C23 A Man's Heart Was like a Needle in His Stomach.

"Has Loran located the woman from the banquet?" Lydia asked the man, her voice tinged with excitement. "Quick, get Loran here. I have a ton of questions for him."

The more animated Lydia became, the more detached Reece seemed.

He cocked his head to observe her, a sly smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Oh, you want to meet that woman? Then you should give Loran a call yourself."

Lydia was at a loss for words.

Watching his cunning demeanor, she couldn't help but grimace.

Then, without warning, he rose to his feet and made to leave.

Was he really going?

Lydia hurried after him. "Reece, haven't you always been determined to uncover who truly killed Maria?"

"I'll find out," he said, casting a brief glance at the determined young woman before strolling away with a confident smile.

Reece's intentions were crystal clear: he would find out the truth, but whether she did was of no concern to him.

Watching his retreating figure, Lydia bit her lip in frustration.

He was settling a personal score!

Deliberately making her life difficult!

With a resentful glare, she watched him move away, then quickly picked up her pace to follow.

Tap, tap, tap...

Her rapid footsteps echoed behind him. Reece's lips quirked into a fleeting but stunning smile, made all the more striking as the warm, golden sunlight bathed his sharply defined features.

Reece didn't wait for Lydia. He strode leisurely through the courtyard and directly to his sleek car.

Settling into the back seat, he gave a seemingly casual glance at Lydia, who had managed to catch up, just as his hand reached to close the car door.

"Wait a second!"

The car door was abruptly seized by Lydia.

In a flash, she dove into the car beside him. "Where to? I'm coming with you."

"Who said you could come? Out of the car!" Reece scowled, his eyes brimming with annoyance.

But before he could react further, Lydia nonchalantly propped her legs up on the center armrest and cheekily commanded, "Driver, let's go!"

The driver, catching Reece's stern look in the rearview mirror, remained perfectly still, not daring to start the car.

Starting the car now would be a death wish.

He wouldn't dare.

The tension hung heavy in the air.

Lydia, however, seemed oblivious, content to remain seated inside the vehicle.

Reece shot a glance at the petite woman next to him and frowned. "You have one minute to get out of the car."

"No! I won't leave until I see that woman. Wherever you go, I follow." She huffed, her resolve clear.

"You two, remove her from my car!"

"At once!"

The servants outside hurriedly nodded, circling the front of the car to Lydia's side.

Lydia eyed the two burly men. Clinging to Reece's arm to avoid being yanked out, she managed to force out two significant words: "Ellis family."

Reece gave a sidelong look at the woman, feigning ignorance. "What?"

"I returned to the Ellis family last night." Lydia repeated, her tone laced with irritation as she licked her pink lips.

"And then?"

"And then? What do you mean 'then'?"

Lydia was at a loss.

Realizing Lydia was clueless about his displeasure, Reece's brief moment of softness turned icy.

"What are you waiting for? Get her out of my car." He wrenched his arm free from Lydia's grasp and shot a stern look at the hesitant servants. His eyes were icy.

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

With Reece's anger palpable, the servants' palms broke out in a cold sweat. One lifted her by the shoulders, the other by the feet, and together they pulled Lydia from Reece's car.

The door slammed shut with a thud.

Lydia watched in shock as the black Maybach sped away. "Hey, Reece, Reece!"

The car vanished around the corner, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in its wake.

Lydia's brow furrowed, her mind a whirl.

And then?

What did he mean by 'then'?

She racked her brain but couldn't decipher his words.

They say a woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets, but Reece's heart seemed an enigma beyond fathom.

Enough, she thought. To learn the whereabouts of the woman from the banquet, she'd have to bear it.

Lydia snapped back to reality and fixed a stern gaze on the servant behind her. "Get the car. We're going after Reece!"