Sitting upright, Noelle locked eyes with him, her expression now serious.
âThe night I got those photographs, I stumbled into something incredibly unsettling.
â
âWhy the silence on this for so long?â His brows knitted with concern.
âMekhi thought I might have dreamt up the whole deal, so I brushed it off.
Also, the specifics of the attack had slipped my mind.
And really, it was an affair of the Shaw family.
It didnât feel right spreading it around.
â
âWhat happened to you that day?â Cyrusâs expression turned grave.
Noelleâs eyes dropped as she recalled memories from the night.
She then recounted the events of that haunting night.
âIn the old house of the Shaw family, thereâs this rule laid down by Mekhi.
In the night, the top floor turns into a no-go zone, barred for anyone to enter.
The twist is, thatâs where my dadâs study and my momâs bedroom is.
That day, I slipped through the window, and ended up in my fatherâs study.
I stole some photos.
But right then, out of nowhere, an ashtray came crashing onto my head.
Before I knew it, fingers were tightening around my throat.
That person really intended to kill me.
The light in the study was very dim, barely enough to get a glimpse of things.
With the moonlight, I caught a hazy sight of the personâs eyes.
Those eyes held a cold rage and were full of killing intent.
If hell had a face, that person couldâve been its poster child.
A gut-wrenching growl escaped the personâs lips.
âHow in the world are you still alive? Youâre nothing but disgrace.
Death is what you deserveâ¦'â
Cyrus soaked in her tale, a mix of shock and awe evident in his expression.
âIâm still wrapping my head around this, Noelle⦠Aside from those eyes, any other details about this person? Are we talking about a man or a woman?â
Noelle shut her eyes, retracing her memories carefully.
After a stretch of silence, she let out a sigh.
âItâs a blank, Cyrus.
I canât remember.
â
He held her close with tenderness and care.
âIf what you went through isnât just a dream but an actual experience, then thereâs likely someone trapped in the Shaw familyâs house.
We donât know how long theyâve been imprisoned.
This isnât a trivial issue.
â
She nodded and said, âYes.
Iâve been pondering if that person could be my mother, someone Iâve never had the chance to lay eyes on.
Cyrus, have you ever seen her?â
âOf course I have.
Though, I think she doesnât go out often and never attend parties.
Youâll only catch her at those banquets held by the Shaw family.
â
After a brief pause, Cyrus continued, âIâve crossed paths with her a handful of times.
She carries herself well, gentle and poised.
Itâs hard to picture her being the one behind that crazy ordeal you faced.
â
Noelleâs expression turned grave.
âItâs confusing.
The butler made it clear that only my mother resided on the top floor.
If it isnât her, then who could it possibly be?â
The more she delved into the issue, the more it seemed like a huge puzzle.
Moreover, that person who almost took her life said that she was a disgrace and should go to hellâ¦
A gnawing suspicion nibbled at her that this secret might be knotted up with her real identity.