Chapter 186: A jade pendant

Words : 1129 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 186: A jade pendant "Lorie Clair." A deep, commanding voice rang out behind her, freezing her mid-step. She spun around, startled. Her gaze landed on a tall man dressed in an immaculate white suit. He was striking, refined, and carried an air of wealth and authority. Her eyes widened, a spark of hope igniting in her chest when she realized he knew her name. ’Does he... like me?’ she wondered, her heart fluttering at the possibility. "Yes, I’m Lorie," she said with a soft smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in a flirtatious gesture. "Do I know you? Have we met?" "No," Nathan replied coolly, stepping closer. "But I know who you are." Her curiosity bloomed into excitement. ’He must be interested in me,’ she thought, cheeks warming with anticipation. "Really?" she asked excitedly, eyes gleaming. "Are you following me or something?" Nathan fought the disgust rising in his throat at her tone. He despised shallow, self-serving women like Lorie, clinging to appearances, eager for attention. But he needed her, at least for now. He kept his face composed. "I’m looking for your stepsister, Anne. I need to know about her past—her childhood." Lorie’s hopeful expression fell in an instant, replaced by bitter resentment. Her lips curled into a sneer. ’Anne again.’ Every decent man seemed to be drawn to that woman. What spell did she have over them? Her jealousy flared. "What is there to know?" she spat. "She is nothing but bad luck. A disgrace to our family. She throws herself at rich men for money—" "Watch your mouth," Nathan cut her off sharply, his voice laced with frost. Lorie froze. Her confidence crumbled beneath the intensity of his glare. She instinctively took a step back, alarm bells ringing in her mind. ’This man is trouble,’ she thought, a shiver crawling down her spine. ’What kind of relationship does he have with Anne?’ Nathan advanced a step, his tone low but full of warning. "Say one more filthy word about her, and you’ll regret it." Lorie didn’t respond. She just stood there, shaken, as she stared at the man before her. "Who are you?" she asked. "How do you know Anne?" Nathan opened his mouth to reveal the truth—that he might be Anne’s brother—but stopped himself. Instead, he replied calmly, "Her biological parents have been searching for her. I received information suggesting that Anne might be their missing daughter." The news stunned Lorie. Her brows shot up as she scanned him from head to toe, disbelief etched across her face. She had always thought Anne was a nobody—an abandoned child taken in out of pity. But this man... his sleek white suit, the way he carried himself, the quiet authority in his voice—everything about him screamed wealth and power. "You must be mistaken," she said. "You don’t know her past. She is just an orphan who was dumped like trash. My father took her in because he felt sorry for her. There is no way she belongs to some rich family." Nathan’s expression hardened. "That’s for me to determine. Your job is to answer my questions." The command in his voice made Lorie shrink back slightly. She knew not to push her luck with a man like this. But a cunning thought appeared in her mind. "Alright." A sly glint returned to her eyes. "I’ll tell you everything you want to know about Anne—but you’ll have to pay me for it." Nathan’s lip curled in a sneer, the revulsion in his eyes barely hidden. He had already done his homework—he knew all about the Clair family, especially the selfishness of Patricia and her daughter. He knew how they had tormented Anne. The only person who had shown her kindness was Paule. Still, Nathan kept his composure. He needed information, no matter how bitter the source. "How much?" he asked coolly. Lorie smirked as she raised her chin and said boldly, "Five million." That money, she thought, would be her ticket to freedom. She could finally shake Robert off her back and live on her own terms. Without blinking, Nathan gave a curt nod. "Done. I want to see her childhood photos. Take me to your house. I want to see where Anne grew up." The demand wiped the smugness off Lorie’s face. She stiffened, color draining from her cheeks. "Photos?" she echoed, suddenly uneasy. Patricia had always forbidden Anne from being included in family pictures. There had only ever been one photograph of Anne with Paule, taken secretly. But that, too, was gone. Lorie had burned it in a fit of rage years ago, wanting to erase Anne from every trace of their family. Nathan’s gaze sharpened. "Don’t tell me... You don’t have a single childhood photograph of her?" Lorie flinched under the weight of his glare, her throat tightening. She clenched her fingers into her palms, frustration swirling inside her. If only she had known that the photograph would one day hold value, she might have thought twice before destroying it in spite. Now, the opportunity to finally free herself from Robert’s grip was slipping through her fingers. Desperately grasping at a thread of hope, she suddenly remembered something. "I can show her old things," she said quickly. Her face lit up as a memory surfaced. "There was a gold chain... with a jade pendant. She used to wear it in her childhood." In reality, Patricia had snatched it from Anne and given it to Lorie. She used to wear it all the time as a child." Nathan’s expression shifted at the mention of the pendant. "A jade pendant?" he repeated under his breath, his mind flashing back to years ago. His mother had once bought two identical jade pendants, one for him and one for his little sister. Could it really be the same one? His voice hardened with urgency. "Show me the pendant." "It’s not with me right now," Lorie replied. "My mother hid it away. I’ll ask her about it." Nathan gave a brisk nod, his face unreadable. "I’ll reach out to you tomorrow." He turned to leave when Lorie called after him, "Hey, wait! Can you give me some money now?" Nathan stopped, then looked back at her, his eyes filled with contempt. "Do you really think you can fool me?" he asked coldly. "I want proof first." Without giving her another glance, he strode off. "You..." Lorie hissed under her breath, her face twisting in anger. "How could Anne possibly be from a rich family? I don’t believe it. Hmph." She snorted, still unwilling to accept the truth. "Certainly, he is mistaken. But I still can earn some money from him." With anticipation brimming in her heart, she left the hospital.

Chapter 186: A jade pendant

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