The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 2072

Jack had been piecing together the puzzle of Arabella's aunt and uncle's business troubles. It seemed their subsidiary companies had run into a mysterious sabotage, likely the work of an enigmatic figure known as Stinger. The only details Jack had unearthed about Stinger were frustratingly vague: a man with a youthful voice, on the lean side, and taller than average. His facial features remained a complete mystery.

"The auctioneer mentioned that Stinger has shown up a few times, bidding on some jewelry. I'll send you photos of the pieces," Jack said without ending the call, swiftly sharing a dozen images with Arabella via WhatsApp.

As Arabella flicked through the photos, a knot formed in her stomach. Each piece was unmistakably linked to the Collins family, exuding opulence and history.

If her eyes weren't deceiving her, these were the very jewels that Serena, when she was still the golden girl of the Collins family, had received as gifts from her family.

Arabella spoke in a measured tone, "Back when Erik and Martha were still with us, they had a side business selling off Serena's jewelry, designer clothes, and luxury bags in exchange for cash. Looking at this, it's almost certain that Stinger is one of Erik's guys."

Jack continued, "The auction house doesn't have any surveillance since the clientele prefer their privacy, and auctioneer didn't want to risk scaring them off with cameras. There's no footage of Stinger. But the owner did say that he always shows up wearing a black balaclava and a black baseball cap, with just his eyes showing – sharp and full of malice, almost devoid of human emotion, cold. The night he came to the auction, he didn't bid on anything. He just showed up for a bit and left."

"That means he wasn't there for the auction items," Arabella deduced. "He was probably meeting someone, using the crowd and the lack of surveillance to his advantage. Now we can be sure that Stinger is connected to Erik, and he might know who's pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Since Erik had been coerced into taking his own life with poison on the orders of this shadowy puppeteer, capturing Stinger became crucial. He might be willing to avenge Erik by spilling what he knew about the mastermind.

Yet there was also the chance that Stinger was now answering to Serena, viewing the Collins family as a thorn.

"Keep tracking Stinger's whereabouts," Arabella instructed. "See if there's any trail leading to or from the auction that could be linked to him."