Please Come Back, My Love novel Chapter 212

Belonging To Lockhart

Chapter 212

“It would’ve been so much easier if these were in higher resolution,” Manny muttered, scowling at the photographs.

“There’s not much I can do with grainy, second-rate images.”

“I know. Ami voiced the same complaint.” My mouth twisted into a bitter half-smile as her irritation played again in my mind.

Manny scratched at his stubbled chin before locking eyes with me. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s furious and I don’t blame her.” I rose from my chair and reached for the decanter tucked in the cabinet, “Told her to stay

holed up in her apartment for a few days. Truth is, we’re going to have a hell of a time proving anything without my mother. And

she’s not picking up my calls.”

Manny let out a short laugh, and I shot him a glare.

“I fail to see the humor.”

“Of course you don’t,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But come on your mother spent years trying to get you to talk to her. Now the

tables have turned.”

I shook my head. “Any other time, I’d welcome her radio silence. But right now, she’s not just my problem she’s everyone’s.”

Manny raised an eyebrow. “So what’s Plan B?”

“I’m working on it.” I poured two glasses of whiskey. Manny took his, watching me over the rim as he sipped.

“In the meantime, I need to meet with Sunniva,” I added. That got a reaction Manny nearly choked.

“You’re actually going to see that old witch?” he coughed.

“Have to. She’s a walking encyclopedia when it comes to my mother. I need her to take a look at these photos, confirm whether my

mother really did meet Thayer under these circumstances.”

He nodded slowly. “Could be useful.”

“Exactly.” I took a long drink, then added, “But I’m worried she’ll say the same thing Ami did.”

“What’s that?”

“That everything in the image checks out. At least, everything except for the folder in Ami’s version.”

“So it looks doctored,” Manny said, frowning at his glass.

“Yeah, but can you prove that?” I gestured toward the photo, and he winced.

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Chapter 212

“I’ll take it with me, run it through my best scanners. Look for inconsistencies shadows, lighting, anything out of place. No

guarantees, though.”

As I sipped again, a new thought struck. “What if there’s a simpler way to prove something’s off? Instead of spotting the edits… what if we found the originals?” A sly grin tugged at the corners of my mouth.

Manny arched a brow. “You’re thinking of breaking into the police archives?”

“Not quite.” I chuckled. “But I’m sure Lazaro knows a guy who knows a guy.”

Manny drained his glass and grinned. “Let Lazaro hunt for the originals. I’ll comb through these with my equipment. We’ll see who

cracks it first.”

“It’s not a competition.”

“You ruin everything,” he said, clicking his tongue as he refilled our drinks.

The next morning, I made my way to the estate.

Sunniva was already standing on the front steps, arms crossed, wearing her usual scowl with a flicker of a smile that vanished as

fast as it came.

“Follow me, Young Master Lockhart,” she said without preamble, turning and disappearing inside before I even reached the door.

Less than sixty seconds in, and I already had a headache.

Silently cursing, I followed her into the left wing the part reserved for the most trusted staff and my parents’ personal aides. She le

me through the herb garden to a wooden gazebo tucked at the far end.

“Hope you don’t mind the setting,” she said as we neared it. “No one comes here at this hour. Figured it was suitable for a private

talk.”

She didn’t wait for a response of course not. She simply sat at the round table like a queen on her throne.

With a sigh, I took the seat across from her and looked around. Just as she’d said, we were alone just me and the cantankerous

woman I wished I didn’t need.

“I want you to look at these,” I said, pulling the photos from my inner jacket pocket and spreading them across the table.

She adjusted her glasses and leaned in. “May I ask where you obtained/these?”

“They were supposedly part of a police investigation,” I replied, watching her eyes narrow. “Why? See something suspicious?”

Her jaw tightened. “I know this man… that bastard.”

“That’s Kincade Thayer,” I said. “I asked you about him two days ago.”

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Chapter 212

Her lips curled in disgust. “Yes. Your mother always regretted hiring him. Useless tool couldn’t handle a single task discreetly.”

My brows rose. “She hired him? For what?”

Sunniva shot me a look. “And why should I tell you that?”

I clenched my fists. “Because it matters. If I can’t untangle this, someone might use these photos to smear both Ami/and my mother.”

That got her attention. Her eyes widened slightly. “What does Ms. Kennerly have to do with any of this?”

I inhaled slowly. “Zinnia’s accusing Ami of working with Thayer. Claims she helped him gather information for my mother.”

Sunniva let out a sharp, derisive snort. “Why on earth would your mother entrust a child with such tasks?”

“How should I know?” I shot back. “You were the one who implied Ami was my mother’s spy.”

She met my gaze evenly. “That was a test. She passed. End of story.”.

“So she never worked for my mother?”

A pause. Then, “No.”

“What about her father?”

Another sigh. “Your mother has her own mechanics. She had no need for others.”

I leaned forward. “Why did she hire Thayer?”

Sunniva’s lips pressed tight. “She wanted him to follow Renzo. She was concerned he’d gotten involved with the wrong people

needed to know how deep it ran.”

“So it had nothing to do with Zinnia or me?”

“No,” she said, voice sharp. “Thayer was hired for his… associations with criminals. Not his intelligence.” She clicked her tongue

impatiently.

I tapped one of the photographs. “Now look closely. Could this scene have actually happened? Does anything feel… off?”

Sunniva squinted. Her eyes moved across the photos for a long minute before lifting to meet mine.

“That’s not your mother’s dress,” she said flatly.

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