Loraine furrowed her brows, sensing something was wrong but unable to put her finger on it. She


    replied coldly, “What should I know?”


    Zaria identally stepped on a stone, almost tripping, but the shock seemed to clear her mind a little.


    She reassured herself while studying Loraine’s face.


    Although it bore some resemnce to the woman she recalled, that person had a gentle and reserved


    demeanor. In contrast, Loraine now exuded a cold and sharp aura.


    Loraine couldn’t possibly know her secret, Zaria told herself, so there was no reason to be frightened.


    With that in mind, Zaria stepped back. Finally, she grabbed Judie’s arm and turned to flee, ordering the


    guards to protect them.


    Judie was left dumbfounded, unable toprehend what had just urred. Before she could question


    anything, Zaria had pulled her away, her distant cursing growing fainter.


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    The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. The guards exchanged puzzled looks and


    hurriedly followed. Marco’s brow furrowed as he asked in a deep voice, “What does all this mean?”


    Loraine struggled to put the pieces together, but she sensed that she was on the brink of uncovering


    something she had been seeking for a long time.


    Noticing her distress, Marco approached and gently took her hand, trying tofort her. “The Cooper


    family is indeed problematic. Should


    I teach them a lesson?” he asked, his eyes narrowing to cold, dark slits as he genuinely considered


    taking action.


    Although the Cooper family held influence in the vige, outside its borders, they were merely ordinary


    people with some wealth. Marco knew he wouldn’t need to exert much effort to deal with them.


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    Loraine’s attention snapped back to the present, and she refuted his proposal, her brow furrowing in


    concern. “Let’s not act hastily against the Cooper family. Did you notice Judie’s mother’s reaction?


    Wasn’t it strange?”


    It was as though Zaria had something to hide and feared facing her own guilt.


    Marco’s brow mirrored Loraine’s as he nodded in agreement. “You knew her before?” he asked.


    Loraine shook her head, her teeth Lightly grazing her lower lip as she delved into her memories.


    “When I was a child, I met Judie before I attended elementary school,” she began.


    Her recollections were somewhat hazy, but the general picture was starting to form.


    “I didn’t know who Judie was then, but I would often see her mother, standing outside the orphanage’s


    iron gate, watching me intently for days on end. Later, Judie began to bully me, perhaps thinking I was


    stealing her mother’s attention.”


    Thinking back, Loraine found the fact of a grown woman secretly watching a child at an orphanage


    deeply unsettling.


    “Did she ever speak to you when she watched you outside the orphanage?”


    Marco pondered.


    Loraine shook her head, frustrated at her younger self’sck of awareness.