Mrs. Willow's expression turned grave upon receiving the news, but her demeanor remained poised. Without a hint of panic, she issued her instructions, "I will be on my way. Delay the board members from convening; tell our allies to push the meeting back by twenty minutes."
"Consider it done, Mrs. Willow," came the assured reply from her personal assistant on the other end of the line.
After ending the call, Mrs. Willow faced Valentine Anderson. "We must head back as soon as possible."
Valentine Anderson had not intended to listen in on her conversation, but the caller's voice had boomed so loudly that it had been impossible to ignore from where he sat.
Recognizing the urgency, Valentine wasted no time. Together, they quickly checked out of the hotel room and secured their departure by booking the earliest flight. En route to the airport, Valentine gave one last look back at the cityscape of Vegas, unsure of when he might return.
His hands balled into fists, a fierce resolve etched on his face. "Andrea and Lucas, I swear I'll come back. And when I do, I'll ensure you both rue the day you plotted to kill me," he vowed.
With those final words, he joined Mrs. Willow on the plane, and together they ascended into the skies, leaving the neon buzz of Vegas City behind.
Andrea, engrossed in her office work with a furrowed brow, remained unaware that Valentine Anderson had visited and departed from Vegas City.
Setting aside the documents, Andrea massaged her temple in frustration. The company’s sales volume had dipped by 1% due to inflation. Though a small decline, it could escalate over time if not addressed promptly.
Before she could contemplate a solution, Tony entered the room. Andrea set the documents aside, arching an eyebrow as she regarded Tony with a questioning look.
"Andrea, you seem troubled. Is everything alright?" Tony inquired cautiously, noticing Andrea's furrowed brow.
"The company's sales figures are concerning," Andrea responded before inquiring, "What brings you here?"
"Andrea, I believe the man we saw on the hospital bed a few days ago was Valentine Anderson," Tony revealed.
Tony received a news update from one of his hospital spies revealing that Valentine Anderson had been secretly moved after their visit, raising suspicions. Andrea glanced up from her documents and remarked, "Tony, you should consider changing your spies; they're becoming incompetent. If it's truly Valentine Anderson, he would have contacted me or even come to Vegas City to meet me."
Andrea's confidence was fueled by her conviction that if Valentine Anderson found out she was cohabiting with his twin brother, he would inevitably journey to Vegas City to address the situation with her and Lucas due to jealousy.
Tony fell silent, his phone then emitted a beep. As he read the message, his expression shifted from indifference to seriousness, before a smile crossed his face. Looking at Andrea, he announced, "he is in Vegas City. My spy just reported his arrival in the city a day ago."
Andrea's entire body trembled at Tony's words, and the strangers who had blocked her gate the day before flashed through her mind. While she didn't recognize the woman's face, the man's face was the same as the one she and Tony had visited in the hospital a few weeks earlier.
"Andrea, are you okay?" Tony inquired, noticing her reaction.
Shaking her head, Andrea replied, "Yes, Tony, I need you to locate him."
Tony jumped up eagerly, relieved that Andrea wouldn't end up with Lucas.
"I'll personally handle the investigation. Just wait for my update," Tony exclaimed before leaving Andrea's office.
Andrea fell into silence, her expression clouded with confusion and discomfort.
Andrea couldn't shake the thought that the man who had blocked her at her gate a few days ago might have been Valentine Anderson, but she dismissed the idea quickly. She knew Valentine too well - he wouldn't be able to resist confronting her if he was the one.
Struggling to concentrate on the documents in front of her and feeling unable to continue with the scheduled meetings, Andrea asked her assistant to handle things before abruptly leaving the office.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Andrea surprised Lucas Anderson, who was busy in the garden. "You're home early today. Did something happen at the company?" Lucas asked, clearly taken aback by her early return. He was accustomed to seeing Andrea come home late in the evenings, so her early arrival was unexpected.
Feeling a pang of nervousness at Lucas's question, Andrea took a deep breath and said, "Lucas, I need an honest answer to the question I'm about to ask."
Lucas Anderson's expression shifted from surprise to confusion as Andrea, never one to seek his opinion seriously.
"Go ahead, ask your question," Lucas prompted, intrigued by Andrea's unusual seriousness.
With a tense demeanor, Andrea posed a hypothetical scenario to Lucas, "If you were Valentine Anderson and discovered that your wife was living with your brother, how would you feel?"
Taken aback by the question and sensing Andrea's anxiety, Lucas sighed and replied, "I would feel heartbroken and furious. Andrea, why do you ask? Have you found Valentine?"
Andrea shook her head firmly, retorting, "No," before briskly walking away, leaving Lucas Anderson frowning in confusion.
Glancing at his wristwatch, Lucas realized it was time to pick up Pete from school. He swiftly stored away his gloves and farm tools in the farmhouse by the vegetable garden he had been tending.
As Andrea returned inside the mansion, her worry and panic only intensified.
She paced back and forth, grappling with her thoughts. Suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing Tony's name on the caller ID, she hesitated, unsure how to face the possibility that she had met Valentine Anderson a few days ago.
After a moment of contemplation, she answered the call, only to hear Tony's voice saying, "Andrea, he came to see you. Why don't you realize that he is Valentine Anderson?"
Andrea's heart skipped a beat at Tony's words, her mind racing with a flood of emotions.