Chapter 597:

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Despite the jet lag and all the waiting, Vivian hadn’t heard a word from Marcelo.

In the end, she’d lost her patience and decided to call him first.

“She’s so concerned about you,” Renee murmured to Marcelo, her tone dripping with irony.

Marcelo caught the edge in her voice, leaned in, and kissed Renee softly.

Renee covered her mouth and shot him a stern look.

“Alright, I got it,” Marcelo said to Vivian, acknowledging her concern.

Vivian fidgeted nervously with her fingers, stunned that Marcelo’s only response was a brief acknowledgment. Was that all he had to say?

“You…” She paused, then forced a light laugh. “Never mind. Marcelo, I just want you to be happy. I’m doing fine here abroad, even if it gets lonely sometimes.”

“I see. I appreciate your help,” Marcelo replied, and ended the call.

𝖡e 𝗽𝖺𝗿𝗍 o𝗳 о𝘂𝗋 𝘤o𝗆𝗺𝘶n𝘪𝘵y o𝘯 𝗀𝗮𝘭𝗇оvel𝘴.𝖼𝘰𝗆

The moment the call disconnected, Renee pulled away from him. “Vivian was trying to tell you something. Didn’t you catch what she was implying?” she asked, tilting her head defiantly.

“And what was she implying?” Marcelo caught her wrist, drew her back, and wrapped his arms around her again.

Renee began counting on her fingers. “She said she’s lonely overseas by herself, which implies she wants to come back. She said she wants you to be happy—she’s trying to present herself as gentle and considerate.”

Marcelo’s expression stayed unreadable. “That’s her interpretation.”

He clearly intended to ignore whatever Vivian was trying to suggest.

Renee felt reassured by his response.

Vivian had hoped to use evidence related to Marcelo’s innocence in Sebastian’s death to force Renee into leaving Marcelo, but to her surprise, Renee refused to budge.

And Marcelo hadn’t contacted Vivian either, giving her no chance to exploit the situation privately.

In the end, Vivian had gone to the media on her own and revealed the information voluntarily. She’d played her cards well.

Her actions made plenty of people—those who had already forgotten about her—remember her name again.

And at least in the eyes of the public, it now looked like Marcelo owed Vivian a favor.

As Renee drifted off to sleep, Marcelo’s thoughts stayed with Sebastian.

Even if Sebastian’s despair had driven him toward suicide, the mystery of the fire still gnawed at Marcelo.

The blaze had been so fierce that the servants had been powerless to stop it. That wasn’t an ordinary accident—it felt deliberate, as if someone had planned it.

If Sebastian really had used something like gasoline to fuel the flames, then one question remained.

Who helped him, and why didn’t that person warn anyone about Sebastian’s suicidal intent?

The longer Marcelo sat with those thoughts, the more his expression darkened.

Sarah didn’t go straight home. Instead, she stopped downtown first to pick up some flowers.

When the elevator doors slid open, she froze. A tall man with impossibly long legs stood outside her door, one brow lifting slightly as he took her in.

“Are those flowers for me?” Marvin asked with a smile.

“That’s wishful thinking.” Sarah held up the bouquet of Eustoma grandiflorum. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.”

“Then why didn’t you go inside and wait?” She unlocked the door with her fingerprint and stepped in. “You were standing out here like a thief casing the place.”

As she spoke, she glanced back and caught Marvin’s expression—one that clearly said, So I could’ve gone in and waited?

Sarah immediately regretted her words.

She had never changed the lock settings, and Marvin’s fingerprint was still authorized. He could’ve let himself in at any time. Yet he’d chosen to wait outside, not crossing the line without permission, and the thought sparked an unexpected warmth in her chest.

“You can get your slippers from the cabinet,” she said, then turned away.

She busied herself arranging the flowers in a vase, acting as if Marvin weren’t there.

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