Chapter 267

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267
Medical books ?
Aria couldn’t help but connect this with the items she’d taken from the old traditional medicine practitioner’s place .
There were exactly three books .
These must be the medical books Culver was after .
Before they knew it , Owen had walked Aria to Betty’s place .
Noticing the slight furrow in her brow , he instinctively reached out and lightly ruffled her hair , withdrawing his hand instantly . “ You’re home . Go get some sleep . Don’t overthink it , or you’ll have trouble sleeping . ”
His words came out faster than intended , the end of his sentence carrying a barely noticeable tremor .
With that , he turned and strode off in the opposite direction , his steps hurried and urgent .
The warmth on her head vanished instantly , replaced by a biting cold wind .
Aria’s eyes widened . ‘ Did Owen just … pat my head ?
‘ Could he have mistaken me for Anabel ?
‘ Do we really look alike ? ‘
Owen could still feel Aria’s gaze fixed on his back .
Thank god it was night . At least she couldn’t see how flustered his steps were .
He clenched his right hand , his throat working repeatedly as he swallowed . Only when he reached the door did his heartbeat finally settle .
He had no idea why he’d reached out to pat Aria’s head . When he saw her frown , he instinctively wanted to smooth it out , and by the time he realized , his hand was already there .
‘ At least I only touched her head and not her brows , ‘ he mused . ‘ Otherwise , that would’ve really been crossing the line . ‘
Owen stepped inside , just as he locked eyes with Caleb , who was coming out of the bathroom .
Caleb was also staying there , sleeping on the living room couch . He stayed there instead of going back to the dorm , simply to be closer to Aria .
They weren’t used to sharing rooms , neither of them .
Owen had initially offered his room to Caleb , but Caleb refused .
If it weren’t for Aria , Owen wouldn’t have even thought of doing something so ‘ thoughtful . ‘ After all , he only had the title of ‘ big brother ‘ – there was no need to accept such favors .
Caleb broke the silence first , his voice calm but probing . “ Why are you blushing ? ”
“ Windburn . It’s freezing out there . ”
“ I’m going to shower . ” Owen averted his gaze and headed to his room .
Caleb frowned as he watched Owen walk into the room .
‘ It’s not like today’s the first cold day . Why haven’t I ever seen his face get windburned before ? ‘ he wondered .
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Owen had come back with Aria .
If Caleb didn’t trust Owen’s character , he would have suspected the guy was up to no good with Aria .
“ Dr. Webster , I believe Aria has taken those medical books , ” someone reported respectfully .
Culver sat on the sofa , holding a printed photograph of a recess .
The bottom of the recess was covered in dust , except for a clearly visible rectangular outline in the center – obviously left by the medical books that had
once been stored there .
He instructed , “ Find a chance to search her place . Those medical books are secondary . The seal is the real target . ”
The two exchanged uneasy glances . “ There are surveillance cameras at the entrance . We’re worried we might tip her off . ”
If they could find what they wanted , then fine . But if they couldn’t , they would definitely tip her off .
Culver ordered , “ Hire a hacker to disable the surveillance . ”
The man answered , “ Understood , sir . ”
They left , gently closing the door behind them .
Culver’s mind flashed with the image of Aria’s cold , distant face .
‘ That girl is no simpleton , ‘ he mused . ‘ I need to tread carefully around her and absolutely can’t afford to offend her .
‘ If she catches wind of my plans , she’ll show up with the seal and throw everything into chaos . Taking over Todd School would be next to impossible
then .
‘ Dr. Todd really was lucky . He took in a random village girl , only to discover she’s so well – connected .’
Just as Culver was about to rest , a sudden knock interrupted the silence .
“ Dr. Webster , it’s Hannah , ” called a woman’s voice from outside .
He frowned in annoyance , about to refuse , but restrained himself and said curtly , “ Come in . ”
Hannah stepped inside , her expression barely concealing a trace of unease .
With feigned concern , she asked , “ Dr. Webster , I heard Aria had been disrespectful to you . Is that true ? ”
Before coming , Culver had left no stone unturned in investigating Aria’s background and social connections .