Chapter <b>137 </b>


    “I stayed there with her for a while,” Richard said without missing a beat. “Otherwise, how would I know that


    could <b>ce</b><b>, </b>or that you


    get


    in?<b>” </b>


    Reba wasn’t buying it. Richard opened the door and gestured for her to hurry. “Come on.”


    Reba held out her hand. “Give me my phone first. I need to send May a message. If I hang up on her out of nowhere, she’ll freak out.”


    “When you hung up on me like that, did you ever think I’d be worried?” Richard said, shameless as ever.


    Reba just stared at him. Before she could say something to distract him, the elevator doors opened. Riley stepped out in a dark short–sleeved shirt, her short, choppy hair falling across her forehead, looking effortlessly cool.


    When Riley noticed that Reba was staring at her, she gave a small smile and winked. Richard followed her gaze instinctively.


    “If I’m not mistaken, this phone belongs to Reba,” Riley said casually. She plucked the phone from Richard’s hand, flipped it twice, and toyed with it. “Why did you take it?”


    “Give it back to me!” Richard lunged for it. The phone was the only thing keeping Reba under his control. If it returned to her, she wouldn’t follow him to open the door, and he’d lose his chance at whatever was inside.


    Riley easily dodged him and ced the phone in Reba’s hand. “Keep it safe.”


    A weight lifted off Reba’s chest. “Thanks.”


    Richard’s face darkened. He was clearly annoyed at Riley’s sudden interference. “Who are you?” he demanded.


    “Riley. Just a nobody,” she said, resting one hand on Reba’s shoulder, standing like she had her back. “If you have a problem with what I just did, we can handle it however you want.”


    Richard’s breathing grew heavier. He didn’t know how Reba knew so many lunatics. “Leave,” Reba said firmly. “I’m not going with you, and there’s no way anything of yours is inside.”


    “If you don’t go, I’ll have someone burn it down,” Richard threatened. Once he confirmed Reba had her phone back and no chance to record, he leaned closer. “Burn everything inside until there’s nothing left.”


    “Arson’s a crime,” Reba snapped, trying to bring him back to reality,


    “I’ll give you two days to think about it,” Richard said, not joking. He left with one final warning. “If I don’t get what I want, you’ll be staring at a pile of ashes.”


    Reba’s expression hardened. Just then, her phone rang. Seeing it was May, she invited Riley inside, closed the door, and answered. “May.”


    “Why did the call cut off?” May asked.


    55 vouchers


    “My dad grabbed it. He was trying to force me to open the door for him,” Reba admitted. She knew too httle about her mom. “But he’s gone now.”


    May reminded her, “Don’t open it for him. Everything inside belonged to your mom. Who knows, maybe the fortune she left you is in there, too.”


    Reba was speechless. If that was true, all she could think about was how careless her mom had been. After a few more reminders from May, they ended the call.


    Reba poured Riley a ss of water and thanked her again. “Thanks for earlier. If it weren’t for you, my dad probably would’ve forced me downstairs by now.”


    “It’s Ok, Riley said, smiling.


    You came here today because you need something from me, right?” Reba asked. She hadn’t interacted much with Riley, and since Riley had sought her out, it couldn’t be like Jessica, who just wantedpany for shopping or spending money.


    “Yeah, a little,” she admitted. Rileyced her fingers together in front of her. “While I was checking into Andrea, I found out she went to the same school as you. I wanted to ask about her.”


    Reba was a little surprised but cooperated. “Go ahead.”


    “What kind of person was she?” Riley asked.


    “She adapted well,” Reba said, not sure how else to put it, so she stuck to the main point. “No matter the environment, if she wanted to, she could fit in quickly.”


    “Could she swim?” Riley asked again.


    “I’m not really sure,” Reba replied.


    <b>“</b>All right, that’s all I needed,” Riley said.


    Reba felt <i>a </i>little confused. ‘Why has she only asked those few questions?‘ she thought.


    “Why don’t you add my contact info?” Reba said. She liked Riley. From the few times they’d interacted, she felt Riley was genuinely a good person. “If you have any questionster, just ask me directly. That way you don’t have to make another trip.”


    “Sure, Riley agreed, and they exchanged contact information.


    After seeing Riley off, Reba called Jessica to see if she coulde along somewhere if she had time. Jessica showed up immediately, without a second thought.


    Half an hourter, Reba followed the address May had given her to Section 3 of Jsburg Avenue. Turning at the intersection and driving into the vi district, her mind nked for a moment.


    Honestly, she had never imagined the ce May mentioned would actually be a vi. Her mom must have been really wealthy back then.


    “Number Six, here we are.” Jessica parked in front of Vi No. 6 and nced at the tightly shut gate. “Are you sure this <b>is </b>your mom’s house?<b>” </b>


    “May said it is,” Reba replied.


    “Then that is it!” Jessica said firmly.


    The two of them got out of the car together. Reba walked up to the door and pressed a switch. Before she even had time to react, a mechanical voice said, “Wee home, little master.”


    Immediately, the gate opened, revealing a living room with a sleek, minimalist design. “Wow, Ms. Jensen was seriously rich,” Jessica eximed. “If I’d known you had this house, why rent? You could’ve just moved in.”


    “I didn’t expect this either,” Reba admitted. Her mom rarely talked about the past, and Reba never asked much.


    May didn’t know Reba was renting a ce, so she hadn’t mentioned it either. It really was a perfect misunderstanding.


    “Come on, let’s go in and see what it’s like,” Jessica said eagerly, pulling her inside, curiosity getting the better of her.


    Reba followed. Looking around, she saw that after more than twenty years, the furnishings were slightly worn but not outdated, which made her believe even more that what May said was true.


    Her mom had been mysterious. Her mom had been wealthy. And her mom had been a little unlucky. The vi had four floors in total: one underground for storage and sports, and three above for living spaces.


    She went up the stairs. After a quick look around the second floor, she headed straight to the third. The third floor had two bedrooms and a study. For some reason, she instinctively walked toward the study.


    She put her hand on the doorknob. Because the room hadn’t been cleaned for years, ayer of dust had gathered. The study door opened with a click.


    Inside, bookshelves were packed with books, a few rosewood chairs sat neatly, and a desk was covered with papers and documents.


    She instinctively walked over and picked up one of the files. It was dusty and yellowed from age, but the words on the cover, Deed of Property Transfer, stood out clearly.


    ‘Property transfer?‘ A flicker of doubt crossed Reba’s mind. She flipped through it and saw that the main idea was that her mother had transferred all her property to her. The signature date was July 16, the very day her mom’s ident happened.