after spending so much time together, the novelty would wear off, but it wasn’t like that with Carter. He seemed reassured just by seeing me. When we hadn’t been together for a while, he became clingier, almost as if he needed me to be there.

I buried my head in his chest, allowing him to hold me close.

“Today, I went to see Whitney,” I began, still sounding unsettled. “She kicked me out. But strangely, the way she was mouthing a message—telling me to leave and not come back.”

“It means that place is dangerous,” Carter said. “She’s afraid that the Carlyn brothers will hurt you. It explains why she hid you in the closet when she heard footsteps. Taylor might be more terrifying than you think.”

Carter gently took my hand and led me to the couch. “Chloe, do you want to continue?”

“I…” I looked down at his long fingers, absentmindedly tracing them. “Logically, I know I shouldn’t keep going. It could put me in danger, and I’ve just been given a second chance at life. I can’t risk losing it again. But emotionally, I can’t stop. Every time I close my eyes, I see Whitney’s desperate face, begging me to leave.”

He sighed deeply and said, “I knew you’d feel that way. I’ll help you investigate, but you can’t go back to the Carlyn Residence. Whitney must have had a reason to send you away.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll listen to you.”

He gently rubbed my head, his voice soft. “Good girl.”

“By the way, Carter, I just remembered something.” I pulled out some papers he had sent me and said, “Take a look at this person. Who do you think he resembles?”

Carter examined the picture carefully for a moment and said, “He looks a bit like Sheila.”

“Exactly, and they both have the last name White. If that’s just a coincidence, it’s a bit much.”

Carter tapped his phone, pondering the possibilities. “If Sheila is a member of the Whites, why would she hide her identity? Back when she was in the country, her life was difficult. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have broken ties with Adam and let her child die from illness without the money for treatment.”

“She is not even listed in the Whites family tree. Could she be an illegitimate child of the Whites, even if she doesn’t know about it? Maybe she didn’t even know her identity a few decades ago.”

I said, “It’s possible. Sheila only had a foster mother back in the country, and that foster mother came from Zorya. So, this missing Ms. White and Sheila might be relatives. If we go by age, Sheila could be her aunt.”

I examined the blurry photo of Alice closely. “I just can’t shake the feeling that Whitney doesn’t look like the girl in the picture. Then again, it could be because people change as they grow, or the picture might just be too blurry.”

“If Sheila really is a member of the Whites, then she’s still keeping some things from us.” Carter concurred, “Yeah, she never went after the Boltons. Maybe she actually has feelings for Adam.”

Thinking back to the moment when Sheila sent Adam away, it was clear she never had any intention of harming him. Sometimes, human nature is complicated. You could call her a heartless villain, but she showed kindness in one brief moment. You could call her stupid because, after so many years, she hadn’t gained anything from the Boltons. But now, it seemed like she had carefully navigated between the organization and Adam, never harming anyone from the Boltons while also winning Adam’s love. She wasn’t foolish; she was shrewd. Therefore, when Linda poisoned someone, Sheila had gone out for a manicure, deliberately avoiding being at home at the wrong time.

“If Alice is Whitney, then the Carlyns must be tied to Sheila and Anna too. This whole situation just got even more complicated.”

“What about the Sanders and the Boltons? What role do the Carlyns play in all of this?”

“Jake was very close to them. Could his death be connected to Taylor?”

I thought about Yael, who had been unusually kind to me. At first, I thought it was because he liked me, but after he found out I was married, he kept up the same enthusiastic attitude. He was straightforward, with no other feelings. It was strange. The secrets of the Carlyns were far more complex than a simple car repair shop.

Carter gave me a firm order. “No matter who they are, put Whitney’s case aside for now. Stay away from those two brothers.” His expression grew serious. “The Sanders and the Boltons are involved now. This is not a small matter. Chloe, your safety is the priority.”

“Okay, I understand. At least now we have a new lead. Maybe this will lead us to something big.”

“The Whites, the Boltons, the Sanders, the Carlyns. There must be some deep grudges between them.” With a clear goal in mind, Carter ordered a more thorough investigation into both families. Maybe we would uncover something useful.

The next morning, Damian rushed in with news. “Mr. Carter, we have a lead on the Whites. They were once a prominent family from Snowville, but they moved abroad 50 years ago.” Fifty years ago? That would be around the time my grandmother married into the Sanders and helped my grandfather build his empire.

“Do the Whites and the Sanders have some deep-seated hatred?”