Chapter 497 An idental Discovery
Truthfully<b>, </b>he hadn’t wanted to be suspicious of Jean.
<b>He </b>knew exactly what kind of person she was.
But <b>even </b>so, many of her actions didn’t quite add up. Was she really, as the rumors imed, the <b>illegitimate </b>daughter of a Sterford employee?
He wasn’t sure when the doubt first took root, but eventually, curiosity began to grow.
Later, he finally made up his mind-
He would use the Lawson family’s resources and connections to investigate Jean’s background.
At the time, he couldn’t help but feel that doing so made him a bit despicable.
Jean had helped him climb out of the pit, had stood by his side to defeat Thomas, and helped him return to the Lawson family with dignity.
And yet here he was… investigating her behind her back.
But he told himself–he just wanted to know who she really was.
No matter who she turned out to be or where she came from, it wouldn’t change anything for him-
He just wanted to know her better. Understand her more.
The investigation didn’t go smoothly.
It was only then that Asher realized-
No wonder Jean’s background had always been shrouded in mystery, with no concrete answers.
Because it was nearly impossible to trace. As if some unseen force was deliberately keeping the truth hidden from him…
Which only confirmed what he’d suspected: Jean’s identity was anything but ordinary.
Honestly, he should’ve figured it out when she’d managed to get someone like Jolene to defend him during
the trial.
He had questioned it at the time-
But gratitude had overshadowed everything else. He hadn’t wanted to pry.
By the time the investigation reached a certain point, Asher found himself standing at a crossroads: dub
Option one: drop the search.
Clearly, Jean and her family had no intention of exposing her identity. If she wanted to keep it a <b>secret</b><b>, </b><b>w </b>was he to press for answers? He could simply stop now.
Option two: push forward and uncover the truth.
But to do so would mean resorting to unsavory methods-
Wed 18 Jur
<b>Chapter </b><b>497 </b>An <b>idental </b>Discovery
Like <b>tailing </b><b>her </b>
<b>In </b><b>the </b><b>end</b><b>, </b>Asher chose <b>to </b>stop.
He <b>respected </b>Jean. Since she didn’t want the truth exposed, he wouldn’t force <b>it</b>. He refused <b>to </b><b>use </b><b>such </b>dirty <b>tactics </b>on someone he considered a friend.
What he hadn’t expected-
<b>Was </b>that despite calling off the investigation, someone in his camp–trying to earn his favor<b>–</b>had secretly gone ahead with it anyway.
And purely by chance… they found the answer.
The results of that investigation surprised him, though in hindsight, they made perfect sense.
<i>Jean </i><i>wasn’t </i><i>just </i><i>some </i><i>ordinary </i><i>girl- </i>
<i>She </i><i>came </i><i>from </i><i>an </i><i>elite </i><i>family</i>.
When Asher learned this, his first thought was-
<i>If </i><i>she </i><i>came </i><i>from </i><i>such </i>a <i>powerful </i><i>background</i><i>, </i>why <i>had </i><i>her </i><i>parents </i><i>allowed </i><i>her </i><i>to </i><i>be </i><i>bullied </i><i>so </i><i>publicly </i>at school<b><i>? </i></b>
<i>Or</i><i>… </i>was it <i>that </i><i>she </i><i>wasn’t </i><i>valued </i><i>at </i><i>home</i>? <i>Was </i><i>she </i><i>neglected</i><i>? </i>
Rather than feeling shocked at the revtion, Asher felt a strange pang of sympathy.
Maybe Jean’s life was harder than he had imagined.
From that moment on, he made a silent decision-
He would keep an eye on her. And if she ever needed help, he would be the first to step up.
Asher looked at the girl in front of him. Today, she was dressed to the nines<b>–</b>so different from her usual barefaced self.
But still, she shone.
He knew full well what today’s gathering was all about.
But judging by Jean’s expression… she had no clue. She lookedpletely blindsided.
“I don’t have any questions,” Asher said softly, lifting his gaze to hers. His voice, unintentionally, came out a little gentler. “But you… you seem to have quite a few.”
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