Once she was certain that they were out of earshot, Lucinda whirled around and asked Noelle, âWhy are you here with Mekhi? Donât tell me, did you move back to the Shaw residence again?â
Noelle nodded, her shoulders still slumped.
âThatâs right.
I thought about it for a long time, and I felt⦠I felt that I should return and at least try to fit in with them.
They are my family, after all.
â
Lucinda nodded in approval and patted her shoulder.
âIt will be good for you.
You are a young lady of the Shaw family, and youâve suffered enough in the
past.
Now, youâre no longer alone.
You have your siblings to fall back on when youâre in trouble.
â
Noelleâs face inexplicably darkened at the mention of her siblings.
She thought of Kaitlin and squeezed Lucindaâs hand.
âI think Iâve discovered something terrible going on in that house, Lucinda.
On the day my mother had lunch with us, I saw bruises on her wrists.
She was injured.
Mekhi wasnât around in the next two days, so I didnât see her, either.
I guessed my mother didnât want to be around me, because she was always so cold to me.
Itâs like I was nothing more than a stranger, whom she only treated politely for the sake of Mekhi.
Lucinda, there are a lot of secrets lurking in that house.
Everyone is acting strange.
Mekhi took my phone away two days ago.
Please relay this information to Cyrus.
Iâm sure heâll help me look into the matter.
â
Lucinda stroked Noelleâs back as she listened.
âDonât worry, Iâll tell Cyrus all about it.
â
It left her puzzled, however.
âMekhi is now the head of the Shaw family.
As Kaitlinâs son, how could he let her get hurt under his watch?â
Noelle tried to think of a plausible explanation, but came up with nothing.
She woefully shook her head.
âMy mother stays at the top floor.
Her room is always locked at night.
I plan to sneak in once I get Mekhi to lower his guard against me.
â
âALL right, but you must be careful.
â
âs BunnyBookery
âOkay.
â
They chatted for a moment more before exiting the washroom in a more somber mood.
Nathan and Mekhi were right where they had left him.
Mekhi broke the silence first.
âYou are one lucky guy, Mr.
Payne.
You have a beautiful wife, two adorable babies, and a successful career.
â
Something flashed in Nathanâs eyes.
âYou say that as though youâre expecting my downfall somewhere down the road.
Which is it? Are you wishing for the ruin of the Payne Group or the National Security Bureau?â
âPlease donât get me wrong.
I would never dare.
I am very happy for you and your achievements.
â Mekhi lowered his head slightly, trying to quell the sudden sense of foreboding that washed over him.