CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

"How was the task I asked you to complete?" Lawrence inquired from the other end of the line. Lawrence even heard the other person's sigh. 

"I'm just starting to investigate this." He sighed again.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh in front of his companion.

"Just let me know when you find something," Lawrence simply said to the one he's calling on the other line.

"Yeah, got it."

He hung up the call and just shook his head. He didn't get dressed this morning because he had a visitor; he was just waiting for them inside. 

"Sir, someone is looking for you outside; her name is Sharlene Francisco." He only heard that from his housekeeper.

He just nodded. "Okay, just let her come in. Thank you."

The housekeeper followed his instructions, waited in the living room, and after a while, Sharlene followed the maid he had instructed.

"Good morning, Lawrence." Sharlene even showed her respect for him.

Lawrence couldn't help but laugh at the person in front of him now.

"Are you done eating?" Lawrence asked his guest.

"Don't bother too much; I've already finished eating. I won't stay long either; we'll just talk." It was clear from her face that Sharlene wanted to say something to him.

He waved his hand to leave them alone, Sharlene and him, for now. The maid understood immediately, but Lawrence noticed that Sharlene still hadn't sat down.

"Please be seated, Sharlene." Lawrence just smiled at her.

"Ah, thank you." Sharlene couldn't help but say it to him.

She scanned the entirety of his mansion with her gaze. 

"What are we going to talk about, Sharlene?" Lawrence started to ask his companion.

"I know I'm being too persistent. You know I'm just an adopted child of the Rosario family. I—I don't really remember much of my childhood. I have a name here that my grandmother wrote. Can you recognize them?" she asked him.

He was taken aback by what she was saying, and even though he was hesitant, he nodded at her. He even noticed that she had taken an old notebook.

He immediately opened it and saw some names.

He stared at the notebook and the names, then looked back at Sharlene and stared again at the names written in the notebook.

Sharlene cleared her throat before speaking.

"Even though it's hard to believe, Grandma can communicate with the lost souls in the world we live in today." 

"I—I know you wouldn't believe it—"

"I know what you mean." "Are you referring to a psychic?" Lawrence immediately asked Sharlene.

Sharlene only nodded at him. "Grandma used her skills to survive here; her first clients were those two people over there."

He looked at the person being referred to, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared at the name.

Carmela Geraldine Santiago-Gonzalez and Donald Gian Gonzalez? Lawrence wondered in his mind. 

Leah Harlene Martinez – Santiago. He continued reading. 

Fredrick Manuel Santiago and Angely Atienza-Santiago. 

"W--- What does this mean?" He asked Sharlene for clarification.

Sharlene just shook her head and looked at him, equally confused. Suddenly, he felt a surge of anger when he saw her cousin's name.

Lawrence shook his head, no longer comfortable in his seat. 

He just exhaled, controlling the anger he was feeling now. 

"Santiago, Gonzalez, Martinez, and, of course, your husband Francisco are the surnames of well-known families in San Mateo." Lawrence first explains that to Sharlene.

Sharlene is just nodding at what he is saying.

"I'm not sure if I'm right, but Gonzalez and Santiago have a big family fight because of what happened decades ago. I was too young for what happened back then." He was trying hard to dig into his mind to see what happened to the two clans.

I don't know what happened, but the man is using this story to find the missing child of the dead couple. He could only say it in his mind.

Missing child? He suddenly stared at Sharlene. Sharlene was adopted when she was three or four years old. She couldn't remember who her parents were and where they lived. 

He furrowed his brow and looked at Sharlene.

Is it possible that she is the child of Santiago Gonzalez? 

"Lawrence?" That was the only name Sharlene called him.

Once again, he lost himself in his thoughts and simply shook his head. 

"I—I'm sorry, let's continue. As I heard, he killed that couple and also lost a child, so the Santiago family was accused of killing them". That's just his explanation. 

He couldn't shake off the possible events surrounding the person in front of him, because even now, their character remained a mystery.

"Carmela is the youngest sister of Manuel Santiago. As I remember, Carmela was already dead when he was married to my cousin Leah."

"Lawrence, was your cousin's disappearance investigated?" Sharlene asked him.

Lawrence fell silent for a moment and thought.

"There was no investigation because his good wife, Manuel, said she was with another man." 

"Her parents also couldn't believe what happened; besides, she sold the land to someone else, and Leah Martinez signed it." 

"Sorry, my grandmother raised us in the wrong way. She helped Leah during that time; she showed my grandmother what happened to her. Besides, she didn't go with another man, Lawrence." Sharlene stared at him.

He looked at Leah, utterly confused. "Even I dream of her life; she didn't go with another man." 

"Buried—" Sharlene swallowed before continuing with what she was about to say. 

"They buried Leah alive." Lawrence even saw the sadness in her eyes.

Buried alive? repeatedly asking himself.

He swallowed; with each swallow, it felt like there was a giant barrier waiting in his throat.

"W---Who?" His voice suddenly trembled. 

"Her ex-husband and her best friend."

He felt deafened by what he heard; he broke out in a sticky sweat at the thought of who the suspect was in his cousin's death. He didn't realize he had punched the glass table that was there; it created a deafening shatter. 

"Lawrence." The only mention of his name was from Sharlene. "Oh no, oh no, you have a wound." Sharlene quickly approached him.

The broken glass table caught their housemaid's attention when she saw the hand bleeding from the punch. Sharlene quickly grabbed his first aid kit.

"Lawrence, I'm sorry; I'm sorry," Sharlene apologized to him.

Sharlene bears no responsibility for her cousin's death. 

"Sharlene, did your grandmother help my cousin?" she asked.

"Y—Yes, but when it was called to court, it suddenly withdrew —because it met with the two and offered a large amount." Lawrence sees the guilt in her eyes.

"Did you see where she was buried?" he asked her.

Sharlene just shook her head. "I didn't see it, but there were witnesses to the incident."

"W—Who?" Lawrence asked Sharlene.

She was still hesitant to answer his question.

"S—Sharlene, please." His plea to her.

"Yes, it was Vivianne." She said softly to him.

He was staring at his injured hand.