Chapter 428
Katie described, âHeâs around thirty, about 180 centimeters in height, medium build, with blond curly hair. Iâve seen him several times, even at night.â
At this, Anastasiaâs alarm bells went off. âKatie, why didnât you say something before? When did you start seeing him?â
âI didnât think much of it at first, so I forgot to mention it,â Katie recalled. âI think it was about a month ago. I saw him climbing out of our backyard. I thought he was a burglar, so I confronted him. He said he dropped something in our yard and was retrieving it. I didnât suspect anything at the time. But last night, I saw him lurking around our front door again.â
âLetâs check the surveillance footage,â Anastasia suggested quickly.
They hadnât lost anything from the house recently, so it didnât seem like burglary.
Salma admitted, âIâve never seen him.â If it hadnât been for Katieâs disclosure, Anastasia would have been completely unaware.
Anastasia pulled up the surveillance footage and searched for the time Katie mentioned. Sure enough, the footage showed a man skulking around their front door.
The man was wearing a hat and a mask. He climbed into the yard around nine oâclock the previous evening, sat on the porch steps for a while, and then climbed back out.
âNot a burglar?â Anastasia was puzzled. He climbed in but didnât steal anything. What was he doing? To be precise, the man did nothing that could be seen on the video.
Salma noted, âI was home at that time last night. I was in the art studio with Pattie, helping her paint.â
Anastasia turned to Salma, âMom, did you hear anything last night?â
âNo,â Salma shook her head. âNot a sound.â
Katie added, âHe always stays by the door. I only saw him climb out of the yard once, and he didnât seem to be carrying anything stolen.â
Anastasia stared at the screen, deep in thought. âWho is this man?â She didnât recognize him. She watched the footage again and again but still couldnât figure out what he was doing.
Whether they had lost anything or not, Anastasia had to tell Herman about the intruder. This was not a trivial matter.
Anastasia sent a screenshot of the video to Herman, with a note: âKatie said she first saw this man lurking around our house about a month ago.â They had not lived in their new house for long.
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Chapter 428
At this time, Herman, after dropping Pattie at school, was on his way to Salstrom Manor.
Last night, Grannie Anita had slipped away with a flimsy excuse. Herman had held his tongue, not wanting to embarrass her in front of Anastasia. But he had to find Grannie Anita.
Seeing Anastasiaâs message, he frowned and handed the screenshot to Dailey. âFind out
who this man is.â
Salstrom Manor.
Ever since she returned last night, Grannie Anita had felt uneasy. She had made a mess of things. Julie had ended up in bed with Joseph. Julie was supposed to be interested in Herman. Now Grannie Anita was worried about what Julie might do. This was all part of her scheme, after all.
âMom, whatâs the matter?â Feiman was about to leave the house. Seeing his mother
sitting on the living room sofa, lost in thought, he asked curiously.
Grannie Anita, immersed in her thoughts, jumped at his voice. âSon, you scared me out of my wits!â
Feiman sat down. âMom, whatâs wrong?â
âNothing. Just go,â Grannie Anita waved him off impatiently. She was still pondering over Julie and Josephâs affair. She stopped Feiman, âWhen are you going to acknowledge Joseph? Itâs pitiful. Heâs lost his mother, and heâs a Salstrom. He shouldnât be left out in
the cold.â
âMom, why are you bringing this up again?â Feiman frowned. âKatelynâs still mad at me. Itâs been months, but sheâs not forgiven me yet. Donât mention Joseph.â
âWhy should an outsider like her stop me from welcoming a Salstrom into my home?â Grannie Anita huffed. âListen to me. Acknowledge Joseph. Not only that, but we should also start arranging his marriage. Josephâs not getting any younger. Itâs time he settled
down.â
âMom, be careful not to say this in front of Katelyn. And donât meddle in this. I know what Iâm doing.â Feiman was not going to let Grannie Anita mess things up. âI was wrong in the first place. How can I bring Joseph home without Katelynâs consent?â
âWhat if she doesnât agree? Is she going to divorce you?â Grannie Anitaâs voice rose, âFeiman, youâre my son. Itâs only natural thatâ¦
Before she could finish, the butler came over. âGrannie Anita, Mr. Herman is back.â
Hearing that Herman was back, Grannie Anita, who had been full of energy, suddenly feigned weakness. She clung to Feimanâs arm. âSon, help me to my room to rest. I think
Iâm ill.â
Hermanâs frosty voice echoed, âGrandmother, your illness is in your mind. Rest wonât cure
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