Chapter 76

Kayla flinched slightly when she heard her name,blurting out without thinking, "I still need to go back to the company. I can't stay long."

Jeremy shot her a cold, sharp look. "I'll talk to Archie about this. I'm sure you can spare a few minutes."

She opened her mouth as if to argue but thought better of it and fell silent.

Jeremy then turned to his secretary and gave a small nod. "Set up the piano. Kayla will be playing."

In the conference room, Zane was already seated,being attended to by the secretary with polite conversation and refreshments.

When Jeremy and Kayla walked in together,Zane looked genuinely surprised. "What a coincidence Kayla,you're here too?"

Kayla gave him a polite nod and smiled, then instinctively walked over to the piano. A piece of sheet music had already been placed on the stand-it was one she recognized and could play without trouble.

She glanced over at Jeremy. "I only had a few piano lessons when I was younger. I'm not very skilled." Jeremy,now seated beside Zane, said calmly, "Just play."

Kayla nodded."Alright."

Zane smiled gently, his eyes full of expectation as he looked forward to hearing her play.

Jeremy had already asked the staff to leave the room.It was just the three of them now.

The soft piano notes slowly filled the room, wrapping the space in a quiet calm.

Zane reached for the folder in front of him, ready to discuss the contract, but when he glanced up, he paused. Jeremy wasn't even looking at the documents -his eyes were locked on Kayla, completely absorbed in her performance.

Zane looked between the two of them, a knowing smile playing at his lips, but he said nothing.

Kayla played three pieces in a row. As the final note faded, Jeremy finally turned his focus back to business, and the conversation with Zane began.

As the discussion went on, Kayla's phone, which was sitting on the table, started to vibrate.

She checked the caller ID, picked it up, and quietly walked out of the conference room to take the call.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her tone dropping the moment she heard the caregiver's voice. The voice on the other end was filled with worry."Kayla, your grandmother ate breakfast this morning,but now she's saying her stomach hurts. You'd better come quickly."

"Alright, I'm on my way now." Kayla ended the call,turned back to the conference room, and paused when she saw Jeremy and Zane deep in discussion.She didn't want to interrupt.

At that moment, Edwin happened to walk by. She quickly approached him. "I have an emergency and need to go. Could you please let Jeremy know?"

Edwin took one look at her worried expression and gave a small nod. "Understood. Go ahead."

When Jeremy stepped out and found the room empty,a strange wave of emptiness crept over him.

Back in his office, he leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette. The smoke curled upward as he sat in silence.

Edwin walked in moments later. "Mr. Graham, I've seen Mr. Campbell off. He agreed to let us handle next month's bidding project."

Jeremy responded with a quiet hum, but there was no enthusiasm behind it.

Edwin added, "Kayla had something urgent come up.She asked me to let you know."

leremy didn't reply right away. He tapped the ash from his cigarette into the tray, then finally spoke. "What about the investigation I assigned you?"

"We've asked the hotel for the full list of guests from that night. We're going through the records one by one. We'll find her eventually."

Jeremy's eyes narrowed. "No matter what it takes, I need to know who the woman in my room that night was."

Meanwhile, Kayla arrived at the care facility, rushing down the hallway. She opened the door to find Marsha lying peacefully in bed, already asleep.

To her surprise, Liam was seated beside the bed,gently adjusting the blanket. When he noticed Kayla enter, he stood and gave her a reassuring smile."Don't worry. Marsha's alright now."

Kayla frowned and asked in a cold voice, "What happened?"

"Let's talk outside," Liam said, leading her out of the room and quietly closing the door behind them. "I had the doctor take a look at her. They said she ate something that didn't sit well, but luckily, it wasn't too much. The doctor also mentioned that she needs more family around-her memory and awareness are starting to slip."

Kayla nodded once. "Got it. You can leave now."

But just as she turned to go back inside, Liam grabbed her hand and pulled her back against the wall. His tone softened,his eyes full of emotion. "Kayla, let's forget the past and start over. We can take Marsha home and take care of her together. She'd be so happy."

This time, Kayla didn't shove him away. But her eyes turned icy, and her voice was like steel. "Liam, what makes you think you have the right to say that to me?"