---- Chapter 123 On the 28th floor, Tara packed up her stuff in a leisurely manner, since there was no rush for her to make money right now. Everything could be taken slowly, though she planned to move out of the city to somewhere farther away within the next couple of days. Lance had given her too many gifts. She didn't plan to take them all, including the clothes and bags he had bought her. She picked a few sets to bring with her and left the rest. Tt took her about an hour to pack.

She didn't want to lug around a bunch of bags, so she planned to rent a storage unit and have her things shipped there. That would be easier for her. The only problem was that she hadn't decided where to go yet and was still struggling with where would be the safest. That night, she went downstairs to the convenience store to buy something . As she stepped into the elevator and was about to hit the close button, a graceful hand reached in to stop the doors from closing.

Tara looked up in surprise. Lance, dressed in a black shirt and pants, exuded the refined, magnetic charm of a ---- mature man. He looked at her coldly for a second, as if she were a stranger, then dropped his gaze to the lit button for the 28th floor. The elevator doors closed, and the scent of oud immediately filled the confined space, making her heart race. Tara saw him press the button for the 29th floor. So, he had been living on the floor just above hers all along.

Her nervousness was written all over her face and body. After all, he had been kissing her just yesterday morning, yet they had become strangers today. Especially when she caught the familiar scent on him, she couldn't help but behave awkwardly. "are you a live-in housekeeper at Bayhaven Villa?" Lance suddenly asked. Tara hadn't expected him to ask her anything. Bayhaven was the name of the villa where she used to work.

She nodded hesitantly and said, "Yes, but I've already resigned." Lance went quiet, his gaze dropping to the button for the 28th floor again. Ding! The elevator reached the 28th floor. With her convenience store bag in hand, Tara tried to leave as calmly as possible, though her stiff movements gave her away. ---- Lance watched her leave with darkened eyes until the door closed. Once Tara had closed her apartment door, she tried to compose herself.

Lance probably didn't want to share an apartment building with someone he wasn't close to-especially someone who had once tried to seduce him. That night, lying in bed, she finally settled on a place-a spot near a tourist area far from here. She would stay there for a while first, then decide whether to open a shop or look for a job. Tara began browsing online for housing near the tourist area, but after a while, she still hadn't found anything suitable.

Yawning, she rolled over and set her phone on the nightstand. She would sleep first and look again tomorrow. Late at night, Shawn adjusted his glasses, his refined features slightly tense. The dashcam footage from the previous night showed nothing but static. No matter who he sent to investigate, all the vehicle- related data from that night was either completely ---- blurred out or blank. Even the investigators found it strange. The whole thing was simply too bizarre.

Follow new episodes on the CrushnovelS.Com

Shawn remembered going to a company he had acquired -one of its departments was having a dinner party. He had even gone in person. Under normal circumstances , he wouldn't have given a second thought to some random department dinner at a company he had taken over. Yet yesterday , he had gone there personally. Why? The moment seemed to have vanished into thin air. Shawn took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall it.

He hated being in situations he couldn't control. He must get to the bottom of this! Tomorrow , he would have his secretary question the employees. The next morning, Tara was in the kitchen making juice. Afterward , she sipped her juice while scrolling through rental listings near the tourist area. And by noon, she had found a place and paid a deposit. She would ship her luggage there first and quickly book a high-speed train ticket for the next day.

In Sorrentia, Shawn's secretary arrived at the company to question Mark, who had hosted the dinner. Mark only remembered Shawn opening the door to the private room and greeting them briefly before leaving. ---- The secretary showed him a photo of Tara, and Mark commented that she looked stunning but said she was completely unfamiliar. "T've never seen her in my life. We did have a dinner gathering two nights ago, but it was just our department staff," Mark said confidently.

Then, the secretary asked the key question , "What was the reason for the dinner?" Mark smiled, ready to answer. But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he froze. After thinking back carefully , he said, "That's odd. Does anyone remember why we had that dinner gathering two nights ago?" Everyone in the department shook their heads. Someone said, "It was Mr. Hodge who suggested the dinner gathering. As for the reason, we're not sure either.

Thanks to that careless comment, Mark's earlier suspicion was momentarily diverted. He shot the guy a subtle glare-what a talker, seriously. The secretary knew he wouldn't get anything more from asking around. Even the surveillance footage from certain time slots was blank. Even he found it bizarre, especially ---- considering Shawn's usual reputation for being calculating and always in control.

As he entered the elevator, ready to leave, Mike came hurrying out after him with a résumé in hand. He handed it over and told the secretary, "I just saw this résumé on my desk. But I don't remember anyone with this name coming in for an interview." The secretary took the résumé and flipped to the first page, only to see Tara's ID photo prominently at the top. He skimmed over the content briefly to confirm that it was indeed submitted by Tara.

He exited the elevator and asked, "You don't remember her at all?" Mike shook his head. "If I remembered even a little, I'd tell you." There was no reason to hide something like this, after all. Unwilling to give up, the secretary went around the department with Tara's résumé in hand, asking again if anyone remembered seeing her. But everyone said they didn't recall anyone like that coming in. Left with no other choice, the secretary returned to report. He handed the résumé to Shawn and detailed the entire investigation process.