In the CEO''s office at Hastings Group, Alex sat at his desk, staring at the notebook in his hands with his brows furrowed together. He was deep in thought.


    The incident back then happened past 10:00 pm. Normally, by that time, Nicole would have already left for the day. She always finished work early in the evenings, and it was something Robert had specifically allowed so that she could go home to be with Serena.


    But that night, why didn''t she leave? Why did she stay at the Hastings residence? Alex couldn''t figure it out.


    After thinking it over for a long time, he grabbed his car keys and headed to his vi.


    "Mr. Hastings, you''re back," Owen greeted him respectfully and stepped forward to open the car door.


    "Come inside. I have something to ask you." Alex strode toward the study with urgent steps.


    Owen followed behind him. "Mr. Hastings, what''s the matter?"


    "I want to ask you about my father and Madam Burke." Alex didn''t bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.


    Owen gave him a surprised look. "That was years ago. Why are you suddenly asking about it now?"


    "I''ve been thinking about what happened back then, and something doesn''t add up. I need to understand everything. Try to recall was there anything unusual about that night?"


    Owen frowned, deep in thought. After a moment, his expression shifted as if he had remembered something. "Now that you mention it, there actually was something."


    Alex''s heart skipped a beat. His eyes locked onto Owen with a glimmer of anticipation shing through them.


    "That night, Nicole had originally taken the day off. She told us her daughter was sick and that she needed to stay home to take care of her. But then, for some reason, she showed up at the residenceter that evening."


    "Mr. Hastings, do you remember that it was your birthday? I was surprised to see Nicole back, but I assumed someone had called her to help with the event since it was a busy night. So, didn''t think much of it and just had her serve drinks in the front hall for Mr. Hastings Senior and the guests."


    The details of that night were a mess in Alex''s memory, and he couldn''t recall much. But the mention of his birthday struck a chord. That was thest birthday he had ever celebrated.


    "Besides that, was there anything else unusual? Did anyone suddenly cut ties with our family after the incident? Or was there someone who made a big fuss over it?"


    Owen fell silent again, lost in thought.


    Meanwhile, Alex''s mind was in turmoil.


    His entire understanding of the past was beginning to crumble. What he had believed to be an undeniable truth was now unraveling. The resentment he had been harboring all these years might have been directed at the wrong person. Cóntent


    Owen finally said, "Now that you mention it, there was one thing. Do you remember the Grayson family?"


    "The Grayson family?" Alex frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he had no strong recollection of them.


    "When you were little, you and Vivian from the Grayson family were the best of friends."


    "Vivian?" Alex repeated the name, and forgotten memories began surfacing.


    He had never liked Vivian. She was too delicate, always crying. But Serena had enjoyed ying with her. Even though Vivian cried easily, she had always been willing to share her toys with Serena.


    Alex''s brows furrowed slightly. "I remember the Grayson family used to visit our home a lot when we were kids. But after that incident, they never came back."