The next day, early morning.
The sky was still dark.
After a sleepless night, Oliver Scott got up early, took a shower, and threw on some clothes before heading downstairs.
As he caught a glimpse of a figure entering his peripheral vision, Oliver heard a lazy and casual greeting.
Taking a closer look, Oliver realized it was Nora Scott.
She must have been up for quite a while. Although she wasn’t wearing makeup, her hair was tied up and she was dressed neatly, with an extra trench coat and her left hand tucked in its pocket.
She greeted him with a brief glance, then continued down the stairs without pause.
Oliver called out to her.
She paused slightly, leaning against the staircase railing and lifted her eyelids.
Her eyes were clear and bright, like a pool of still water, which helped alleviate some of Oliver’s pent-up unease from the night.
"You knew all along, didn’t you?" Oliver asked in a deep voice.
Nora chuckled softly, giving an affirmative response.
Oliver’s hand instantly clenched into a fist.
——You’ve known for a while; why didn’t you say anything in the teacher’s office?
——You’ve known for a while; why did you still help him and bring him home?
——You’ve known for a while; why didn’t you reveal anything at all?
——You chose this moment to come back, is it, as everyone suspects, with ulterior motives?
Indignation and questions swirled in his mind. Oliver wanted to spill all the inquiries at once, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Nora didn’t wait for his questioning.
The sound of heels hitting the steps was crisp and rhythmic.
By the time Oliver came to his senses, Nora’s figure had already vanished.
He stood still for a long time.
Oliver took a deep breath, slowly stepped downstairs.
He had to go to school early, and the kitchen would have breakfast ready in advance. Oliver expected to see Nora in the dining room but took a look around and found no trace of her.
"Master, you’re up, breakfast is just about ready."
Lisa greeted him with a smile.
Oliver lowered his eyelids slightly, hiding certain emotions, and asked in a low voice, "Where is she?"
"Her? You mean that woman." Lisa immediately showed disdain and contempt on her face, speaking derisively, "Who knows, she just left. The car she drove, not sure if the master bought it for her."
Oliver glanced at her, his lips moved, subconsciously wanting to defend something, but failed to find a suitable reason.
Cloudwater Haven’s mansion, leaving meant luxury cars, the study filled with calligraphy and paintings...
And her profession, according to Marcus Shaw, was only that of a minor celebrity.
All the previous aura gradually began to falter under Lisa’s assertive skepticism and lack of solid evidence.
A crack appeared, unsure if it could ever be repaired.
As breakfast was served on the table, Oliver heard footsteps at the staircase, looked up, and saw Sophie Scott coming down.
"So early?" Oliver was slightly surprised.
Sophie seemed weary, nodding, "I want to go to school early."
"There’s no class this morning, right?"
"Hmm, I have something to do."
Sophie hesitated and brushed him off.
On Friday, the third episode would be updated, alongside Zero’s "Base No. 9". With Zero’s popularity, regardless of the quality, her new work would likely overshadow Sophie’s.
Because of this, she needed to focus on the quality of her work.
She planned to work overtime to present the best quality for the third episode on Friday.
This also meant requiring more time.
She worked until four in the morning last night and had just slept for a while. If she didn’t go back to school early, hiding in her bedroom drawing comics might be discovered by Alma.
Nora stayed here as well.
Thinking about Ernesto Woods’s favoritism and Nora’s storyboard, Sophie didn’t feel comfortable staying here at all.
Oliver didn’t doubt her intentions.
Sophie was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. As she sat at the table, she almost fell asleep in less than half a minute.
In the midst of her grogginess, she suddenly heard Alma’s voice—
"Sophie, are you drawing comics behind my back?!"
Alma’s voice resonated with anger.
Sophie snapped her eyes open, and in an instant, all drowsiness vanished.
After a couple of seconds, she saw Alma standing a few steps away and realized—it wasn’t a dream. Content originally comes from novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Her heart skipped a beat, Sophie immediately stood up, lowering her head guiltily.
Oliver was also taken aback, seeing Alma’s displeased expression, worried she would blame Sophie, he quickly put down his chopsticks and walked over to Sophie.
Observing the siblings’ reactions, Alma understood everything, "Looks like it’s true."
"Mom, she just has a hobby..."