Their flight to Denver landed on the morning of December 29th.
They had already arranged through an acquaintance to rent a small villa, so they didn't need to stay in a hotel.
The only inconvenience was that they had to handle their own meals.
But that wasn't a big problem either.
The kitchen was fully equipped.
They could cook if they felt like it.
If not, they could simply go out to a restaurant.
On the very first day, Alexander took her skiing.
Isabella had grown up in a southern city and didn't know how to ski.
She had tried it once at an artificial snow park during college with Daniel and some other classmates, but she had been too scared to really try.
Denver had the largest natural ski resort in the country.
It had gentle slopes perfect for beginners.
It also had challenging, continuous steep slopes for skilled skiers to show off.
The facilities and environment were top-tier.
Isabella spent a wonderful day there with him.
On New Year's Eve, they planned to stay in the villa the entire day.
After lunch and a short rest, they started preparing the New Year's Eve dinner together.
Isabella mentioned she wanted to eat a special New Year's cake from her hometown.
Alexander found a video tutorial online.
He started from grinding the glutinous rice into a paste.
Then he steamed it.
Finally, he stir-fried it.
He made the entire dish from scratch for her.
Isabella tasted it and smiled.
"It doesn't taste quite right, but it's still pretty good."
Hearing her say the flavor was off, Alexander frowned.
"I actually know the cake you're talking about. It was often made at home. Haoran's mother loved it. She always had the servants make a lot every New Year. She enjoyed it both stir-fried and deep-fried. Which step did I get wrong?"
"Never mind, I don't have to have it. Is there anything you'd like to eat? I can try making it for you. We have nothing else to do, we can take our time."
Alexander smiled.
"Okay."
A moment later, Isabella turned around and looked at him.
"You just said 'Haoran's mother'... you and he—"
Alexander looked up from the vegetables he was preparing.
"Didn't I tell you? Haoran and I are half-brothers."
"Oh, I see." Isabella was surprised, but also suddenly understood. No wonder the two brothers didn't look very similar.
Alexander suddenly sighed.
Isabella asked, "What's wrong?"
Alexander shook his head, a wry smile on his lips.
"Nothing. Talking about Haoran just made me miss him a little. They don't celebrate the Spring Festival over there. I wonder what he's doing right now."
Isabella's heart skipped a beat.
How did he know?
Julian hadn't returned to the UK at all.
He was hiding in the shadows.
She had even been with him once.
Their trip to Denver was also secretly arranged by Julian.
She didn't know what he was really planning, but she had followed his instructions.
She wanted to trust Alexander.
If Alexander had nothing suspicious, then coming here shouldn't be a problem, right?
Seeing her expression change, Alexander thought mentioning Julian had made her uncomfortable.
"I shouldn't have brought him up. Don't overthink it."
Isabella smiled.
"I'm fine." Look at that, he was comforting her. Now she was starting to feel the guilt a woman who cheated on her husband ought to feel.
—
On the morning of New Year's Day, Isabella received a new message from the unknown number that had texted her before.
[What are your plans for today?]
Isabella was about to reply when Alexander, wearing an apron, peeked into the room.
"Isabella, I made breakfast. Come down and eat."
"Oh, I'll be down in a minute."
Alexander smiled.
"Weren't we going to see the ice sculptures? Let's go out shopping first, and go see them tonight."
"Alright."
He went back downstairs.
Isabella replied to the message.
[We're going to see the ice sculptures tonight.]
The other person replied.
[Good.]
Isabella asked.
[What do you actually want?]
Julian didn't reply.
Isabella steadied her emotions.
She deleted all the messages between her and Julian.
Then she got out of bed and went to wash up as if nothing was wrong.
—
The ice sculpture festival was bustling.
The various ice sculptures and structures were breathtakingly beautiful.
They followed the crowd, admiring the sights and exclaiming in wonder.
Alexander took many photos of her.
They also took pictures together.
On the surface, Isabella smiled brightly.
But inside, she was anxious and uneasy, unsure of what would happen next.
However, after they had covered more than half the area, nothing unusual occurred.
Then, while they were viewing a large ice castle, she and Alexander got separated.
After searching for him twice without success, she was about to call him when someone took her hand.
"Come with me."
She looked closely.
It was Julian.
Julian pulled her towards a corner.
It was a disused security booth they had passed earlier.
She was about to ask him, "You—"
Julian put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
He led her to crouch down by the wall.
Then they heard Alexander's voice, and another man's.
"...Please, Mr. Sullivan, give me back my Xiaoxuan, please? It's been so long, isn't it enough yet?"
Alexander's voice was impatient.
"I'll ask you again. Why did I run into you today? How did you know I would be here? Hmm?" The last word was spoken very softly, but carried a heavy threat.
"I... I just happened to run into you, sir. Mr. Sullivan, my wife dreamed that Xiaoxuan said he wanted to come home. Please, give him back to us, I beg you..."
Alexander sneered.
"When you took the money and left, you didn't seem that attached to the child. Now the child is buried, what more do you want? Don't tell me you're trying to extort more money? I'm warning you, I'm not someone who gets blackmailed easily!"
Alexander tried to leave, but the man grabbed him, still pleading desperately.
"Please, Mr. Sullivan, we don't want more money, we just miss our child..."
Meanwhile, Julian quietly led Isabella away.
When they reached a more crowded area, Isabella's mind was full of questions. She didn't understand—
Julian, worried Alexander would return, spoke to her quickly.
"I can't explain right now, Isabella. Just act like you heard nothing and go back with him. Don't let him notice anything's wrong!"
After saying this, Julian ran off and disappeared into the crowd.
Isabella stood frozen in place.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm.
She jumped in fright and turned around.
It was Alexander, returned. His expression was normal as he asked, "Where did you disappear to? I've been looking everywhere for you."
Isabella complained, "You're the one who disappeared! I was looking all over for you. I wanted to call you but my phone died." She lied.
—
In the middle of the night, Isabella opened her eyes.
She glanced at Alexander sleeping soundly beside her, his breathing even.
She carefully sat up, pushed back the covers, and went to the bathroom.
Sitting on the toilet, she tried hard to make sense of the conversation she had overheard during the day, but couldn't find any clarity.
It seemed Alexander had made some kind of deal with that man.
What kind of deal?
Did he use money to buy that child's life?
But what did any of this have to do with Jacob?
She took out her phone.
She turned off all sounds, even the vibration.
Then she texted Julian, pouring out all her questions.
After a while, Julian replied.
[In the car accident two years ago, two children were involved. One was Jacob, the other was Zheng Xiaoxuan. It's very possible, I'm just saying it's possible, that the child who died wasn't Jacob. Alexander used the dead child to create Jacob's medical records and death certificate.]
It felt like a thunderclap exploded in her mind.
How was that possible... So, her Jacob might still be alive?
[Isabella, you need to control your emotions. You can't let my brother suspect anything. If you want to find out what happened to Jacob, to find out if he's really still alive, you must pretend you know nothing.]