Working the night shift, she decided to grab a coffee from the vending machine, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor behind her. Leanne glanced back briefly.
Seeing Grace, she didn't react much and continued to punch her selection into the vending machine.
"I broke up with Skyler," Grace announced behind her.
"Congratulations," Leanne responded, emotionless.
She had heard the news. After that day, Devin went after Skyler, giving him a beating. Skyler didn't fight back.
Grace's Hot Spring Hotel had shut down. Over the years, she had dabbled in various businesses, hotels, restaurants, and cultural ventures. Skyler had been instrumental in many of them.
He had pulled the plug on whatever ventures he could, withdrawing investments. Grace couldn't cope on her own.
Her company, for which she served as the legal representative, was reportedly under audit by the IRS. The details were murky, but it was clear Skyler had made it known within their circles that anyone who helped her was essentially opposing him.
Those society ladies who used to fawn over her, citing the Nelson family's influence, suddenly acted as if she was the plague.
Grace shot back with a hint of sarcasm, "What's there to celebrate?"
"I'm not congratulating you." Leanne paid with coins, and a canned coffee clattered into the tray. Bending to retrieve it, she continued, "Congrats to Skyler for finally getting his 'vision' corrected." The sign for the ophthalmology department glowed not far away.
Coffee in hand, Leanne walked past Grace, remarking, "Your parents must be disappointed."
"What does this have to do with my parents?" Grace retorted coldly, "Maybe you should worry about your parents."
"My parents are alive and well. On the other hand, yours were taken out by the Richardson family."
Grace's tone was innocent, but her words were with malice, "Do you think they'd be pleased to see you cozying up to the enemy's offspring?"
That hit a nerve. Leanne's expression turned icy as she gripped the can tighter.
"My father was a loyal man, murdered for refusing to betray Vector Vista Bank's secrets to save himself. They died because of the Richardson family, but that sin doesn't lie at the family's doorstep. Trying to stir trouble with this is just low."
"Do you swallow the Richardson family's lies? Of course, they'd deny any involvement in your parents' death. Don't you ever wonder who the real killer is?"
Curiosity had gnawed at her for twenty years, turning into a cold case.
The aluminum can was chillingly cold in her grip, stiffening her fingers with an unnatural chill for summer.
"With the Richardson family's influence, any threat to Vector Vista Bank would've been swiftly dealt with. Isn't it strange that the killer remains a mystery after so many years?"
"Do you know something?" Leanne stared intently at Grace, searching her face for a telltale sign.
Grace offered only a cryptic smile. "Why would I tell you?"
Grace's heels echoed down the hallway as she walked away, leaving Leanne exposed, a chill creeping into her core.
The cot in the on-call room was narrow, and the hospital settled into a thicker silence as the night wore on. Occasionally, a distant sound would break the quiet and fade away quickly.
The ceiling light was harsh against her eyes. Leanne didn't sleep a wink, haunted by the image of a hand with a distinctive mole on its thumb.
Was it a coincidence?
Grace sought her out to drop such hints. Was it merely to unsettle her, or did she know something Leanne didn't?
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