Even After Death novel (Olivia and Ethan) novel Chapter 10

Olivia stayed before the grave for quite some time before leaving. She did not have time to wallow in sorrow for too long. She had an investigation to carry out now that she had the photo.

Most of the women her dad was in touch with worked in his company, so it was natural that Olivia started from there. But just as she started to search for a way to contact them, her phone started ringing.

It was one of the children from the countryside whose education her father had sponsored back then. His voice was rather anxious.

“Ms. Fordham, I just returned from overseas and heard that Mr. Fordham is gravely ill. Is he alright?”

“Thanks for your concern. My father’s still getting treatment at the hospital.”

“Gosh! How could someone as kind as him get into such a situation? If it wasn’t for him sponsoring our studies years back, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

A thought flashed across Olivia’s mind. In the past, her father had helped children in the countryside to move to the city for their studies, so Leia could have known him since she was abducted and taken to the countryside.

“Ryan, do you know those who were sponsored by my father?”

“I’ve been helping Mr. Fordham contact them all along. I know most of them, but I’ve lost contact with them after going abroad for the past few years. Is there anything I can help you with, Ms. Fordham? I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

Olivia felt as though she just found herself a sliver of hope. Immediately, she told him, “I have a picture with me. Can you see if she’s one of the students my father sponsored before?”

“Sure thing, Ms. Fordham.”

In just half an hour after sending him the picture, Ryan had sent Olivia the information she wanted. The girl in the picture he sent had bright eyes that were similar to Leia and Ethan.

Her name was Jodie, and she came from a poor family. Olivia’s father had sponsored her education 12 years ago. She had been a brilliant student from a young age and managed to get a spot in many of the top universities in the nation, so she chose to further her studies in the country.

Perhaps this was the person Olivia was looking for. In a hurry, she asked Ryan to meet up with her in a cafe.

Ryan arrived on time. This was the first time in ten years that Olivia met him in person. Back then, he was still a bashful boy, very unlike the smart-looking man in a suit who was the president of his own company sitting before her.

Even though the Fordhams had fallen into bankruptcy, he still addressed her courteously. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Fordham.”

“I’ve only just arrived. I won’t beat around the bush. Are you still in contact with Jodie?”

“I used to be. I seldom contacted my friends in the country when I stayed overseas. We haven’t talked in at least two years.”

“Do you know how she’s doing these days?”

“I’ve only just returned a few days ago. I wouldn’t have known about your family’s situation if it weren’t for my friends. Jodie and I aren’t close, though. At most, I only contacted the others because of Mr. Fordham.”

Ryan took a sip from the cup of coffee and cleared his throat. “But since you requested it, I tried asking around in her circle. Sadly, she’s dead. What a shame. Her grades were excellent, and she would’ve had a bright future ahead of her if she were alive.”

“How did she die?”

“I’m not sure of the cause of her death, but I heard that she was fished out of the sea.”

Olivia frowned, her forehead wrinkling. Not only did she not find the answers she was looking for, but more questions also began to come up.

Leia was kidnapped when she was almost six years old, so she should have remembered what had happened to her.

If her father had sponsored her studies, why didn’t she ask for help?

Why did she not return to the Millers when she came to the city?