“What?!”


    ire eximed in disbelief, “She’s beautiful, graceful, possesses a wonderful temperament, and has the perfect personality. Even more importantly, she’s a widow—a wealthy widow. That makes her an incredibly rare find among the middle-aged singles, doesn’t it?!”


    Charlie nodded seriously, replying, “Yes, she’s definitely a bachelorette, but she doesn’t resemble an aunt at all. She seems more like an older sister.”


    ire, taken aback, asked, “Really? How old do you think she is?”


    Charlie responded, “Probably around thirty-seven or thirty-eight, maybe even up to forty.”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    “No way?!”


    ire stared in sheer astonishment. It was rare to encounter a woman in her fifties who appeared a decade younger.


    Wasn’t that a bit outrageous, even for a movie star?


    Charlie nodded firmly. “I’mpletely serious. She looks incredibly young and stunning. You know Catherine Zeta-Jones? Aunt Matilda looks even younger and more beautiful than she does.”


    ire was again taken aback. “Are you kidding me?!”


    Charlie smiled. “Well, she’sing over to our house tonight, so just wait and see for yourself.”


    ire no longer doubted Charlie’s words. Instead, her anxiety grew. “This woman is Dad’s first love, and now she’s widowed with such admirable qualities. With Mom and Dad’s rtionship so shaky and Mom choosing to be absent right now… Is this woman going to swoop in and take Dad away at a critical moment?!”


    Charlie chuckled slightly, feeling a bit awkward. “You know, it’s really not our ce to interfere in their lives. Besides, Mom and Dad are free to make their own choices. All we can do is respect their decisions without getting involved.”<fne66e> Newest update provided by find?novel</fne66e>


    ire felt a surge of frustration and impatience. She recognized that her mother wasn’t perfect, but she was still her mother. The thought of her being abandoned was unbearable.


    This fueled her determination to find her mother and bring her home as soon as possible.


    “Oh, it’s gettingte! We need to get moving. You have to try your hardest to visit as many mahjong centers as you can! Show them Mom’s picture and ask every owner and customer!”


    Charlie replied, “But I don’t have a picture of Mom.”


    He had been trying to avoid ine’s insults at all costs; why would he keep a photo of her?


    ire quickly said, “I’ll send you her ID photo!”


    ***


    Once Charlie left home, he began visiting the mahjong centers in their neighborhood.


    At each location, he would snap a photo of the front entrance and the interior, sending them to ire as proof of his visits.


    Whenever ire inquired about his progress, he would deliver the same response repeatedly: “The owner hasn’t seen her, nor have any of the customers.”


    While he didn’t directly ask anyone, he was certain those would be the answers.


    With each update from Charlie, ire felt reassured that he was genuinely helping her search for their mother. Yet, her anxiety grew with each passing moment without any news about her.


    The police had informed her that the best chance of solving a missing person case was within the first 24 hours following their disappearance. If they could uncover clues during that critical timeframe, the chances of finding the person increased significantly. Otherwise, the oue could be grim.