259 Chapter 259
259.Chapter 259
Standing before Jonathan was a young man in his early twenties, dressed casually in a black hoodie and jeans. He was definitely not Teresa.
Jonathan’s gaze darkened, his voice sharp and demanding. “Where is Teresa?”
The young man blinked, looking confused. “And you are?”
Jonathan’s tone turned even colder. “Teresa, the owner of this house. Is she here?”
The young man shrugged, his expression innocent. “I’m the owner now. I live here. alone. Oh, and there’s Lily.”
The young man turned around and whistled. A gorgeous Ragdoll cat strutted out from the hallway, completely ignoring her owner and heading straight for Jonathan, rubbing affectionately against his leg.
Jonathan was momentarily speechless.
The young man snorted. “Lily, you traitorous tomcat. Ditching me for a stranger, huh?” Jonathan frowned deeply, glancing down at the clingy Ragdoll cat.
“Don’t believe me? Go ahead, take a look,” the young man said generously, stepping aside to let Jonathan in.
The three–bedroom apartment was a complete mess–snack wrappers were scattered all over the floor, and several oil paintings were stacked haphazardly on the living room table. The young man chuckled as he moved the paintings aside.
Jonathan stared at him for a few seconds, then scanned the room. There was no sign of a woman living here, and certainly no trace of Teresa.
He pulled out his phone and made a call. The person on the other end confirmed, “No mistake, Mr. Lynn. It’s Building One, East Unit, third floor.”
“I’m really the owner. If you don’t believe me, take a look.” The young man pulled out the title deed and showed it to Jonathan. The name on it was Benson Harris, 24 years old, and he was the sole owner.
The property manager arrived shortly after and clarified the situation. Benson was indeed the current owner, but Teresa had been the previous one.
The developer’s records still listed Teresa as the buyer of the new property. In other words, Teresa had already sold it, transferring ownership to Benson.
“Do you have any contact information for the previous owner?” Jonathan asked. urgently.
Successfully unlocked!
Benson shook his head. “I bought it tough on age. It was newly renovated, never lived in, and in a great location, so I went for it. Cost me 510 thousand dollars.”
Jonathan fell silent. Teresa never came back after leaving Fernlandia. She sold the
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apartment directly and disappeared.
Benson, looking completely clueless, held up his ragdoll cat and swore with its paw. “I swear, I don’t know this Teresa. I’m just a guy who bought a house.”
Jonathan snapped out of his thoughts and said, “Sorry for the trouble,” before turning to leave. As he reached the door, Benson followed him out and asked, “Was the previous owner your wife? You seem pretty anxious.”
“Yeah, she’s my wife. What’s it to you?” Jonathan replied, giving Benson a sharp once-
- g. I don’t even know her. Can’t a guy ask a simple question?” Benson shot back,
his tone casual but defensive.
Jonathan studied Benson for a moment longer, realizing he genuinely didn’t recognize Teresa, then turned and walked away.
Once Jonathan’s footsteps faded, Benson let out a long breath of relief. He scooped up the ragdoll cat at his feet and teased, “Lily, are you even a male cat? Rubbing up against every guy you see. You’re getting neutered tomorrow.”
Lily blinked at him, her wide eyes full of silent protest.
Benson plopped Lily onto the sofa, grabbed his phone, and started scrolling through his contacts.
Cheryl was at her shop below the apartment building, her baby bump now impossible. to hide. She couldn’t stay at home anymore–her parents were way too traditional to accept her being pregnant before marriage.
So, Cheryl had been living here recently, in a shop she bought for 150 thousand. She spent her days tutoring twenty kids with a knack for art and taking freelance illustration gigs online to make a living.
A few kids tugged at her hands, their voices full of excitement. “Ms. Cheryl,” they called out.
An hour earlier, some of the kids had run outside to play. When they came back, they were practically dragging her out the door, shouting, “Ms. Cheryl, you have to see this! There’s a super handsome man–he looks like a celebrity!”
Cheryl rolled her eyes. But the moment she stepped outside, she froze. Jonathan was there, staring at his phone as he followed the GPS. Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh crap!” She quickly shooed the kids back inside, trying to act casual.
Peeking out from behind the shop window, she watched Jonathan head straight for Golden Bay Complex. It hit her like a ton of bricks–he must be here looking for Teresa.
Without wasting a second, Cheryl grabbed her phone and called Benson, her
classmate, to give him a heads–up.
The phone rang, and Cheryl quickly picked up when she saw the caller ID.
259 Chapter 250
Benson casually fiddled with the painting Cheryl had dropped off earlier that day. “It’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it. He’s already gone.”
“You didn’t tell him I’m living downstairs, did you?” Cheryl asked nervously.
“Why would I bring you up? I didn’t say a word about you,” Benson replied with a chuckle.
“Good, that’s good,” Cheryl sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Good thing I warned you in time. If you’d let it slip that you knew me, Jonathan would‘ ve come looking for me and started grilling me with questions,” she added.
Benson laughed lightly. “What’s there to be scared of? Your cousin seems like a pretty decent guy.
Cheryl’s gaze dropped on her growing belly. She was still hiding under loose denim overalls, but with the weather heating up, thick winter clothes were no longer an option.
In just a few months, by late summer, she’d be giving birth. She was determined not to go back home.
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