“Alright,” Reba answeredpliantly, amusement twinkling in her eyes. “Thank you, Jane.”


    Jane maintained her usualposure. “Stay focused.”


    Reba nodded earnestly. “I will.”


    Throughout the morning, Reba refined her artwork while finishing the remaining sections. Immersed in work, she wasn’t disturbed by Lisa’s usual gossip.


    When noon approached, Reba headed straight to the hospital without lunch.


    The hospital was just half an hour away by subway from Primey Technologies. During weekdays, she spent lunch breaksforting heratose mother, praying for her recovery.


    She’d pre–ordered takeout to arrive at the hospital–perfect timing for a meal after visiting hours.


    Seeing how busy she was yet still making time to visit the hospital every noon, Timothy felt aplex mix of emotions he couldn’t quite describe.


    After finishing lunch, he came to the ward and said, “Let me handle the hospital matters. You don’t need toe here every day.”


    “But you said chatting with her more could help her regain consciousness,” Reba replied with hopeful determination. “I’ve got free time during lunch anyway. This works perfectly.”


    “Even without conversation or visits, she’d wake within two months,” Timothy exined gently.


    Reba gazed at Amelia, who was lying motionless on the hospital bed. She wanted to stay, to apany Amelia through the endless darkness of aa that must make Amelia feel unbearably lonely.


    “There’s something I’ve considered telling you,” Timothy said after prolonged contemtion.


    Reba paused her meal. “What is it?”


    “Today, a man visited your mother besides you,” Timothy said, referring to the same visitor he’d previously mentioned to Jeffrey. “He stayed in the ward for about half an hour.”


    Reba froze mid–bite, immediately assuming her father Richard had caused trouble. She pulled up his photo on her phone, anxiety tightening her features. “Was it him?”


    “No,” Timothy answered truthfully. “The visitor was far more handsome than the man in your photo, impably dressed, clearly from wealth or high society.”


    Reba racked her brains but couldn’t ce anyone matching that description. “What did he do in the ward?” she pressed urgently.


    “He didn’t do anything but just sat in the caretaker chair,” Timothy said. “He ignored some calls and kept staring at your mother.”


    “Maybe he’s a friend of Mom’s,” Reba guessed.


    Since childhood, she’d never met any rtives of Amelia–no grandparents, aunts, or uncles. The only close friend of Amelia’s <b>was </b>May Summers.


    But May eventually left to travel after waiting two fruitless years for Amelia to wake up, asking Reba to notify her if there was any change.


    Reba thought, ‘Mom always imed to be orphaned, but Dad’s recentments hinted at something


    more.‘


    “Did you talk to him?” Reba asked.


    “No. I learned about it afterward.” Timothy nced at the still–unconscious Amelia. “A nurse said he called himself an old acquaintance.”


    Reba pressed her lips, suddenly remembering something. “Do you have his photos?”


    Timothy hadn’t described the man secondhand like she expected, so she figured he must have visual evidence.


    “We have surveince cameras.” Timothy tapped his phone. “I’ve sent the photo to you. Take a look.”


    Reba zoomed in on the screen, revealing a man in a perfectly tailored suit sitting stiffly on the visitor’s chair, his sharp jawline barely visible from the angle.


    Her usually expressionless eyes widened slightly with surprise. “You recognize him?” Timothy noted her reaction.


    Reba shook her head. “Never met him.”


    Her surprise stemmed from his uncanny resemnce to the man Jessica had photographed earlier, and Jessica had jokingly said Reba shared his facial features.


    Timothy’s eyebrows lifted curiously at her reaction, but he kept his questions to himself, respecting patient confidentiality.


    “Dr. Johnson?” Reba suddenly sounded intrigued, like she’d discovered buried treasure. “If hees again, could you alert me immediately?”


    “Consider it done,” Timothy replied without hesitation.


    After thanking him, Reba waited until Timothy left the ward before rxing her posture.


    She alternated between reviewing the surveince footage and Jessica’s photo, finding no connections. Turning to heratose mother, she murmured to her, unconcerned about responses.


    “Mom, your old friend came to visit today.


    “I don’t know who that is. I’ve never met him, but he looks a bit like me. Could he be my uncle?


    “Don’t they say girls resemble their uncles?”


    Reba kept chatting with Amelia until twenty minutes before work, then tidied up and left.


    On the subway back to thepany, she had an idea. She didn’t know much about Amelia’s past, but May had been friends with Amelia since childhood. If the man really was her uncle, May would know.


    Reba decided to call May that evening. Before reaching the office, her phone rang. It was Lucas. “Ms. Jensen, I’ve thought it through. Emily adores you. We’d like you to continue teaching her dance,” he said.


    Reba rxed her grip on the phone. “Thank you.”


    Lucas replied calmly, “No need for thanks. However, Emily wants topete with her ssmates and needs extra lessons. Can youe for the whole Saturday?”


    “A full day of dance might overwhelm her,” Reba advised gently.


    Lucas pressed, “What about weekends?”


    “Weekends are for Samuel,” Reba replied.


    Lucas said, “You can bring Samuel over.”


    Reba remained silent. She couldn’t confirm the arrangement yet.


    “Take your time thinking about it. You can give me your answer this weekend,” Lucas continued, sensing her hesitation. “There’s no rush.”


    Reba agreed. As the call ended, she was nearly at her office.


    Looking at his disconnected phone, Lucas told the person beside him, “I informed her.”


    Stephen nodded. “Mhm.”


    Settling on the couch, Lucas remarked, “If you hadn’t warned me, I’d have fallen for his trick.”


    Dismissing Reba would indeed make Jeffrey reveal Joanna’s whereabouts, but Stephen confirmed that Joanna worked under Jeffrey. That meant even with information from Jeffrey, Lucas would gain nothing.


    No one could take anything from Jeffrey’s grasp, and he’d never let others benefit.


    “It’s natural to lose perspective while entangled in schemes.” Stephen rotated his teacup, his watch entuating slender fingers. “His mind always operated on deeper levels than ordinary people.”