Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 287

Kent stared fixedly at the photograph in his hands, his gaze lingering on the image of a middle-aged woman, her face twisted in pain, surrounded by squalor. His brows drew together in a tight frown.

“Not yet,” he murmured.

Silvia had enough on her plate lately. He didn’t want to add this to her worries—not until he’d gauged how she really felt about the woman in the photo.

His assistant noticed Kent slipping the picture back into the envelope and hesitated before speaking. “Mr. Parsons, I think you can be honest with Mrs. Parsons about this.”

“Why?” Kent shot back.

The assistant chose his words carefully. “From what I know of her, if she asked you to investigate, she wants the truth—good or bad.”

Kent waved him off, signaling that he should get back to work.

Left alone, Kent sat at his desk, his hands folded beneath his chin, deep lines of concern etched across his forehead.

The assistant had a point. Silvia was the one who wanted this investigated. Now that he’d uncovered a lead, he couldn’t keep it from her.

***

That evening, Silvia arrived home before Kent. She settled into the study, sifting through company project files when her phone buzzed.

Bzz-bzz—

She glanced at the screen. Johnny was calling. Silvia picked up immediately. “Mr. Johnny, do you have something new for me?”

“Yes, Miss Ashford. I’ve found some information about your foster mother’s current situation. I’m sending it to your email right now—please take a look.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Suddenly, the sound of the front door closing echoed through the house. Silvia knew Kent was home.

She shut her laptop and slipped out of the study.

When she spotted Kent standing in the foyer, a small smile played at her lips. “You’re home early today.”

She walked over and, almost instinctively, took his coat. It was the first time she’d ever done that for him, and Kent couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.

He reached out, slipping an arm around her waist, his hand resting gently at her side. Noticing the tension in her expression, he paused, weighing his words before finally saying, “I have some news to share with you.”

“Go ahead.” Silvia could tell by his tone that this wasn’t going to be good news, but at this point, she felt ready to face anything.

Seeing how calm she was, Kent continued, “It’s about your foster mother—Jewel.”