?Chapter 1085:


    Norton gave a thoughtful nod. “An expat?”


    “No. Well, even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t know him. Frank Lee—a war correspondent,” Yvonne replied offhandedly, barely ncing up as she shoveled a few more bites in, already reaching for herptop.


    Norton frowned. She had barely touched her food, and now it was starting to concern him.


    Once Yvonne left the table, he found his own appetite fading. He forced down thest few bites, restless, then rose and crossed the room toward her.


    “I need to head out for a site inspection this afternoon. Will you be alright here by yourself?”


    Yvonne barely looked up. “Yeah, go ahead. I’ve got a ton to do.”


    Norton lingered for a moment, reluctant. “Call me if anythinges up.”


    He hated leaving her alone like this—but he had no choice with his schedule.


    With a grim expression, he finally turned and stepped out.


    Leif was already waiting at the door.


    Seeing Leif, his mind circled back to Yvonne’s frustration. He turned to Leif. “See if anyone in ourwork has a connection to Frank Lee, a war correspondent. If there’s any chance he’d be willing to do me a favor, I want to know.”


    Leif nodded.


    True to form, Leif worked quickly. Before they even reached the site, he had an answer. “Mr. Burke, I’ve found something. Lucas Quimby, our business partner, once helped Frank Lee in a big way back when Frank wasunching his foundation. Lucas pulled some strings and got it off the ground. Frank’s apparently very grateful to him.”


    Norton’s eyes sharpened. “Contact Lucas. I want to meet with him immediately.”


    Leif didn’t ask questions. He was already on it.


    By the time Norton wrapped up his meetings and returned, the sky had darkened, and the city lights were beginning to shimmer.


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    He stepped into the room and spotted Yvonne lying across the bed, drained and motionless.


    She stirred as he entered, and for a brief second, her eyes lit up—but the spark faded quickly as she turned away, lost in thought.


    “What’s wrong?” Norton crossed to her and gently touched her forehead.


    “No fever,” he murmured.


    “I’m fine,” Yvonne said with a sigh. “Just exhausted… I’ve been digging through research all afternoon and hit one dead end after another.”


    Norton gave a small nod, sensing she didn’t want to dwell on it. Without pressing further, he headed to the bathroom to wash up. Both of them were worn thin. By the time he returned, Yvonne had already fallen into a deep sleep.


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