Half an hour later.
Ivy Grant came out of the study, and Liana Lewis who had been anxiously waiting outside approached her: "Your mother... is she alright?"
Ivy shook her head, her delicate face was taut. She looked up at Liana, "Aunt Liana, can you tell me what you talked about with my mother just now?"
Everything was fine just a moment ago.
Liana relaxed a bit, squatted down, tenderly rubbed Ivy's head and apologized with a smile: "I'm sorry, darling Ivy, I made a promise to your mother that I can't tell you."
"You're still young, no need to worry about adults' matters. Just enjoy yourself."
"Aunt Liana," Ivy did not avoid Liana's touch, she raised her head focused on her and asked, "Can you tell me how can I be happy when my mother is like this?"
The smile on Liana's face slowly faded, and she was silent.
"Even if you don't tell me, I can guess." Ivy took a deep breath, keeping her gaze on Liana's expression, "You talked about my father with her, right?"
Without the slightest surprise, Liana glanced at Ivy and sighed at her sharpness and wisdom. She didn't provide the answer she was looking for, but simply said, "Child, don't worry too much. I'll go see your mother," and then walked past Ivy and into the study.
Ivy's delicate brows showed a touch of irritation, and the air around her small body grew cold.
It's always about her being a child.
She glanced at her small, fair hands, her tiny mouth pursed tight.
When exactly will she be grown up?
To what extent would she need to go to protect her mother, to make her happy?
She closed her eyes slightly and calmed the turmoil inside her heart. She glanced in the direction of the study, then turned around and left.
Inside the study.
Aria Grant sat on the single sofa, hugging her knees, staring vacantly at the scenery outside the window, a myriad of thoughts crowding her mind.
Memories of her sister and George Flack kept playing in her mind over and over.
The perfect first encounter with George, their fights, and their separation.
The warmth with her sister, her protection, and that incredibly horrifying scene.
She took a shallow breath and suppressed her slightly out-of-control emotions. Her eyes slightly narrowed, her beautiful lashes drooped a little, hiding the thoughts in her eyes.
It's been five years since she and George separated. It's not surprising if he now has a fiancée and a child.
Moreover, it had nothing to do with her.
Her relationship with George was merely a one-night stand, and if he found out that she had borne his child, and sued her for custody, she had the power to protect Ivy.
The most important thing now was to investigate the matters regarding her sister.
Her relationship with George was a thing of the past.
Aria thought this over and over as if to hypnotize herself. She suppressed the dull pain at the bottom of her heart, her vacant eyes gradually regained brightness, and she once again became that cold person she was before.
The study door was pushed open.
Liana walked in, her face full of concern, "Aria, are you okay?"
"Mm." Aria nodded slightly, pulled out the documents she had earlier tucked into the drawer, and began reading them closely.
The calmer Aria showed no sign that she had just been in an emotional turmoil.
Liana didn't bother her, but sat aside waiting for her to finish reading them. She knew Aria would have some questions to ask her later.
After reading the documents, Aria's beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Just by looking at these documents, George seemed very suspicious.
If she hadn't cooled down, she would definitely presume the one involved in the accident was George.
But on closer inspection, she realised that her sister didn't spend more than five minutes in George's company.
Five minutes was not long enough for the two of them to have a conflict.
So, what did her sister and George talk about in those five minutes?
In addition to George, her sister had recently been close to several investors and had attended a business banquet hosted by the Mamet family.
What was her sister, a celebrity in showbiz, doing at a business banquet?
Aria furrowed her brows, flipping back and forth through the documents several times, finding only these bits of sparse information.
Having memorized the information, she placed the documents into a brazier nearby and lit them up with a lighter.
The flickering flames intensified the delicate and seductive charm on Aria's face, softening her cold facade.
The information that Liana had gathered was limited, Aria would have to investigate further by herself.
After all, she was still partly in the dark about her sister's affairs in entertainment circles.
People have been keeping her in the dark all along.
Seeing her actions, Liana sighed and asked, "Finished reading?"
"Mm." Aria nodded slightly, leaned back in her chair, one hand propping up her cheek while the other drummed lightly on the table.
"Liana." Aria glanced at her and asked, "Has there been any business banquet recently?"
"Yes, there is a banquet at ML Hotel in three days, hosted by the Mamet family." Liana answered thoughtfully: "It is said that Mr. Samuel Mamet will be taking over the family business and this banquet is for him to meet people. I don't know the exact details. Are you planning to attend?"
"Mm." Aria's eyes drooped slightly, a touch of fatigue clouded her eyes, "I'll see."
"But..." Liana hesitated and looked at her, speaking carefully, "George Flack will be there."
It was rumored that Mr. Samuel Mamet and George Flack were very good friends. For a banquet in his honor, there was no way his good friend wouldn't attend.
If he saw Aria there...
"Whether he comes or not is none of my business." Aria held the pillow, paused for a moment, and continued, "He is now on my list of suspects."
No matter how she got along with him in the past, now George Flack was just one of the suspects in her heart.
The business banquet would be an excellent opportunity to mingle with the investors her sister had met.
Moreover...
Aria closed her eyes, curled up on the single sofa hugging her pillow, and tiredly said, "I'll take a nap, I'm exhausted."
Liana opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing the tiredness on her face, she couldn't bring herself to speak, she only sighed, raised the air conditioning temperature a bit, and left the room.
Aria slept until the evening. When she woke up, she saw that Liana had texted her, saying that she couldn't get an invitation to the banquet, and asked her what to do.
Aria yawned lazily, replied to Liana not to worry, opened the contacts on her phone, and called someone labeled 'D'.
"BOSS." The person on the other end seemed somewhat surprised, and respectfully asked, "Do you have any instructions?"
"Is the branch office ready?" Min went to the table and poured herself a glass of water, appearing indifferent. "If it's ready, we can just open it."
"By the way, contact head of the Mamet family and get me an invitation to the banquet."