Luana stumbled over her words, trying to explain. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you before. Albion—no, Calvert—he and I, we..."
"It doesn't concern me."
Cline cut her off coldly. "I came to you because I can't stand being lied to. Now that I know the reason, it doesn't matter anymore."
His words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over her, chilling her to the bone.
All the things she wanted to say to him were stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
She forced herself to nod calmly. "Alright. Then... take care, Cline."
As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. She quickly turned around so he wouldn't see.
Behind her, she heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Without a moment's hesitation, he left the lounge.
Luana glanced back at the closed door, feeling as if a knife had sliced through her heart, leaving it hollow and aching.
Her legs felt weak, and she leaned against the wall for support before collapsing back onto the sofa.
Tears blurred her vision as she stared at the ceiling, her emotions spilling over uncontrollably.
This time, it seemed, her relationship with Cline was truly over.
After leaving the lounge, Cline coldly instructed Russell, who was waiting outside, "Erase all surveillance footage of me being here."
Russell replied, "Understood, Mr. Moriarty."
"And investigate Luana and Calvert's past. I want all the details within 24 hours."
Since being with Luana, Cline had never looked into her background.
He hadn't even dug deeper into the name "Albion," which she called out in her sleep.
He had trusted her completely because she was quiet and pure.
He had believed a girl like her wouldn't lie to him, but now he realized she was full of deceit.
If his investigation revealed she hadn't been a virgin, he would make sure she paid for it.
Russell was momentarily stunned by the order.
Why was he being asked to investigate Miss Hammond and Mr. Coburn's past? Did they have some connection?
Though puzzled, Russell didn't dare ask questions. He simply replied, "Yes, sir," and hurried off.
Having grown up alongside Cline, Russell had learned to be just as decisive and efficient.
In less than half a day, he had uncovered everything about Calvert and Luana's history.
He returned to the CEO's office with a stack of documents.
"Mr. Moriarty, I've found everything about Miss Hammond and Mr. Coburn's past."
He placed the documents on the desk and began his report:
"Before Calvert was found by the Coburn family, he was an orphan at Bright Orphanage, going by the name Albion. Five years ago, the eldest son of the Coburn family found him and brought him home. To secure Calvert's position as the heir, the Coburn family erased all traces of his past. That's why I couldn't find any information on Albion back then."
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"Additionally, Miss Hammond and Albion grew up together as childhood sweethearts. They became a couple as adults. But five years ago, Albion was in a car accident. Miss Hammond, who had just graduated and had no money, sold herself to save him."
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"Although he survived, Albion lost his memory and forgot about Miss Hammond. They haven't been in contact since."
Russell's investigation covered the broad strokes of their history, but the finer details were still unclear.
He didn't know the exact reasons they had drifted apart, so he stopped there.
Cline flipped through the documents, his sharp, handsome face growing colder by the second.
He had already guessed that Albion was Calvert and that Luana had sold herself to save him.
But hearing and seeing it confirmed still left him feeling uneasy and uncomfortable.
He wanted someone pure in body and mind, but this woman had someone else in her heart—and he couldn't even be sure about her body.
"Did you verify her purity before sending her to my room that night?"
Russell was taken aback by the question. After a moment, he shook his head.
"After purchasing Miss Hammond, we took her to the mansion. You only instructed us to clean her up. You didn't ask for..."
That day, Cline had passed by the nightclub and, for some reason, had been drawn to Luana, who was kneeling in the rain, looking utterly pitiful.
He had wanted her immediately, so Russell hadn't bothered with verifying her purity. He had simply had her cleaned up and sent to Cline's room.
Who could have guessed Miss Hammond had a first love?
But didn't the CEO know whether she had been a virgin or not?
Cline seemed to read his thoughts, his icy gaze sweeping over Russell.
The cold intensity made Russell shiver.
"Mr. Moriarty, are you... suspecting that Miss Hammond underwent reconstructive surgery?"
If she hadn't been a virgin, Cline would never have touched her, let alone kept her for so many years.
By asking if she had been verified, he must have been questioning whether she had undergone surgery to appear pure.
Realizing what his boss was concerned about, Russell quickly flipped through the verified timeline and pointed it out to him.