Chapter 535
She turned her head, gazing at the unfamiliar street view outside the window as her thumb lightly pressed against the pulse on her wrist.
It was still steady.
But she knew that from the second Jarred stepped into the cemetery, every single move he made had been far too methodical.
He was too composed, too cooperative. Even the absolute ruthlessness of having his mother and grandmother physically dragged away was completely out of character.
Her phone buzzed.
Sienna looked down. It was a message from Silas Draken.
[I checked Zurich. There are thirteen people named Cora Vaughan. Eight are women, and one registered her residency just half a month ago.
She owns an apartment there, which used to be your former mother-in-law’s property.
The interesting part is, when my people tracked her down, she wasn’t staying in her own apartment. She moved in next door.
Sienna, care to guess who her neighbor is p>
Sienna stared at that last line for two seconds before typing back quickly, “Who is it p>
Silas’s reply came through immediately.
Sienna stared at the name on the screen, a flash of shock crossing her eyes.
“What is it?” Thea noticed her reaction and leaned over to look at her screen.
Luna leaned in as well.
Sienna locked the screen, placed the phone face-down on her lap, and settled back into her seat.
“Nothing,” she said flatly.
Thea rolled the window down.
The crisp autumn wind rushed in, cooling their faces.
Sienna turned her face toward the window, narrowing her eyes at the sycamore trees blurring past, her mind replaying the text from Silas.
“Interesting,” she murmured softly to herself.
The wind carried the words away.
No one heard her.
Half a month later.
Word finally came from the forensic center.
Inside Thea’s office, warm light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, softening the harsh heat outside.
Sienna sat perfectly straight on the leather sofa, not a trace of anxiety on her face, maintaining the rock solid composure of someone entirely unbothered by a collapsing world.
“You’re certainly taking this well,” Luna finally couldn’t hold back. “The results come out today, and you’re just sitting there sipping coffee
Sienna took a slow sip and swallowed. “What’s the point of panicking? The result will be what it will be p>
Thea chuckled. “Sienna’s mental fortitude is always something to admire p>
Sienna’s lips curved, and she was just about to reply.
Suddenly, the office door was shoved open.
A subordinate rushed in, looking frantic, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead.
“Ms. Sloan! We have a problem p>
He dashed right up to Sienna, his tone urgent and heavy, not daring to waste a second.
“The forensic center just called… the ash sample was severely contaminated. The tissue structure was destroyed beyond recognition, and the DNA extraction completely failed.
Not only can they not identify the person, they can’t even confirm the species p>
When the words dropped, it didn’t spark the massive shock he might have expected in the room.
Luna’s finger merely twitched against her mug, a flash of expected hostility sweeping through her eyes.
Thea’s hand paused as she turned a page, her expression remaining flat, a knowing gleam hiding in her gaze.
And sitting at the center, Sienna remained perfectly calm.
It was as if she had predicted this exact outcome from the very beginning.
The subordinate lowered his eyes, his voice dropping further. “The police had everything lined up, just waiting for this report to land.
They were going to formally file the request to forcefully summon Ms. Vaughan back to the Capital.
Now that the results are void, every single lead is dead. The warrant can’t be issued p>
Even though they knew it wouldn’t be easy, hearing the words out loud still made the three women on the sofa bristle.
Smack.
Luna slammed her palm against the coffee table, making the lid of the teacup rattle.