Scarlett's smile faded as she saw the worry and suspicion in Noah's eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to explain...
"I know it's not the best way to approach you, but I had no choice. No one sent me. I came here to talk to you," Scarlett said.
Noah furrowed his brows in confusion as he listened to Scarlett's words.
"You wanted to talk to me and decided to trespass on my property? Aren't you afraid of me reporting you to the police?" He asked.
Scarlett couldn't help but find amusement in her uncle's reaction. "I believe you won't call the police," she said calmly.
Noah gripped his weapon tightly.
"You seem very confident," he said, his voice cold and threatening. "Aren't you afraid I pulled the trigger?"
Scarlett took a deep breath.
"Mister, you won't do that if you know who I am," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Noah narrowed his eyes, studying the girl in front of him. Despite the danger she was in, she showed no fear. Looking at her, he couldn't help but wonder if she was his sister Rosalie in disguise.
"Perhaps, are you my little sister? Rosalie, is that you?" Noah asked, his voice filled with doubt but also a glimmer of hope.
Scarlett was stunned.
'How could he think that way? Didn't they know that Rosalie was dead?'
Instantly, Scarlett's composure was disturbed, and her emotions became turbulent. She clenched her hands before responding.
"Rosalie Withers? I'm not her," she said, her voice slightly trembling.
Noah's shoulders slumped as he realized his mistake. "I'm sorry. It's just that you look so much like her," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But if you're not Rosalie, who are you, and why are you here?"
"I'm Rosalie Withers's daughter!"
Thud!
There was the sound of a gun falling to the floor.
Noah Withers stared deeply into Scarlett's eyes. After some time, he said, "R-Rosalie... daughter?" His voice trembled, and suddenly his vision became blurry as if tears were about to fall from his eyes.
"Wait!" Scarlett was surprised by her uncle's expression. Why wasn't he denying that she was Rosalie Withers' daughter? And why did he earlier think she was Rosalie herself? "Do you know that my mother, Rosalie, is not dead?"
Noah didn't immediately answer Scarlett's question, but his eyes continued to stare at her. Then, he spoke something out loud—instructing his smart home to turn on the lights—instantly, the room lit up.
His eyes continued to study Scarlett, and it didn't take him long to realize she wasn't lying.
'She's Rosalie's daughter!' His heart filled with happiness at the realization.
"I did know," Noah finally spoke up, clearing his throat to make his voice more casual. "I'm the one who helped her escape from the old man's clutches."
Noah's hands clenched into fists as memories of the past flooded his mind. He had helped his little sister escape from their grandfather's evil grasp, and it had been a difficult and dangerous task. But he had done it to protect her and was glad he could also help Rosalie.
Scarlett was shocked to hear Noah's confession. "So, is that why you cut ties with them? Because your grandfather made her suffer?"
"Yes, of course," Noah replied, taking a deep breath. "And can you please take off your disguise? Can I see the real you?"
Scarlett was surprised once again by her uncle's knowledge. "You know that too?" she asked.
Noah nodded. "I know more than you think," he said, his expression serious.
He observed Scarlett's reaction and continued his sentence when he noticed she was silent.
"If you could enter here undetected and without alerting that bastard Jude's people, you must have some similarities with your mother. She was the only skilled disguise person I've ever known," Noah chuckled. "By the way, where is she now? She hasn't contacted me for so long..."
Scarlett was at a loss for words. She didn't know how to react to her uncle seeing through her disguise so quickly. But when she heard his last words, her head felt like spinning.
"M-My mother..." her voice heavy with sadness, "She was dead!"
"DEAD!?" Noah's voice rose a notch from the shock.
Scarlett nodded sympathetically at how shocked her uncle was now.
"No way! That girl will never die easily. Unless they find her…." Noah said with a chuckle. But when he saw Scarlett's expression remain unchanged, his heart almost stopped beating.
He abruptly stood up from his chair and began to pace back and forth, running his hands through his once-neatly-combed hair and turning it into a mess.
Scarlett remained silent and followed her uncle as he paced back and forth in front of her. She could sense his shock upon hearing the news about her mother. The same with her. It was hard for her to grasp that her uncle had known about her mother's escape.
Before long, Noah Withers stopped pacing and looked at Scarlett intently. His hands hung at his sides as he asked, "Tell me, how did she die?"
"My mother was involved in a car accident, and she died on the spot... that's what I heard. I was too young to understand how she died," Scarlett replied.
Noah crossed his arms before his chest, pausing to think about something. Moments later, his laughter echoed throughout the room, breaking the silence.
Scarlett was confused by his reaction, wondering why he was laughing instead of being sad.
Noah's expression turned serious. He sat again on his seat and then said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. It's just that your mother was always so good at faking her death. She did it a few times before."
Scarlett's eyes widened in shock.
"W-H-A-T!! Faking her death?"
Ever since she found her mother's death certificate, she sensed something was amiss about the circumstances surrounding her mother's passing. However, no one had voiced any suspicions, and she was left alone with her doubts. Hearing her uncle says her mother might have faked her death rendered her speechless.
