C243 Your Mother's Study

After taking a long, refreshing shower, I changed into a comfortable T-shirt and sweatpants before walking back into my room. Unlike the rest of the house, my bedroom had not been touched. The cupboards were still full. Books remained neatly arranged on the shelves. My desk was exactly where I had left it. Seeing everything untouched made me smile. "Good..." "If Mom had packed this room already, today's work would have become much more troublesome."

Instead of packing clothes, I immediately switched on my computer. The monitor lit up. Within seconds, I logged into several databases before opening multiple search windows. Alicia's assignment echoed inside my mind. "Research everything involving Charlie Kinlore and the Harris family." I stretched my fingers before beginning. "Let's see what you've been hiding, Mrs. Kinlore." One search led to another. Corporate records... Employment history... Company registrations... Financial statements... Even newspaper archives.

Everything that had Charlie Kinlore's name appeared on my screen one after another. The room became completely silent except for the clicking of the keyboard. Outside, Mary quietly passed by the corridor carrying another box. She noticed the light inside my room and smiled. "So he's already working." Quinton walked behind her carrying another carton. "I told you." "Our son only knows two things." Mary smiled. "What?" "His wife..." "...and work."

She laughed so loudly that even I heard it from inside my room. I opened the door. "Mom." She looked at me innocently. "Yes?" "Were you talking about me again?" She grinned. "No." "We were praising you." Quinton immediately nodded. "Exactly." "We said you're a hardworking young man." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "I don't believe either of you." Mary burst into laughter. "Then don't."

She gently pushed a box toward me. "Since you're here, carry this downstairs." I looked at the heavy carton. "Mom..." "I just came out of the shower." "And?" "You'll sweat again." Quinton laughed. "Your mother waited the whole day to order you around." Mary proudly folded her arms. "Exactly." "You escaped to live with your wife's family." "You're not escaping now." I sighed dramatically. "Fine..." "I surrender." The three of us laughed together before I helped move several boxes into the lounge.

Only after everything was finished did my parents finally allow me to return upstairs. Back inside my room, I locked the door once more before continuing my research. Minutes slowly turned into an hour. The deeper I searched... The stranger everything became. Charlie Kinlore's employment record appeared perfectly clean. Almost... Too clean. "There has to be something." I muttered while scrolling through another report.

Then another document caught my attention. "Hmm?" It wasn't Charlie's profile. Instead... It was a family registration record. The surname... Harris. I immediately sat upright. After opening it, several names appeared. I quietly compared each one with another public record. After almost fifteen minutes... I finally leaned back. So ... Charlie herself wasn't born into the Kinlore family. She had married into it.

Before marriage... Her surname had been... Harris. I slowly rubbed my chin. "So Faith wasn't mistaken." "But..." "How close is she to the Harris family?" That answer proved much harder to find. Most of the family records had long since disappeared. Some had been sealed. Others simply no longer existed. I sighed. "I'll need another approach."

At the Mooney Residence. Alicia was still inside her mother's bedroom. The room had changed slightly. Her clothes were now neatly arranged inside one side of the wardrobe. Her handbags had been organized. Several books she frequently read were stacked beside the bed. Yet despite moving in... She hadn't touched anything that belonged to her mother other than moving her clothes. Otherwise. Not even a single photograph. Not even a decorative ornament.

Everything remained exactly where it had been for years. She slowly sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes wandered toward the study room connected to the bedroom. Her father's words suddenly echoed inside her mind. "Those books belonged to your mother." Alicia looked toward the half-open study door. "I wonder..." "What kind of books did Mother read?" She slowly stood up. Almost unconsciously, her feet carried her toward the study.

The room looked untouched. Rows upon rows of books filled the shelves. Several notebooks remained neatly stacked on the large wooden desk. There were even files carefully arranged inside glass cabinets. Alicia stopped at the entrance. "No..." She whispered. "Not today." She smiled faintly. "If I start looking now..." "I won't stop." She gently closed the study door again. "I'll come back." "When my mind is calmer."

Instead, she returned to the bedroom and continued organizing her belongings. As she folded one of Mike's shirts, a small smile appeared. "Husband..." "You really don't know what surprise is waiting for you." Downstairs... Peter looked toward the staircase once again. "Still no sign of her?" Georgia shook her head. "She's taking her time." Mark smiled. "That's actually a good thing." Peter looked at him. "Why?"

Mark leaned back comfortably. "It means she's becoming attached to that room." Georgia nodded. "I thought the same." Peter smiled warmly. "Gabrielle..." He whispered softly. "It seems your daughter has finally started bonding with you." For a brief moment... The three of them fell silent. None of them spoke. Yet each of them understood exactly what Peter meant.

At the Wood Residence. The atmosphere there was far less peaceful. Ben had spent almost the entire afternoon asleep. When he finally woke up, the strange message from the unknown number immediately returned to his thoughts. He picked up his phone once again. The anonymous text still stared back at him. "A debt is meant to be repaid." He frowned. "Jack..." "What exactly do you want from me?"

Unable to figure it out, he switched on his mobile data. Immediately. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! His phone vibrated continuously. Dozens... Hundreds... Eventually thousands of notifications flooded the screen. His followers had tagged him countless times. News articles continued appearing one after another. Some headlines read: "Former Wood IT Vice Director Finally Appears With New Lover." Another read: "Ben Wood Moves On After Unhappy Marriage." Then another: "Broken Marriage? Mystery Woman Seen Holding Hands With Ben Wood."

Ben's expression darkened. He quickly opened the comments. Some supported him. "He deserves happiness." Others attacked him. "How could he embarrass his wife like this?" Some blamed Samantha. "I heard she refused to share a bedroom with him." Others defended her. "Don't judge until you know the full story." Ben slowly lowered the phone. "What is really happening today..." His mind felt heavier than ever. First the anonymous message. Now the articles.

Nothing seemed to be going his way anymore. He sighed deeply before deciding to head downstairs for dinner. Perhaps sitting with his family would clear his mind. Little did he know... An even bigger storm was already waiting for him downstairs.