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At the Duncans’ Residence
After hearing the shocking news about Branden’s unexpected promise to get engaged to the country girl from the Swanns, who had appeared out of nowhere at their funeral, Triston Lambert immediately rushed to the Duncans’ residence.
As Branden’s only acknowledged friend in public, Triston couldn’t fathom why he hadn’t been the first to know about Branden’s love life. How could he possibly show his face in Casier now?
After all, Triston was the only son and heir of the Lamberts, and such a public snub would certainly tarnish his reputation. He couldn’t afford to be embarrassed like this.
“Mr. Duncan, please tell me,” Triston began, his voice tinged with disbelief, “why did you agree to get engaged to the country girl? I mean, she’s pretty, but there are so many other beautiful girls in Casier. Why pick her?”
Branden, who had been quietly reading through the company’s financial statements, couldn’t ignore Triston’s incessant chatter any longer. He finally put down the documents, clearly frustrated.
Turning his gaze toward Triston, Branden’s eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness. One glance was enough to make Triston freeze, a cold sweat instantly forming on his brow.
The weight of Branden’s gaze made Triston hesitate, suddenly silent, afraid that a wrong word would provoke Branden’s wrath. If Branden lost his temper, Triston knew it could be disastrous for him.
Knock, knock.
The sound of the door being knocked on was like a lifeline to Triston. He quickly mustered a smile and rushed to say, “Mr. Duncan, I’ll get the door for you.”
It was Paxton Duncan, Branden’s assistant. Paxton had been with Branden since they were children. In families like the Duncans, most assistants were trained from a young age. Paxton had been Branden’s study partner when they were younger and later became his assistant as they grew older.
Paxton was always cold, expressionless, and rarely spoke unless necessary. Triston, finding Paxton’s demeanor amusing, had given him the nickname “Icecube” behind his back.
After entering, Paxton briefly looked at Branden, who made no move to stop him. Paxton then proceeded to report his findings.
“Mr. Duncan, I’ve gathered information on Catherine Swann.”
At Paxton’s words, Triston’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Ah, so you had Paxton investigate Catherine. Seems like you do care about her. Let me see!”
Before Branden could react, Triston eagerly snatched the document from Paxton’s hands and flipped it open, but his excitement quickly turned to confusion.
Frowning, he glared at Paxton. “Icecube, are you playing a joke on me? This is a blank sheet of paper! Where’s the information? I want to know more about Catherine!”
The document in Paxton’s hands contained nothing but a photo of Catherine and her age, nothing more.
Triston, thinking Paxton had hidden the real information, couldn’t contain his irritation. But Paxton remained unfazed, his cold expression never wavering as he stared at Triston without responding.
Triston’s eyes widened in realization, and the surprise on his face grew. “You… couldn’t find anything about her, could you?”
Paxton nodded slightly, confirming Triston’s suspicion.
“Even the Duncans couldn’t dig up any information? Could it be that Vicente has something to do with it?” Triston mused, processing the surprising turn of events.
The Duncans were renowned as the most powerful family in Casier, with an unmatched intelligence network. They could uncover nearly anything. Triston dismissed his own guess quickly.
“No, that can’t be it. Vicente isn’t powerful enough to hide anything from the Duncans. Then what’s going on? Why can’t you find anything about Catherine?”
Turning to Branden for an explanation, Triston was met with a gaze that lingered on the blank spot in the document. A faint, sinister smile curled on Branden’s lips.
Interesting…
The sight of Branden’s smile sent a shiver down Triston’s spine. He was suddenly too scared to ask any more questions. He knew that whenever Branden wore that expression, someone was about to face consequences. But Triston had no idea yet who would be the one to suffer.