Chapter 564
Chapter 564
Morris was the one driving Hank back to Charity Orphanage to retrieve his belongings.
Hank sat in the backseat. Sitting beside him in the back was Cherise.
No one spoke inside the car–it was eerily quiet. The atmosphere made Hank glance at Cherise, who was sitting next to him with her arms crossed, staring expressionlessly straight ahead.
Morris was just as silent, focusing solely on driving. However, his fingers drummed lightly on the steering wheel, tapping at an irregular rhythm.
Hank shrank his neck slightly, feeling that something was off. After a few minutes, he finally mustered the courage to speak. “Well, Ms. Leach?”
Hearing him call her, Cherise turned her head and fixed her gaze on him. “What is it?”
Her response only deepened Hank’s unease. Boldly, he asked, “Uh…Ms. Leach, why does it feel like the atmosphere is kinda weird?
“Is it that the two of you can’t have a third person in your space? Should I just get out and ride my bike to Charity Orphanage instead? Playing the third wheel like this feels way too weird.”
At his words, Cherise let out a light chuckle, seemingly relaxed. “Huh, that won’t be necessary.” After a brief pause, she added, “Are you sure there’s nothing you’d like to tell me from the heart?”
“What?” Hank yelped at the unexpected question.
Then he quickly added, “Ms. Leach, Morris is driving up front. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to say something like that now? I do have plenty of heartfelt things I’d love to tell you, but I’m afraid I’d offend Morris.”
As he finished speaking, he even chuckled shyly twice.
From the front seat, Morris honked twice in response. The loud blaring of the horn made it clear that he was not pleased with Hank’s remark.
“Just a joke! Morris, don’t take it to heart. I just talk too much.” Hank immediately shrank his neck again, his survival instincts kicking in. “Focus on driving! Honking like that at night not only disturbs the neighbors but also distracts you, you know?”
After saying that, he turned back to Cherise. “Ms. Leach, I’d say my IQ is pretty decent–I could barely pass as a little Einstein. But my emotional intelligence? Not so much. I have no idea what you mean. Could you give me a hint?”
Cherise smirked playfully and nodded. “I don’t like beating around the bush. I prefer being straightforward. “There’s something I need you to explain to me.”
Hearing her say that, Hank suddenly felt a little uneasy. “Go ahead.
Cherise asked, “Did you make a signal jammer yourself?”
Hank didn’t deny it. “How did you know? Back at that villa in the woods, I used my homemade signal jammer to take control of that woman’s surveillance feed. That’s how I managed to escape.”
After saying this, he patted his head. “Oh, wait, of course you’d know. Two years ago, when I switched identities with the real Hank at Elysium Medical Center, I used the same trick.”
“Not just those two times, right?” Cherise asked as soon as he finished speaking.
“J–just those two times,” Hank stammered, suddenly feeling nervous. For some reason, whenever he was in front of Cherise,
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Chapter 564
it was like she could see right through him–he couldn’t keep a single secret,
Cherise met his eyes, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. Then, she pulled out a piece of paper covered in handwriting To be precise, it was the letter signed Claire.
The moment Hank saw the letter, the playful grin on his face froze. Cherise could clearly see him gulp
Inside, Hank was cursing himself. ‘Crap. She got me. What do I do now?‘
Seeing his reaction, Cherise’s smile deepened. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
Hank pressed his lips together and muttered, “Well…the handwriting on this letter is really beautiful. Don’t you think so, Ms. Leach? Though, of course, it’s nowhere near as good as yours.”
Cherise wasn’t in a hurry. There was still some distance to the orphanage. She tapped her fingers lightly against the car window frame.
“You little liar,” she said, “I know the little girl who delivered the letter to Jean was from the orphanage. You arranged for her to do it, and you even disguised her.”
The moment he heard this, Hank’s eyes widened as he stared straight ahead, his mind going completely blank. When he finally snapped out of it, he sneaked a glance at Cherise beside him. “Well, that-”
“I want the truth!” Cherise cut him off before he could finish, her voice sharp with impatience. There was a cold edge to her tone that sent a shiver down his spine.
Hank knew he couldn’t hide anything from her anymore. After a brief internal struggle, he slowly opened his mouth. “That letter…I did ask Abby from the orphanage to give it to Jean so she could pass it on to you.”
“And to make sure you wouldn’t find any flaws, I really did use a signal jammer.” As he spoke, he lowered his head, feeling a deep sense of guilt–like a student caught red–handed by their teacher.
Cherise took a deep breath and said cold
Good.”
Then, she continued, “Keep talking. What’s your connection to Claire? Why do you have her handwritten letter? Why did you wait until my wedding day to give it to me?
“Where is she now? Is she alive or dead? If she’s alive, why hasn’t she come looking for me all these years? And when my grandmother passed away, why didn’t she show up? My grandmother was her mother!”
By the time Cherise finished speaking, there was a distinct tremor in her voice, thick with bitterness and emotion.
Just then, the car came to a steady stop at the entrance of the orphanage. After shifting the gear into park, Morris immediately turned around, his face filled with concern.
He looked at Cherise, who seemed composed on the surface but was clearly holding back her emotions. In a soft voice, he called out, “Cherise.”
Che
