While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Trouble at Clarks Pizza

The red awning fluttered in the afternoon breeze.

Veyra stood on the sidewalk, looking at the small shop. Clark’s Pizza. The sign was hand-painted. The letters were slightly crooked. The window displayed photographs of pizzas with glossy toppings and melted cheese.

It was humble and so simple.

Veyra’s heart swelled.

This was where Aunt Clark worked. The woman who had seen a frightened little girl and a masked man. The woman who had spoken up when others might have looked away. She had saved Lily’s life.

"Wait here," Veyra said to Li Wei.

"Mrs. Thorne, I can’t—"

"I’m going to a pizza shop. To thank an old woman. You don’t need to stand beside me for that."

Li Wei’s jaw tightened. "Mr. Thorne’s instructions—"

"Mr. Thorne isn’t here." Veyra looked at him. "I’ll be fine. The shop has windows. You can see me from here. If anything happens, you’ll be inside before I can blink."

Li Wei considered this. Then he nodded. "Five minutes. Then I come in."

"Five minutes."

Veyra turned and walked toward the shop. But she did not go in immediately.

There was a supermarket next door. Very small and independent. A basket of fresh fruit sat outside the entrance. She went inside and the bell above the door chimed.

The supermarket was cramped. Shelves lined with canned goods and dry pasta. A small refrigerator case with drinks. A display of pastries near the register.

Veyra grabbed a shopping basket. She selected a box of expensive chocolates. A bouquet of fresh flowers. A bottle of good wine.

It was not enough. Not nearly enough to thank someone who had helped save a child’s life. But it was something. A gesture.

She paid in cash. The cashier wrapped the wine in tissue paper. Veyra carried the gifts out of the supermarket.

She walked to the pizza shop. The bell above the door chimed again.

The shop was small. Six tables. Red checkered tablecloths. A counter at the back with a display case full of pizza slices. The air smelled like dough and tomato sauce and melted cheese.

And there she was.

Aunt Clark.

She was standing behind the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. She was in her sixties. Gray hair pulled back in a bun. A round face with kind eyes and laugh lines. Her hands were red from washing dishes.

Veyra recognized her immediately and it was not from the coffee shop. She had not been there. But from somewhere else. From the way she moved. The way she smiled at customers. The way she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She was the kind of woman who reminded Veyra of her own mother.

"Aunt Clark?" Veyra said.

The woman looked up. Her eyes were curious. "Yes?"

Veyra walked to the counter. She set the gifts on the surface. The chocolates. The flowers. The wine.

"I’m the woman whose little girl was kidnapped," Veyra said. "Yesterday. At the café. You told someone at the coffee shop that you saw her. At Greenery Villas."

Aunt Clark’s eyes widened. Her hand went to her chest.

"Oh," she said. "Oh, dear. Is she okay? The little girl?"

"She’s safe. She’s home. She’s fine." Veyra’s voice cracked. "Because of you. Because you spoke up. Because you told someone what you saw."

Aunt Clark shook her head. "I just—I saw her in that man’s arms. She looked so scared. I wanted to call the police, but I wasn’t sure—I didn’t know if I should get involved—"

"You got involved. That’s what matters." Veyra pushed the gifts toward her. "These are for you. A thank-you. From me and from Lily."

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