Chapter 260

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Standing before Jonathan was a young man in his early twenties , dressed casually in a black hoodie and jeans . He was definitely not Teresa .
Jonathan’s gaze darkened , his voice sharp and demanding . “ Where is Teresa ? ”
The young man blinked , looking confused . “ And you are ? ”
Jonathan’s tone turned even colder . “ Teresa , the owner of this house . Is she here ? ”
The young man shrugged , his expression innocent . “ I’m the owner now . I live here . alone . Oh , and there’s Lily . ”
The young man turned around and whistled . A gorgeous Ragdoll cat strutted out from the hallway , completely ignoring her owner and heading straight for Jonathan , rubbing affectionately against his leg .
Jonathan was momentarily speechless .
The young man snorted . “ Lily , you traitorous tomcat . Ditching me for a stranger , huh ? ” Jonathan frowned deeply , glancing down at the clingy Ragdoll cat .
“ Don’t believe me ? Go ahead , take a look ,” the young man said generously , stepping aside to let Jonathan in .
The three – bedroom apartment was a complete mess – snack wrappers were scattered all over the floor, and several oil paintings were stacked haphazardly on the living room table . The young man chuckled as he moved the paintings aside .
Jonathan stared at him for a few seconds , then scanned the room . There was no sign of a woman living here , and certainly no trace of Teresa .
He pulled out his phone and made a call . The person on the other end confirmed , “ No mistake , Mr. Lynn . It’s Building One , East Unit , third floor . ”
“ I’m really the owner . If you don’t believe me , take a look .” The young man pulled out the title deed and showed it to Jonathan . The name on it was Benson Harris , 24 years old , and he was the sole owner .
The property manager arrived shortly after and clarified the situation . Benson was indeed the current owner , but Teresa had been the previous one .
The developer’s records still listed Teresa as the buyer of the new property . In other words , Teresa had already sold it , transferring ownership to Benson .
“ Do you have any contact information for the previous owner ? ” Jonathan asked . urgently .
Successfully unlocked !
Benson shook his head . “ I bought it tough on age . It was newly renovated , never lived in , and in a great location , so I went for it . Cost me 510 thousand dollars . ”
Jonathan fell silent . Teresa never came back after leaving Fernlandia . She sold the
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apartment directly and disappeared .
Benson , looking completely clueless , held up his ragdoll cat and swore with its paw . “ I swear , I don’t know this Teresa . I’m just a guy who bought a house . ”
Jonathan snapped out of his thoughts and said , “ Sorry for the trouble ,” before turning to leave . As he reached the door , Benson followed him out and asked , “ Was the previous owner your wife ? You seem pretty anxious . ”
“ Yeah , she’s my wife . What’s it to you ? ” Jonathan replied , giving Benson a sharp once-
his tone casual but defensive .
Jonathan studied Benson for a moment longer , realizing he genuinely didn’t recognize Teresa , then turned and walked away .
Once Jonathan’s footsteps faded , Benson let out a long breath of relief . He scooped up the ragdoll cat at his feet and teased , “ Lily , are you even a male cat ? Rubbing up against every guy you see . You’re getting neutered tomorrow . ”
Lily blinked at him , her wide eyes full of silent protest .
Benson plopped Lily onto the sofa , grabbed his phone , and started scrolling through his contacts .
Cheryl was at her shop below the apartment building , her baby bump now impossible . to hide . She couldn’t stay at home anymore – her parents were way too traditional to accept her being pregnant before marriage .
So , Cheryl had been living here recently , in a shop she bought for 150 thousand . She spent her days tutoring twenty kids with a knack for art and taking freelance illustration gigs online to make a living .
A few kids tugged at her hands , their voices full of excitement . “ Ms. Cheryl , ” they called out .
An hour earlier , some of the kids had run outside to play . When they came back , they were practically dragging her out the door , shouting , “ Ms. Cheryl , you have to see this ! There’s a super handsome man – he looks like a celebrity ! ”
Cheryl rolled her eyes . But the moment she stepped outside , she froze . Jonathan was there , staring at his phone as he followed the GPS . Her heart skipped a beat . “ Oh crap ! ” She quickly shooed the kids back inside , trying to act casual .
Peeking out from behind the shop window , she watched Jonathan head straight for Golden Bay Complex . It hit her like a ton of bricks – he must be here looking for Teresa .
Without wasting a second , Cheryl grabbed her phone and called Benson , her
classmate , to give him a heads – up .
The phone rang , and Cheryl quickly picked up when she saw the caller ID .
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Benson casually fiddled with the painting Cheryl had dropped off earlier that day . “ It’s no big deal . Don’t worry about it . He’s already gone . ”
“You didn’t tell him I’m living downstairs , did you ? ” Cheryl asked nervously .
“ Why would I bring you up ? I didn’t say a word about you ,” Benson replied with a chuckle .
“ Good , that’s good , ” Cheryl sighed in relief , wiping the sweat from her forehead .
“ Good thing I warned you in time . If you’d let it slip that you knew me , Jonathan would ‘ ve come looking for me and started grilling me with questions ,” she added .
Benson laughed lightly . “ What’s there to be scared of ? Your cousin seems like a pretty decent guy .
Cheryl’s gaze dropped on her growing belly . She was still hiding under loose denim overalls , but with the weather heating up , thick winter clothes were no longer an option .
In just a few months , by late summer , she’d be giving birth . She was determined not to go back home .
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