the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart

Chapter 1218: Ten Billion for Reliable Information

Leah felt a bit tender inside. In fact, her feelings towards Casimir Shaw were complicated, filled with guilt and love, yet she didn’t dare to get too close.

Casimir Shaw had been raised by Richard Shaw since childhood. He matured early, and during his most clingy phase, Leah wasn’t there, resulting in a rational and independent relationship between them later.

During her time drifting at sea, the only thing Leah longed for was the child she’d carried for ten months but never fed.

Leah dared not call Casimir Shaw impulsively, fearing Richard Shaw would find out. Although she had come to terms now, she didn’t want contact with that man.

"Where did you live before? There are many rooms at home, don’t stay outside anymore, stay at my place. The house has everything, wear Griffith’s clothes, he has many with tags still on." Leah said with a smile.

In the past, she felt the most guilty towards two people: one was Casimir Shaw, the other was Hawk Howard. This man, who accompanied her through her adolescence, acted as both a brother and father during Griffith’s absence.

"Alright." Hawk Howard didn’t want to waste the day of reunion with Leah on shuttling back and forth for baggage.

"After I left Imperial City, is Nova Howard doing well?" Leah gave Hawk Howard a simple tour of Squire Manor.

"Pretty good, she had a pair of twins, still clumsy and reckless. Call it the blessing of fools." Hawk Howard said with a faint smile. Among Howard Family’s girls, Nova couldn’t compare to Leah in intelligence, not even with Lana Shaw and Calliope Shaw, but she lived the best among them, marrying her college classmate who, despite coming from an unremarkable family, was honest and good-natured, marrying Howard’s little darling like sweet honey.

"We haven’t mentioned any of your matters." Hawk Howard said lightly, he and Lana Shaw, Calliope Shaw were tacit in not telling Nova. The fool’s world wasn’t meant to know such complex issues.

Leah nodded, as long as Nova was doing well, it was fine. Now she didn’t want any contact with people from Imperial City.

"Don’t you and your brother come home often?" Hawk Howard noticed the villa had few servants. There were Griffith’s remaining subordinates, but it seemed the siblings seldom returned, like a hotel.

"Neither of us have much stability, but this can be considered our nest. You rest first, we’ll talk later." Leah went downstairs, telling the servants to prepare dinner, then returned to her room to bathe. After soaking for an hour and washing away the sea scent from her hair, she changed and went downstairs.

Dinner was a specialty from South Asia, rather bland. Leah felt her taste buds had dulled after a month at sea, she hadn’t eaten anything spicy since coming back. Just then crayfish were in season, so she had the chef prepare ten pounds of spicy crayfish. She and Hawk Howard sat in the garden, eating crayfish, drinking beer, and chatting about various sea adventures.

She talked, Hawk Howard listened. In the end, they drank too much and talked all night, getting drunk disorderedly, with no idea what they discussed.

Griffith Squire returned to South Asia the next morning, finding the garden in chaos, filled with spicy crayfish smell. Leah and Hawk Howard sprawled here and there, one on the sofa, one on the carpet.

The man felt both angry and moved seeing Leah drunk, thinner than before, and couldn’t bring himself to scold her. He ordered the servants to swiftly clean the garden and kicked Hawk Howard, waking him up with a calm face.

He returned for Delphine, coincidentally Leah was back too.

Griffith Squire’s mood had been gloomier than ever lately. Aurora Coldwell had no news, while Brocade City’s renowned families cursed him furiously at home. Ignatius Leclair was up to his tricks, doing twisted things like imprisoning little Delphine, nearly turning Griffith into a furious dragon.

Wives are meant to be cherished, Ignatius Leclair, that dog, has certainly proved why he’s been single for many years.

Hawk Howard woke instantly from the kick, seeing Griffith return with people, his handsome face carrying a murderous aura, indicating his bad mood.

"Help Miss up to sleep." Griffith called a maid to support Leah upstairs, then coldly told Hawk Howard, "Her health isn’t good, and you let her drink so much alcohol?"

"Emotions need to be vented, persistent repression isn’t good." Hawk Howard rubbed his aching head, speaking mildly.

Last night, after finishing the beer, they drank red wine, Hawk Howard even mixed cocktails. Both had heavy matters on their minds, drinking indulgently.

Griffith: "..."

"I asked you to help her heal, not to make her drink." Griffith twitched his mouth, feeling his decision to call Hawk Howard was a mistake.

This man is infuriatingly gentle in temperament, no wonder after nearly ten years by Leah’s side, she still thinks he sees her as a sister.

"Mental issues are harder to cure than physical ones. Leah can still drink, showing she hasn’t completely numbed, immersed in past wounds." Hawk Howard checked his watch and casually said, "I’m going back to the hotel to continue sleeping."

The man finished speaking and drove to the hotel.

"Boss, those top students are always like this, arrogant in their talents." Cornelius Turner saw Griffith’s iron-blue face, unsure if it was due to Aurora’s affairs or Hawk Howard.

"Yes." Griffith felt quieter as Hawk Howard left, his temper lately truly volatile. He swept through Brocade City inside and out, now it seemed unlikely they were involved, ruling out the most fearsome outcome. At least Aurora wasn’t in mortal danger.

"Boss, the Military District is also investigating the Brocade City affair." Cornelius said quietly, "Shall we cooperate with them? They have extensive channels."

"Issue a bounty on the black market, ten billion for valid information. The Military District will approach us for trade if they have news." Griffith ordered coolly, knowing under the temptation of money, even saints can’t resist.

Griffith hesitated to use black market resources to avoid exposing his girl to the world, but now there was no choice.

*

Aurora feels herself in a shaking, sealed space, dazed these days, rudely awoken to eat then continue to sleep.

The last image in her memory is of a grandmother and granddaughter. She drove out of Coldwell’s residence, leaving the car in a parking lot, intending to go on a train journey, as she’d never traveled by train before. On the road, she met a blind elderly lady accompanied by a six-seven-year-old girl.

The little girl tugged her clothes, sweetly saying: "Sister, can you take us home, it’s just down the alley ahead."

Seeing the old lady blind, and the girl too young, Aurora’s heart softened and nodded, escorting them to the old residential area. But as she led them into a dark, unlit alley, she was hit from behind.

Aurora gradually realized she had been abducted by the fake grandmother-granddaughter pair.