Love Burnt Baby Stayed (by Nina R.Calder) novel Chapter 289

Chapter 289

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Nina and Ryan stayed out on the cold, deserted streets until the early hours of the morning, not heading back until Nina had finally calmed down.

Before they even reached the Swanson family’s villa, they spotted someone standing at the gate.

Though the person was standing right outside the Swanson residence’s gate, their gaze was fixed on the Carroll residence next door.

Nina frowned as she looked at the person.

What is David doing here so late?‘ Nina wondered.

As the car pulled up to the Swanson residence’s gate, David noticed Nina. He came over to the car.

Nina rolled down the window. “Is something up?”

David nodded. “I need to talk to you about something important.”

Nina looked over at the Swanson residence.

Everyone’s probably asleep right now, so it was not really a good idea to bring someone in.

After a brief pause, Nina suggested, “Let’s head to your hotel.”

David nodded, got into his car, and took the lead as they drove to the hotel one after the other.

Once they got to the hotel, David didn’t bother with small talk. He took out two photos from his bag and handed them to Nina. “Here’s what I dug up these past few days. Take a look.”

Nina picked up the photos and glanced at them, looking a bit taken aback.

Both photos were of Samuel. They were taken at different times in Samuel’s life.

One showed Samuel in his middle years. The other showed him in his old age.

No matter which stage of his life they were from, the resemblance between the two photos was striking.

Samuel barely changed from his middle years to his old age.

Nina looked up at David, waiting for him to continue without saying a word.

David paused for a moment, then pointed to the one on your left, the photo of Samuel in his middle years. “This is Scarlet’s adoptive father.”

Nina’s eyes flickered in surprise.

David gestured to the other photo. “And this is Samuel, your grandfather. Which means they’re the same person I think your grandfather is the one who took Ruby.”

Nina held the photos, just sizing David up in silence.

Not just anyone could dig up dirt on her grandpa like that. David was definitely something else.

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Chapter 289

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And as for Scarlet’s adoptive father, if she hadn’t randomly come across that old medicine recipe Samuel left behind, she wouldn’t have put two and two together that Scarlet’s adoptive father was actually her grandpa.

From the start, nobody would’ve ever guessed that Scarlet’s adoptive father and Samuel were one and the same.

She’d been digging into this for ages, and only just managed to link it to Scarlet’s adoptive father, and even that had been a real headache.

David had only been in Riverdale for a few days, and not only did he figure out who Scarlet’s adoptive father was, but he also uncovered that Scarlet’s adoptive father and my grandfather are the same person.

David was impressive.

After a long pause, Nina finally spoke up. “What else did you find?”

David replied, “Not much else for now. I only managed to figure out who he is. I tried to track down his exact location, but he’s got some serious hacker protection, so I hit a wall.”

After a pause, David added, “Doesn’t mean I’m totally stuck, though. I’ve already called in some of the Cyber Guild’s top hackers. They’re working together to hunt down his location, but it won’t be quick.”

Nina slipped the photos into her pocket and said coolly, “Thanks. You don’t need to worry about the rest.”

David didn’t say a word, just kept his eyes on Nina.

Nina raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

David’s expression stayed calm. “I know Ruby took you in, and you two are closer than sisters. But to be honest, I’m not sure I can trust you with this.”

‘Because of my grandfather?” Nina shot him a half–smile, clearly amused.

David didn’t say a word, but his face said it all.

Nina curved her lips in a faint smile. “Mr. Hawthorne, you really do underestimate me. Sure, I look out for my own, but I know right from wrong.

If my grandfather really crossed the line, I’d be the first to drag him in myself. The reason I’m telling you to back off isn’t that I can’t handle it.

It’s because even if you had the world’s best hackers working for you, you still wouldn’t be able to find him.”

David frowned. “How is that possible? Even if his hackers are the best in the game, with this many hackers on my side, there’s no way we can’t find him.”

“It’s not about the hackers, Nina replied, her gaze turning cool. “If you really want to save Scarlet, get yourself back to Betrico right now.

I’ve already got SN Corporation putting full pressure on the Goodwin family and the Sutton family. Wuh you in the mix, those families are toast”

Honestly, she’d underestimated David before.

But now that she knew he wasn’t useless after all, he ought to pull his weight this time.

He was the one Scarlet cared about, so when it came to saving her, he had to pitch in

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Chapter 289

David didn’t say anything, just looked lost in thought.

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After a long pause, David finally said, “Alright. I’ll head back to Betrico today. Leave everything over there to me.”

Nina nodded, then after a moment, she asked, “Not planning to see Miranda before you go?”

“No,” David said. “I don’t want to act all pitiful in front of her. It’s on me that she had to go through all that pain for so many years. I secretly checked in on her yesterday.

“She looks great, really happy. The kind of smile she has now, I never saw back at the Hawthorne place. Let her be. I don’t want to mess up her happiness just because I show up.”

Nina didn’t say anything else, and after that, she and Ryan headed home. But they didn’t get much sleep.

At noon, Loren called Nina, wanting to meet up.

Nina knew Loren was probably going to ask about Scarlet, so she didn’t turn him down.

After a quick meal at home with Ryan, she headed over to the Carroll residence.

By now, the Carroll family had shifted all their businesses over to Riverdale.

They still had a handful of businesses running back in Roveilia, but those were left in the hands of trusted folks. The Carroll family was pretty much settled in Riverdale now.

When Nina arrived, only Loren, Melody, Miranda, and Philip were at the Carroll residence.

Loren’s sons had been swamped with company business lately and barely ever came home.

As for Philip, he was staying with the Carroll family for now, learning from Falconer and also teaching Miranda about medicine.

As soon as Nina stepped inside, Melody greeted her with a big smile. “You came back and didn’t even tell us! Loren’s been fussing nonstop, worrying if you’re eating properly all alone in Betrico.”

Thanks to Scarlet, Loren didn’t want things to get awkward between him and Nina, so he asked her to be his goddaughter.

Nina was happy to accept.

Nina grinned, “Melody, I just had some stuff to handle when I got back, so I got held up.”

Melody chuckled and teased, “Honestly, if Loren hadn’t run into your grandma today, we wouldn’t even know you were back. What, if he didn’t call, were you planning to skip seeing us altogether?”

Melody took Nina by the hand and led her to the couch, where a servant quickly served them coffee.

Nina turned to Loren beside her and greeted him, “Hi, Loren

Ryan chimed in, “Hi, Loren, Melody”

Loren looked at Nina and Ryan with a smile. “I heard you two are getting ready for your wedding. So, what do you want Let me give you a wedding gift”

Nina grinned, “Loren, whatever you have, I probably already own”

Loren feigned annoyance. “So what if you already have it? I can’t give you a wedding present?

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Chapter 289

Nina laughed, “Of course you can! I’ll love anything you give me.”

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After some joking around, Nina finally got serious. “Loren, I’m here today to bring Miranda with me to Betrico. I’ve already taken care of all her school transfer paperwork.”

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