"Oh, you. Will you ever grow out of your love for food?" Mary Preston said dotingly, pinching Ashley Bowen's nose.
While the mother and daughter were talking inside, Anna Thorne, who hadn't gone far, listened at the door for a while before suddenly frowning.
She had noticed Mary Preston's evasive gaze earlier. Besides, she had a nagging feeling that she had seen Mary Preston somewhere before.
'Where could it have been?'
She hurried down the corridor. As she reached the spiral staircase, an idea struck her like a bolt of lightning. She turned, lifted her skirt, and headed up to the second floor.
The second floor was silent; unauthorized people couldn't get up here. Gordon Thorne's study was even protected by a passcode that only he and his daughter knew.
Anna Thorne quickly entered the six-digit passcode and gently pushed the door open.
The curtains in the study were drawn, making the room dim. The air was filled with the faint scent of ink.
