The first person on the rather short list was Lilly.
The document bearing her name contained not only a picture and basic personal information but also surprisingly detailed descriptions of her hobbies and connections to other people. May found herself wondering, with a mix of curiosity and unease, where Rob had obtained such comprehensive information. Which database did he hack into?
Lilly, twenty-nine and thus three years older than May, had endured a sickly childhood that nurtured her passion for art—a hobby she could enjoy indoors. Though her health improved with age, she remains susceptible to winter illnesses. After studying at art school, Lilly now teaches at the college. She still resides in their families mansion, where she spends most of her time in her personal atelier. Lilly shares her life with her boyfriend, Harry Moore, and her cat, Oliver.
There was nothing particularly striking about her sister's activities. She apparently led a peaceful and content life.
"Let's take a look at the recent communication between you two," Kai suggested after they finished scrolling through the document.
May followed his advice, pulling up all emails and messages between her sister and herself from the last two weeks, which amounted to exactly one. May expanded the time span to a month, but the number remained unchanged. Thinking that she might have more contact to her sister via phone, she pulled up the call history, yet it yielded a similar scarce result - two calls, and those were close to three months ago.
Curious about the content of the single message displayed, May opened it. To her surprise, even this message didn't contain anything private. It was merely a reminder about their uncle's birthday invitation for the coming week, asking if May would attend.
Looking at the date, May realized Lilly had sent this message ten days ago. And even now, May hadn't replied.
"What do you think about your sister?" Kai asked, clearly wanting to hear her thoughts before offering his opinion.
May shrugged. "It's difficult. How can I evaluate someone I don't even remember? The information here matches what little she's told me so far. From her interactions, she seemed very worried and concerned about me. It's hard to deal with all those emotions when I feel so detached myself..." Her voice trailed off.
"Is that why you asked her to leave so quickly yesterday?"
Was it?
Biting her lip, May carefully considered his words. "No, not entirely," she answered. "It's true that I feel a little uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the way she interacts with me, but that's not the only reason I had her leave without even offering a cup of tea." She paused.
Kai sat beside her, patiently waiting for her to continue.
She hesitated but then decided to trust him. She needed someone to talk to about her feelings, and somehow she felt secure with Kai. At least as her hired bodyguard, he shouldn't have any ulterior motives or wish to harm her. If he had wanted to, he could have done so yesterday, as he had so candidly mentioned.
"It was a feeling. I can't really explain it, but I just felt that having her in the apartment was wrong. As if she didn't belong. I know it sounds illogical, but..."
"There must be a valid reason for you to feel how you feel. Even if you don't know it yet, or rather have forgotten about it. I think it's important to trust your gut feeling, especially in a difficult situation such as yours."
May nodded, grateful for Kai's understanding. "You're right. I just wish I could remember why I feel this way. It's frustrating, like there's a wall in my mind I can't break through."
Kai leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "For now, we can only speculate. Has your relationship been strained? Your gut feeling, as well as the sparse communication between you two, might suggest that—but it's not necessarily the case. It's best to keep this in mind during your future interactions and remain cautious."
May nodded, agreeing with his assessment. "Initially, I found it odd that I took over the company instead of her, being the younger sister. I even suspected she might be after me, aiming to replace me. But after reading her file, it makes sense that she'd be content with her art."
"Still, we can't entirely rule anything out," Kai warned. "Desires are often buried deep."
May swallowed. "You're right," she said. "We can't rule anything out." She glanced back at the screen, studying her sister's smiling face in the photograph. Could there really be hidden motives behind that gentle expression?
Kai seemed to sense her unease. "Let's not jump to conclusions," he said, his tone gentler now. "We're just being thorough. Shall we move on to the next person on the list?"
May nodded, grateful for the change of subject. She scrolled down to the next name: Ian White.