Lauren Clous
Lauren Clous
A moment later, she started to sweat from the rising heat and took her laboratory coat. At the same time, she heard the door on the driver's seat opened and saw Daniel taking his place behind the steering wheel. He gave her a cup of hot coffee and a couple of donuts from the nearby cafe.
"We should go," he said calmly.
"Where are we going?" she asked the most important thing she needed.
"To a safe house where you can find all the answers you needed."
---
"Do you need something else?" the woman asked with a smile. Yelan and Daniel arrived at his safe house where he left her on her own, but he had given her a folder marked as confidential.
"No, thank you. I think I got the necessary items I need," Yelan replied.
"I see," the woman said as she placed the coffee mug she prepared for Yelan. "Master Daniel has told us to provide anything you need so don't be shy to ask for anything."
"Now that you mention it, do you think I can use a computer somewhere? I really need to send a message to my employer about my absence." Yelan could ask for Yuna's help. She had no idea where this place was.
"You're in luck; we have recently purchased new computers and installed it." She gestured for Yelan to follow her. The woman led her to the other room where the computers were set up.
After turning on one of the units for her to use, Yelan was left inside the room. She took a sip from her coffee while she contemplated her next move. Glancing at the file Daniel left with her, she decided to check the content first before messaging Yuna. Opening the folder, she was bombarded by details related to her father.
What was the meaning of this? The information about her father confused the hell out of her.
Yelan was sure that the man in the photo was her father, but the name and even the birthdate were different. Her father's name was Xavier Han so why did in this file he was referred to as 'Lauren Clous'?
She took the card pinned on the top of the first page. There were several dates written on it. Some were even as old as her birthday.
She felt disoriented and tense ever since she saved that stranger and when Daniel kidnapped her from her own place. What did she have to do with this? And why was she approached by both twins with different motives?
Was this a kind of revenge against her father? Were these people trying to play tricks on her? Had they been doing surveillance since she left her father's side?
She didn't have answers, but she kept herself calm. So many thought crossed her mind but none of it gave her the answers she needed.
Yelan took a deep breath and typed 'Lauren Clous', the supposed name of his father indicated on the file, and hit the Enter button. So many results popped out on the window, but what she'd noticed were the dates indicated on each article. They corresponded to the dates written on the card.
She clicked on the first link on the search results and gasped when she read the headline.
The Independent Gazette
August 08, 2xxx
MULTI-MILLIONAIRE HEIRESS KILLED IN AN AMBUSH
Her hand shook terribly as her eyes slowly read the content of the article, informing her that this Lauren Clous had married a multi-millionaire heiress. They were only married for two years when the ambush happened.
Yelan felt like she was punched hard on her stomach. She got this feeling that she wanted to throw up whatever she had eaten that day. In her panic, she accidentally spilled her coffee beside her, scalding her right hand. However, she couldn't be bothered by it.
The date was five years before both of her parents got married. There was no mistaking that the man was her father. Of course, being the husband of the dead heiress he inherited most of her wealth.
Why didn't anyone inform her about this? Was her mother aware that her father was a widower before she married him?
Yelan scrolled down and saw another photo. It was a man and a woman on their wedding day. Her stomach dropped as she stared blankly on the screen, wishing that all of these weren't true and just part of some sick revenge plans against her father.
The man on the picture was a few years younger, and he was wearing a pristine white suit for his wedding day. As Yelan continued to stare at her father's face, she wondered how long she'd been living in secrets and lies. She felt like everything about her was falsified.
What could be next? She wasn't his child? Or maybe he was the one behind her mother's death.
Yelan didn't think that he was capable of it but seeing the truth in front of her, she was starting to question what else she needed to know about her father.
"Unbelievable," Yelan mumbled to herself and closed her eyes. She assumed that she would calm down after breathing deeply, but it didn't happen. Sitting there alone with all the evidence that pointed out that his father was a liar, she felt her heart broke.
What else did she need as evidence? Wasn't the scene on the parking lot enough for her to doubt the identity of her own father? There was no denying that her father was a different man in that public facade he had.
Now that she was aware of his lies, she wondered what else her father lied about.