Chapter 196

Julian Archer looked puzzled. He didn’t really believe it, but he wanted to hear the actual reason. This was the perfect moment to ask—made sense, wasn’t abrupt, left no room for dodging. “You’ve probably guessed already,” Harold Allen chuckled. As he stepped into the elevator, he continued, “Claire’s grandmother used to work for our family. Her mom actually lived with us for a few years when she was a kid. Ran into her in the supermarket a few days ago—it all clicked.” “You had something with Claire’s mom back then?” Julian asked bluntly. “Definitely not,” Harold waved it off. “We barely interacted, even under the same roof.” “Then why come here in person?” Harold sighed, looking like he was still piecing it together himself. The elevator doors opened, and the two headed toward the building unit. He hadn’t figured out how to explain it—assuming he even could. It all sounded too wild in his own head. Some thoughts were better left unsaid. Julian was still waiting. Harold couldn’t hold