Chapter 324
Cherise bent down and lifted the floorboard. Underneath, she found several items that looked like letters. She picked up one letter and unfolded it. As she read, a smile slowly spread across her face.
The letter read: [A new male teacher has arrived. He’s quite handsome, like one of those movie stars. If I weren’t a widow with a daughter, I’d have confessed to him!]
The date was thirty years ago, and it was signed Amelia.
The handwriting was unmistakably her grandmother’s.
At that time, Cherise’s mother was still a child, and Cherise had not yet been born.
Cherise smiled and reached for the second letter.
[Luckily, I didn’t confess to the new teacher. Turns out, he’s with the female teacher from the class next door. She has a loud voice and a petty nature.
[She treats the students unfairly and secretly accepts bribes from parents. Those who end up together are probably drawn to each other because of similar qualities, so I should count myself fortunate.
[A widow with a daughter is fine. I’m not penniless, and I don’t have to answer to anyone. Life is free and easy!)
Once again, the date was from thirty years ago, and the signature was Amelia.
Cherise chuckled as she read the letters. No wonder they had been hidden so carefully under the floorboard.
They seemed like nothing more than casual thoughts her grandmother had written during moments of rest.
Just as she had remembered, her grandmother had always been optimistic, always looking at the bright side of life.
Since her grandmother had kept them here, it only made sense to return the letters to their original hiding place.
Cherise carefully folded the letters and placed them back under the floorboard.
No wonder she hadn’t found them when she first arrived–the letters had been so well–hidden, pressed tightly under a large
chest.
Once everything was back in place, Cherise picked up the floorboard and was about to put it back.
But just before she set it down, she paused.
Slowly, she turned the board over.
Sure enough, something was attached to the back–a small photo.
The photo was laminated, and on the back, there were a few lines of tiny, almost faded writing.
The ink was so blurry that she had to squint, feeling as if she needed a magnifying glass to read it.
Cherise carefully lifted the photo, mindful of its delicate attachment, and turned it over, careful not to tear it.
The writing was still barely legible, so she flipped it back to examine the front.
As soon as she saw the photo, her heart skipped a beat.
It was the same photograph of Jason’s grandmother.
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09:24 Mon, Dec 16
Chapter 324
In fact, it was identical to the photo Jason had shown her.
A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind in an instant, flashing by too quickly to catch.
But for just a moment, she had been surprised; now, she was calm and focused.
The more she appeared calm, the faster her mind worked.
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After securing the photograph, Cherise placed the other items back and carefully put the floorboard back in place.
She stood up, placed the photograph on the desk, and scanned the secret room one last time.
Her movements were slow and careful, her eyes sharp, as though she was trying to take in
The room was small, but she inspected every corner, leaving nothing unchecked.
every detail.
She went over the books, the drawers, and the tiles on the walls.
She moved quickly, almost as if afraid she might miss something, and checked everything again.
But in the end, aside from the photograph, there were no other clues.
Cherise left the secret room, taking the photograph with her.
She went into the study and sat at the desk.
From the rightmost drawer, she pulled out a finely crafted magnifying glass and turned on the desk lamp.
She carefully aligned the magnifying glass with the faint writing on the back of the photograph and focused intently.
A slight feeling of nervousness flickered within her, but it was so faint that it was almost undetectable.
The magnifying glass made the blurry text easier to see, though it was still unclear because of the age of the ink.
But now, it was readable.
Cherise focused hard, her gaze unblinking.
The back of the photograph read: [I don’t know where this photo came from, but Ms. Garcia said I have been carrying it since the first day I came to Saphira.
[This woman in the photo is truly striking, more beautiful than any star in the spotlight!]
The date marked was 45 years ago.
Below, in smaller text, several more lines continued: [Today, I’m looking at this photo again. Cherise is now fifteen years old, and she’s blossomed into a beautiful young lady.
[I kept wondering how she could be so lovely, and now I know–it’s because she looks just like you.
[But how could she look like you? Could it be that, by thinking of you every day, my daughter gave birth to a girl as beautiful as you?
[I’m fascinated by how she resembles you. She is beautiful, breathtaking, and captivating. I still wonder, who are you really?” Clever as ever, Cherise absorbed these words, her mind racing with new possibilities.
The key points the first day came to Saphira, Ms. Garcia, thinking of you every day–kept repeating in her mind.
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