A Test 

The doorbell rang at Eastbay for the second time today. Then, Lyle sauntered in holding a stack of papers. 

“Willl” he greeted 

William walked down from the second floor. He wasn’t going to the office today 

He was wearing a black long–sleeved crew neck and slacks, which made him seem even taller. 

Lyle tossed the documents onto the coffee table before plopping down onto the couch. 

He asked habitually, “is Ms. Hoven here?” 

Her friends came to visit. It’s good for her to get some fresh air. Otherwise, it would really look like I was falsely imprisoning her,” William said indifferently. 

He settled onto another couch, picked up the documents, and started reading. 

Lyle spread his legs open and rested his elbows on his knees, 

He gestured toward the papers with his head. “Will

, wasn’t this settled already? Why do you still need me to dig up information on Landon and his crew?” 

William continued scanning the pages, each containing details about Emelie’s kidnappers. “After hearing Emelie describe the situation last night, something feels off.” Previously, William was unaware of these details. With the culprits already apprehended, he hadn’t pressed the issue further. Now, looking at the information in the file, he couldn’t unearth anything new. 

“Which one goes by ‘Frankie‘? William asked. 

“His real name is Frank Martin,” Lyle explained. “Lucky for him, he managed to slip away during the police raid. Landon has no idea where he went. He’s a wanted criminal now.” “Find him.” William put down the documents and looked up at Lyle. “Visit Landon in prison. Tell him that if he comes clean about who put him up to this, even if he receives the death penalty, I’ll ensure his family is looked after for life.” 

Lyle acknowledged his orders and snagged a piece of candy from the table. He popped it in his mouth but immediately frowned. “Ugh, sour candy! Not a fan. I’m leaving now,” 

After parting ways with Ashley and Mona, Emelie was sent back to Eastbay 

Ashton escorted Emelie to the door but didn’t follow her inside. In fact, they weren’t concemed that she would escape. After all, with her mother held hostage, she wouldn’t leave. Emelie stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor. As the numbers ticked upward, her mind churned. She was still thinking about Ashley’s earlier revelation. If the pills she had been taking were indeed fertility drugs swapped by Elias, there was a high possibility that she was pregnant now. 

She calculated the days and realized it had been three or four months since she got back together with William. If she was indeed pregnant, it would have shown visibly. William, who held her every night to sleep, would surely notice the change as well. 

Therefore, her top priority was to get her mother and leave William as soon as possible. Owned by .

The elevator reached her floor. Emelle exited without looking up and collided with Lyle, who was engrossed in his phone. 

Emelie’s forehead connected with his solid chest with a thud. She stumbled back, startled. 

Lyle, recognizing her, instinctively reached out to steady her. 

Emelie was afraid of falling as well, so she grasped his hand instinctively. They ended up in an awkward embrace, their arms tangled like a twisted cope 

Her gaze flickered upward, and their eyes met. 

After a brief pause, Lyle hastily released her hand and cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s you, Ms. Hoven.” 

to his chest beneath his shirt. This was just a minor accident, but Emelie unexpectedly noticed a fint blush creeping up Lyle’s neck, which was spreading like wildfire down He scratched his neck and hair self–consciously, his tone shifting to a playful one. “Theard from Will that you went out to have some fun. Back so soon?” Emelie was reminded of the shard of porcelain. It was a big ploce, so there was no way Lyle hadn’t seen her stash it away. Yet, he had lied to protect her. She sifted through her memories and realized Lyle seemed to like to be around her. She wasn’t close to the others in the music group, and Ellas and Jayden offered curt nods at best. Meanwhile, Lyle went out of his way to interact with her and always addressed her as “Ms. Hoven.” 

This could be due to his naturally outgoing personality, but maybe there was more to it… 

Emelie needed to test this bunch. 

Lyle stepped to the side. “Aren’t you coming out?” 

Emelie grabbed his shirt all of a sudden and yanked him into the elevator.