C26 Author also Likes University of Goulcrest.

Reece ended the call, rose from his seat, and pulled a file from the drawer, offering it to Lydia. "Take a look at this woman's file before she arrives."

Lydia quirked an eyebrow as she skimmed the woman's life history. "What is this, a background check?"

The man's brow creased slightly as he responded with measured patience, "Know your enemy as well as you know yourself."

"Lesson learned."

Settling onto the couch, Lydia thumbed through the file.

Her eyes narrowed at the name in the document.

Amelia?

The name rang a bell, echoing from some forgotten corner of her memory, yet she couldn't place it.

"Something wrong?" Reece's voice broke through her thoughts.

Lydia nodded, then shook her head, "No, it's just that the name seems familiar."

"She attended the same university as you," he pointed out, his long fingers guiding her gaze to the relevant section of the file.

Lydia's eyes followed to where her school and class were listed. She let out a resigned chuckle. "Maybe I recognize her because we crossed paths at school?"

"Woman, did you ever visit the school after getting married?" His tone turned the question into an assertion.

Lydia felt a twinge of embarrassment. In her past life, she had forsaken her education to cling to Reece, rarely setting foot on campus except for exams, never really seeing her classmates.

So how could she recognize Amelia, both the person and the name?

Puzzled, Lydia pored over Amelia's file again, searching for a clue that might jog her memory.

She flipped back and forth, the details nearly etched into her mind, yet the connection eluded her.

"Still drawing a blank?" he inquired gently, noting her frustration.

"I can't seem to recall," Lydia admitted, shaking her head in defeat.

"Forget it for now. Sometimes the answer finds you when you least expect it."

With that, Reece confidently plucked the file from her grasp.

Lydia reached out instinctively, only to be handed a bottle of yogurt instead. "Overthinking it will only muddle your thoughts. Amelia will be here soon; best you stay out of sight for now."

"Inside?" Lydia craned her neck to peer into the suite, her brow furrowing. "I don't want to go in there. I have a lot of questions that I need to ask her myself."

"Just a brief surveillance clip isn't enough to prove that Amelia tampered with your phone. After all, the video doesn't show what she did in that minute she bent over. So, you have to realize, we're just sounding her out this time."

Lydia grasped Reece's logic.

She cocked her head, puzzled, and asked him, "What difference does it make whether I'm present or not when we're just fishing for information?"

"Anyone bold enough to cross Reece in Goulcrest has to be ready to face me and the entire Tillman family as foes. They're certainly not the benevolent type. By confronting Amelia about the past today, we're bound to spook them. Whoever's pulling the strings won't want us to dig deeper and will surely react. They'll find it tough to target me, but if they learn you're involved, harming you and the Ellis family would be all too easy."

As he finished, Reece's pupils involuntarily contracted.

Why did his thoughts keep drifting to this woman lately?

Reece Han cherished control above all, yet Lydia had unexpectedly stormed into his life, upending his marriage and routine. And now... he couldn't even rein in his own emotions.

He despised this feeling of helplessness.

Absolutely despised it.

And deep down, it revolted him.

His brows furrowed deeply after he spoke.

Luckily, Lydia didn't pick up on his discomfort.

After much deliberation and for her parents' safety, she decided to heed the man's advice and headed to the lounge inside the suite.

"Sixth Bro, I've brought her."

Loran's voice filtered in from outside. Lydia peered through the door's crack and spotted a slender, demurely dressed girl with long hair entering.

The girl, Amelia, looked incredibly tense, her gaze fixed on the floor as she walked in, her hands involuntarily clenching at her sides.

Was this the Amelia?

She seemed like such a reserved and honest girl; Lydia found it hard to believe that she could be the one who had set her up.

"Miss Yang, you attended the Wu family's banquet last year, but as far as I'm aware, the Wu family never sent you an invitation. I'm very curious to know, who took you to the event?"

As she was daydreaming, Reece, seated with his back to her, broke the silence.

"...I... I had intended to go to a different banquet and ended up here by mistake."

"Oh, is that so?"

The man gave Amelia a half-smile, his gaze piercing as if it could slice through the air, seemingly intent on peeling back the facade of the woman opposite him to scrutinize her innermost thoughts.

Amelia felt an overwhelming pressure that made her stiffen, her hands involuntarily clenching tighter. "Yes, may I ask why Mr. Tillman has sought me out so suddenly?"

"Miss Yang, do you recall the identity of the lady seated to your left during the meal?" Instead of responding to Amelia's inquiry, he posed another question.

Amelia's grip tightened at the question. She looked down at his polished shoes, managing a strained smile. "A lady? Had you not mentioned it, I might have mistaken her for a gentleman. I apologize, it's been quite a while, and my memory isn't clear."

His incisive eyes briefly lingered on her clenched hands before settling on her uncertain gaze. "Miss Yang, should you happen to remember, I'd appreciate a call."

He then gracefully stepped forward and extended his business card.

After Amelia accepted the card, he glanced up at Loran. "Please escort Miss Yang home."

"Understood." Loran nodded.

Amelia offered her farewells and departed with Loran.

Lydia's brow furrowed deeply as she watched them leave.

No sooner had the office door shut than she burst out, unable to contain herself. "Reece, you're just going to let Amelia walk away like that?"

"What else should I have done?" he retorted, his nonchalance nearly driving her to frustration. "At the very least, you could've pressed her on what she was doing in that minute it took to pick up her phone. Why would it take so long just to retrieve a phone?"

"Do you really think she'd confess?" Reece scoffed with a derisive laugh.

Lydia paused, suddenly realizing her worry had clouded her judgment.

In her eagerness to clear her name, she had forgotten the old adage: haste makes waste.

If Amelia was indeed the one who messaged Maria, without concrete evidence, it's unlikely anyone would admit to it.

After all, acknowledging it meant openly declaring himself an enemy of Reece.

Lydia had regained her composure, prompting the man to lean in and gently lift her chin with his large hand, coaxing, "You've figured it out now, haven't you?"

"If you knew Amelia wouldn't spill the truth, why bother calling her here?" Lydia's question hung between them as their eyes locked.

The man's lips curled into a sly grin. "Remember, this is called drawing the snake out of its hole."

Drawing the snake out of its hole?

He was leveraging Amelia's fear to corner her into meeting or contacting the puppet master!

With this realization, Lydia's mind lit up with clarity.

In that moment, as she gazed upon his striking features, her eyes sparkled with unmistakable admiration.

What a clever strategy!

Truly masterful.

It's no surprise that the Tillman family would rise to become one of the nation's leading enterprises within three years, undoubtedly due to this man's brilliant mind.

...

From that day forward, Lydia entrusted Reece with the entirety of Amelia's situation.

She was certain that he was the most determined to uncover Maria's killer.

This gave her not just relief, but peace of mind.

After weathering a few storms...

She decided to return to her studies.

So today, she rose early, planning to head to school after breakfast.

"Sixth Bro, I need a favor," Loran said, sipping his soup before producing a nightclub receipt from his pocket and presenting it to the man. "Last time, to help you block Author, I got roped into a bar and ended up with a hefty tab—86,000 yuan. Just transfer it to my WeChat, will you?"

"No."

Reece gave the receipt a cursory glance and dismissed it outright.

Loran hastily finished his bite and gave his brother a woeful look. "Sixth Bro, I took one for the team. How can you just turn me down like that?"

Lydia, accustomed to staying out of the brothers' banter, quietly picked up her breakfast and settled into a seat as far from Reece as possible.

Reece shot a look at the woman now seated at the opposite end of the table, a flicker of irritation igniting within him. He snatched the receipt from the table and tossed it into the trash, muttering, "I think it's perfect."

Loran watched, his mouth quirking in response to his brother's sudden ire. "..."

Is it too late to call off our brotherhood now?

Just then, Gideon, the butler, entered the room.

Lydia quickly set down her utensils and said, “Gideon, may I have the Polo keys for the grocery run? I need to drive today.”

“This…” Gideon hesitated, glancing at the man across from him before asking softly, “Mr. Tillman?”

With Reece’s nod of approval, Gideon handed the keys to Lydia.

Lydia’s status in the Tillman household was such that she needed permission to even drive herself anywhere. Without Reece’s consent, Gideon would never let her take the car.

It goes to show, the head of the household sets the tone for how the staff treats you.

Reece’s indifference toward her was mirrored by the servants, who rarely gave her a second thought.

But Lydia was beyond caring about that now.

She just had to hold on a little longer before she could leave.

“Lydia, off to buy groceries for another loving dinner for Sixth Bro?” Loran joked.

Lydia shook her head, “No time for that. I’ve got classes today at the university. It’s quite a drive, and taking the car is just more convenient.”

With that, she quickly finished her bread and grabbed her bag, hurrying out of the dining room.

Any later, and she’d be late for sure.

Watching her hasten away, Reece, who had been absorbed in his magazine, abruptly turned the page with a flick of his wrist—swish!

The content failed to capture his interest.

What drivel is this?

He flipped through the magazine, page after page.

Swish, swish, swish!

With each turn, his expression grew darker, almost as if a storm cloud had settled on his face.

Loran, eating quietly to the side, finally spoke up hesitantly, “Sixth Brother, is the University of Goulcrest where Lydia’s studying?”

“Hmm,” Reece grunted, his annoyance palpable as he turned another page.

“Our circle of friends from University of Goulcrest is quite large. Author, for instance, is a freshman there too, majoring in fashion design,” Loran mused aloud.

Suddenly, Reece stood up, his icy gaze landing on Loran, “Did you mention yesterday that our mentor at University of Goulcrest wanted to invite me to give a lecture?”

“Yes, but seeing as your schedule was packed today, I thought I’d take the liberty of declining on your behalf.”

"Cut the foolishness. We need to show respect to our instructor," Reece said, heading out the door. "Let the instructor know we'll arrive punctually."