Chapter 303

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Aria jerked to a halt , raising her eyes to meet Orlando’s with a flash of sharp alertness . “ Is this coming from you ,” she demanded , “ or from Russellte
Orlando and Russell from Nebula Corp. had a close personal relationship – an open secret in their loop , as neither made any effort to conceal it .
They were more than just friends .
Orlando maintained his gentle smile . “ Frankly speaking , Ms. Saxon , while about your background , which naturally led me to pay closer attention . ”
If someone were determined to dig into Pearl’s affairs , they might uncover some traces .
business matters recently , I happened to overhear a few things
Patrick and Rhett both knew Aria was searching for someone , but neither of them knew exactly who .
Since Orlando could mention it so directly , it was clear to her that he had already uncovered the connection between Aria and Pearl .
That portrait – she’d only ever shown it to Patrick .
‘ There’s no way Patrick could be one of theirs . Just how far does Russell’s reach go ? ‘ Aria thought .
Aria met Orlando’s gaze , an enigmatic smile curving her lips . “ So , ” she said coolly , “ have you two uncovered any concrete leads ? ”
A chill flashed imperceptibly through Orlando’s eyes . “ I happened to see the portrait sketch you drew , Ms. Saxon , ” he said smoothly . “ Strangely enough , it bears an uncanny resemblance to a younger sister in my household .
“ My younger sister is about sixteen or seventeen , Huthailian . She was trafficked to Masmubia at age ten . Seeing she had no one to turn to , we took her in .
“ If you wish to meet her , I can make the arrangements , Ms. Saxon . A DNA test would also be no problem at all . ”
Aria asked , “ What’s the catch ? ”
Orlando cut straight to the chase . “ We’d like Ms. Olsen to come work for Cole Group . ”
Aria’s lips curled into a mocking smile as she scoffed . “ Mr. Gallagher , with all the effort you’re putting in for Cole Group , it’s hard not to question your true identity . ”
The other three failed to catch the underlying meaning in her words .
However , Orlando’s expression shifted abruptly , his gaze turning guarded as he looked at Aria . “ You … ”
Aria cut him off bluntly . “ Cole Group is a total mess – I won’t let Ruby suffer through that . ” She turned to Ruby . “ Ruby , let’s go ! ”
Ruby regarded Orlando thoughtfully , her gaze lingering on him , meaningful . After a brief pause , she nodded . “ Very well . ”
Kim immediately followed , thinking that if Cloe was there , Julia must be around .
The three left one after another . Liam turned to Orlando and asked suspiciously , “ How did you know Aria was searching for someone ? ”
Their relationship was far from ordinary – in fact , they were practically at each other’s throats .
Somehow , Liam felt a faint sense of satisfaction welling up inside him .
Even though Liam didn’t mind having Orlando around , he had no intention of letting the man overshadow his own brilliance .
Though Orlando was blameless , it didn’t change the fact that he was born out of wedlock .
“ I found out by chance , ” Orlando replied evenly , his expression calm .
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Realizing Orlando didn’t want to elaborate , Llam wisely didn’t press further .
Orlando regarded him as a rival , but Liam was single – mindedly focused on the growth of the Cole Group .
Ana never fell for threats – Orlando’s tactic was doomed to fail . He’d have to come up
Once the Shaws learned about Julia , Cloe began openly keeping her by her side .
with another plan .
Julia’s eyes lit up the moment she spotted Aria . She scampered over on her little legs and piped , “ Aria , I missed you so much ! ”
Aria softened her smile and crouched down just in time , catching Julia firmly as the little girl barreled into her arms .
Just as Aria was about to pick Julia up , the little girl wriggled free and protested , “ No need to carry me , Aria ! I’m a big girl now . You’ve been working so hard these past months – you must be tired . ”
“ I’m not tired at all , ” Aria said , her heart warming as she gently patted Julia’s head . Then she stood up and introduced Ruby to Cloe , “ This is Ms. Ruby Olsen from GloTech . ”
Cloe quickly extended her hand . “ Ms. Olsen , I’ve heard so much about you . ”