?Chapter 453:


    Felix’s mouth hung open in awe. “Miss Harper is incredibly adept!”


    Wesley’s lips were a tight line, his eyes intently on Elena.


    Elena nced up, her eyes locking with his. “Had enough of watching?”


    Felix’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “When did she realize we were here?”


    Wesley’s smile slowly spread across his face. “Right from the beginning.”


    Wesley strolled over to Elena. He skipped any mention of the previous incident and instead offered, “Heading back? I can drive you.”


    Elena’s face remained impassive, her voice cold and detached. “No, thank you. I have other matters to attend to. I must be on my way.”


    Wesley’s gaze lingered on her departing figure,den with unspoken thoughts.


    Felix remarked offhandedly, “Miss Harper seems rather detached.”


    His words trailed off as he noticed Wesley’s stern look and promptly shut his mouth.


    Felix silently cursed himself, vowing never to blurt things out again!


    Elena scoured every nook and cranny of the sprawling Phantom Market, but her mentor was nowhere to be found.


    As twilight crept over the horizon, the crowd thinned out, leaving her with no option but to return home.


    As soon as Elena arrived at her doorstep, the butler greeted her with unexpected news. “Miss Harper, you’ve received a bouquet of flowers. Since it came without a card, I’ve ced it in your room.”


    Elena was puzzled. Flowers? “Thank you,” she replied with a nod, her curiosity piqued as she ascended the staircase.


    She had initially assumed the flowers were a kind gesture from Lydia, but the sight of the brilliant roses dispelled that thought. These weren’t Lydia’s style. No, these were unmistakably from Earle. He had dared to send her a bouquet and have it delivered right to the threshold of Hillside Manor.


    With a mix of curiosity and disdain, Elena plucked a petal, observing how a streak of red stained her fingertips.


    In a decisive motion, she discarded the entire bouquet into the wastebasket. Was this meant to be a provocation, or worse, a veiled threat? Either way, she loathed it.


    g?lnσν????s?c?m fuels your imagination


    “When the petals fall, our paths will cross once more.” Earle’s words echoed in her mind from an email he had sent earlier.


    It seemed their paths were destined to cross once more.


    With a deep sigh, Elena stripped off her day’s attire and stepped into the soothing solitude of her bath.


    Thirty minutester, she appeared, d only in a towel. Her skin, soft and radiant, shimmered with droplets of water, while her long hair flowed down her shoulders like a silken waterfall. Her face, untouched and natural, radiated an innocent charm.


    Freed from her usual fa?ade, she looked as ethereal as a celestial goddess.


    While she drifted into a peaceful sleep, someone else spent the night restless.


    In the dark confines of the Spencer family’s vi, the home office was cloaked in darkness, the heavy curtains sealing out any sliver of moonlight.


    Wesley sat at his desk, his features set in an icy, unyielding expression. An overflowing ashtray sat next to him, and he absentmindedly flicked ash from the—


    .


    .


    .