I mulled over the contract,

"Your dad's death might have been caused by my dad, and I need to dig deep to find the truth.

", Ernest looked at me,

"Do you know something?

",

"And what about you? Why are you after Lord Clark? How did you come to suspect him?

" I shot back at Ernest., He stood up, walking to the window, his posture as if he could hold up the sky should it fall., Seeing him like this, I put down my coffee mug and joined him,

"Ernest, I get that you know something too. This is dangerous, and you don't want to drag me into it. But since it involves my parents, I can't just sit back.

", I gazed out at the moonlight,

"I'm not that naive. I can take care of myself. Besides, I have you by my side, right?

", Ernest glanced at me, and after a moment, said,

"You're as stubborn as you were when we were kids.

", Hearing that made me laugh, turning to face him,

"Ernest, you knew about my identity all along, didn't you? So, you approached me to investigate your father's death, right?

", Ernest frowned,

"Is that what you think?

",

"Yes.

", Ernest shifted uncomfortably, then with a helpless look, said,

"Is my charm really that worthless?

", I didn't quite catch his drift,

"Huh?

",

"Clueless,

" Ernest muttered, leaving the window, and said,

"Drink up and get some sleep.

",

"And you? What will you be doing?

" I asked, a bit out of the blue., Without turning back, he headed to the bedroom, saying just before closing the door,

"Reading.

", I watched the door close, chuckled to myself, finished my water, and looked at my cartoon mug, giving it a kiss before heading to bed., Lying on the couch, I texted Jefferson to say I was home, then video-called Fanny., I was expecting it to go unanswered as usual, but she picked up.,

"Why didn't you go to work today?

" I noticed she was at home.,

"Day off!

",

"Hey, did you put on makeup? Did you go out? A date?

" I could tell something was off with Fanny through the video., She moved the camera away, replying,

"No, you're seeing things.

",

"Come on, spill it,

" I knew Fanny too well., She switched the camera back but had already wiped off her lipstick,

"Nothing much, just dealing with your future sister-in-law.

", I was surprised,

"You met your senior? I thought we were going together next week?

",

"He came back early, and coincidentally, our professor invited us,

" Fanny explained briefly., But I caught the gist,

"How did it go?

",

"What do you mean, 'how did it go'?

" Fanny dodged.,

"Your senior, is he still single?

" I probed., Fanny scoffed,

"Licia, shouldn't you be more concerned about what he said about your future sister-in-law?

",

"Of course, I am concerned about you more, though. Friends before dudes,

" I winked at her., Fanny huffed,

"Save it, you're just nosy.

",

"Spill the beans,

" I urged her.,

"Do you really want to know?

" Fanny teased, feigning innocence.,

"I desperately do,

" I replied earnestly., Fanny replied,

"Your sister-in-law's surgery shouldn't be a problem. They've handled similar cases last year with great success.

", I was ecstatic.

"That's amazing!

",

"And is he single now?

" I couldn't help but ask again., Just then, a friend request popped up on my phone, from someone named Allen., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.