Ste suspected it probably had something to do with Simone.


    She didn''t ask any further.


    After Ste and Joshua left, Aurora turned to Simone.


    "So? Did he buy it?"


    Simone shook her head. "Hard to say. I think he''s half-convinced, half-doubtful. Still, he''s not nearly as cold as before."


    Aurora shrugged. "It''s normal for him to have his suspicions. If he just swallowed everything you said, he''d either be a terrible liar or aplete idiot. And if he were that much of a fool, you wouldn''t even look at him twice."


    Simone nodded in agreement. "True. But he did let slip some useful things."


    Aurora was always the sharper one. Simone shared what Joshua had told her,ying it all out for Aurora to help her sort through what was true and what might be a trap. Simone wasn''t na?ve enough to take Joshua at his word-what if he was deliberately trying to test her?


    After listening, Auroraughed lightly. "If you really want to know if he''s telling the truth, there''s an easy way. Ask Rachel. She''ll know."


    Simone paused, surprised. "You think Joshua and Rachel know each other? If that''s the case... then maybe Joshua has a whole other reason for staying close to Ste."


    Aurora shook her head. "We can''t be sure yet. But Rachel''s out of options right now-we could try to probe her."


    Simone smiled. "Aurora, you''re brilliant. I never would have thought of that."


    A thought seemed to strike her, and she grinned. "Good thing you had me wear Ste''s old earring. It''s a bit worn, not quite the same as the new one. If I''d worn the freshly made pair, Joshua might have noticed something was off."


    After having the earring


    custom-made, Aurora, ever cautious,


    insisted Simone wear Ste''s


    original one. The


    v matching


    earring had been quietly returned to


    Ste''s room. Ste might have forgotten the earring even existed, but Aurora never left loose ends.


    Finding herself intrigued by the little game, Simone wasted no time arranging for someone to visit Rachel.


    Rachel was still stuck in jail, unable to post bail, but arranging a visit wasn''t a problem.


    Soon, Simone and Aurora were ushered in.


    Despite being behind bars, Rachel''s condition wasn''t nearly as miserable as one might expect. She looked calm,posed, far from haggard. Clearly, someone was looking out for her.


    Haynes might have put her in prison, but he wasn''t so cruel as to let anything happen to her inside. Ste received simr treatment.


    Rachel was surprised to see Aurora and Simone.


    "What are you two doing here?"


    After Jasper had handled things, he''d promised to get her out-but it would take time. Haynes was still furious, after all. Rachel didn''t want to staylocked up, so she''d tried to reach Joshua. What unsettled her was that Joshua hadn''t answered any of her calls. She''d been in trouble for days, and he hadn''t visited or contacted her once. But stuck in jail, all she could do was wait for Jasper to pull strings.


    Thankfully Jasper had given the guards a heads-up. Other than herck of freedom and limited contact with the outside world, her life inside wasn''t much different from outside. That was afort.


    Still, the sudden visit from Simone and Aurora caught her off guard.


    "Is there something you need from me?" she asked warily.


    Aurora didn''t waste time. "Ms. Pearce, do you know Joshua?"


    So they were here fishing for information about him.


    Rachel hid a smirk, ncing at Simone, feigning confusion. "Ms. Williams, you''ve


    asked me that before, and I already answered."