A Fake Woman

Leila did not give the two people she met randomly a second thought. She just took a taxi and headed straight to her apartment, not knowing that someone was planning on getting revenge on her. 

When she opened the door to her apartment, she froze. She took a deep breath, and her eyes flashed with an amber glow for a moment. 

Someone had been inside her house. 

Her eyes narrowed as she looked around her apartment, searching for signs of tampering. She stepped inside and looked at everything, but nothing seemed missing or even out of order.

Moreover, the light scent seemed to have permeated the air, so she could not determine if the intruder had touched anything. Somehow, the smell had intertwined with her own as if they lived together. 

Leila did not find the scent offensive, and the thought of this made her angrier. She should have had the urge to throw everything out and burn it before disinfecting the floors and walls. Instead, the scent made her feel a little bit calmer. 

Her wolf did not feel restless like it was trying to claw out of her as it had earlier in the electronics store. 

She felt that the scent was somehow familiar, but she could not quite place it. 

Failing to find anything unusual about her apartment, she decided to set up her new phone and check her messages. She was not worried about her grandparents calling because they were not in the habit of checking up on her daily when she was away from home. 

However, she had forgotten something else. 

As soon as she finished setting up her phone, she found several missed calls from the so-called auntie, Charlotte Lawson. Leila was supposed to have met up with her about an hour earlier. 

Leila grimaced because it had escaped her mind. She did not want to get off on the wrong foot with the Campbell family because they were the ones with some knowledge about her biological origins. 

She needed to keep them close, so she could investigate smoothly. 

With that thought in mind, she called the woman back. 

"Hello, is this Leila?" Charlotte answered immediately. "Are you alright?"

The voice was dripping with concern, but Leila did not think it was genuine. Her enhanced hearing could pick up the slightest inflexions in people's voices, and she could not hear any emotional cues from the words.

"Hello, Auntie Charlotte. I am alright." She answered. 

"That is good to hear. You had me so worried. I almost called your grandma to ask which hotel you were staying at. When you missed our appointment, I thought that something horrible had happened." Charlotte continued. 

Leila's lips twitched as she listened to the dramatic voice. 

"Nothing happened, Auntie Charlotte. My phone fell into some water and got damaged. I had to get a new one in the morning. That is why I missed your calls." She explained. 

"Oh, is that so?" Charlotte said. "You could have just come, and I could have gotten you a new phone. I am sure one of Holly's old phones would do. That girl… She is always buying something new. Just today, she wanted to get some new devices, but I told everyone that we are waiting for you."

Leila's eyes flashed with that amber light that showed annoyance from her and her inner wolf. While she was wrong for missing their breakfast appointment, it felt like Charlotte was trying so hard to make her feel bad even after getting a reasonable explanation. 

"That was not necessary. Grandma and Grandpa do not want to cause inconvenience for everyone. I can take care of myself. I am just here to handle a few things, and I will be out of your hair." Leila replied. 

"No, no. It is not an inconvenience." Charlotte said quickly. "You are a girl in an unfamiliar city, and we are relatives. It is only right that we watch out for you. I thought it would be good for you to meet the family and stay with us."

Leila smirked. 

She did not really want to stay with the Campbell family, but it would be better if she did to make sure that her investigation was smooth. Of course, if they did not treat her well, she could turn to hard tactics. 

"Are you sure that is alright?" Leila asked softly even though her face looked crafty. 

Charlotte laughed. "Of course! It is good for you to have family around you. Amelia and Holly can show you around and help you make a few more friends while you are in the city."

"Thank you, Auntie Charlotte," Leila said happily. 

"You can come over and have lunch with us before settling in," Charlotte added. "You do not have to bring anything. You will find everything ready for you."

Leila thanked her again before hanging up. She pursed her lips slightly as she thought about Charlotte's enthusiasm towards her. She found it a little odd that the woman was welcoming her with open arms. 

At least, she was pretending to…

Under normal circumstances, the woman should not have been friendly, considering she did not have a close relationship with her parents. Moreover, the Campbell couple had to have been involved in her childhood somehow. 

If anything, they should have tried to avoid meeting with her in case she discovered what had happened in the past. Instead, they looked like they were ready to adopt her and make her their own. 

Leila chuckled.

It looked like the Campbells were clever and cautious, and they might even already suspect her motives for coming to Lake City. But she did not think that they could outsmart her.

Campbell Family

In the bedroom, Isaiah looked at his wife with doubt in his eyes after she ended the call with Leila.

"Why are you so enthusiastic towards that girl?" he asked. 

Charlotte did not have the enthusiasm she was faking earlier with Leila. Instead, her eyes looked calculating.

"The more I think about it, the less sense this entire story makes. My parents said that she was here to learn from a master, but they asked us to take care of her. I know them. With the way they value that girl and the state of our relationship… something does not add up." Charlotte said. 

"Do you think she is after something?" Isaiah asked. 

"She probably wants to find her biological parents," Charlotte responded. 

"Then, why are you letting her come here? It is dangerous!" 

"Honey, have you never heard that you need to keep your enemies closer?" Charlotte chuckled. "As long as I have my eyes on her, she is not going to find out anything."