Chapter 25: Chapter 23: A Favor

Roadwork nearby had left the streets in poor condition, and the hood of Annabelle Leighton’s crashed Maserati rattled and banged.

Annoyed, she slapped the steering wheel. “I’m definitely making Shane Sterling buy me a new car this time!”

Isla Prescott didn’t hear a word Annabelle Leighton said. Her mind was consumed by the phrase “trading sex for power.”

Those words had hit her hard.

She had joined her new company full of hopes and dreams, thinking it was a dream factory where she could truly shine. But in reality, it was just a brokerage for trading sex for power. How could she possibly accept that?

Annabelle Leighton pulled the car over. “I’m hungry. Let’s find somewhere to eat. We can talk over a meal.”

Isla Prescott nodded numbly. She followed Annabelle Leighton out of the car and into a salad shop.

The shop was empty. Annabelle Leighton picked a table by the window, called over the owner, and ordered a smoked salmon and avocado salad.

“What do you want?” Annabelle Leighton asked.

Isla Prescott shook her head. She had no appetite at all.

“You have to eat something,” Annabelle Leighton said, then looked to the owner. “Sir, could you recommend a light, refreshing salad for her?”

“Of course. Our mango shrimp salad is very refreshing. Would you like to try it?”

“Yes, that one,” Annabelle Leighton decided for her.

After the owner left, Isla Prescott sat in silence for a few moments before she couldn’t hold back any longer and leaned toward Annabelle Leighton.

“Miss Leighton, can you please tell me what’s going on?”

Annabelle Leighton took a sip of fresh-squeezed juice. “Let me see… Where to begin…”

The story, if it were to be told from the beginning, started when Shane Sterling came to Annabelle Leighton asking her to find someone.

The person Shane Sterling asked Annabelle Leighton to find was a dancer named Chloe Kerr. She was one of the Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe’s new recruits from last year. The girl had a captivating presence and was an exceptionally skilled dancer. Soon after joining the troupe, she performed as the lead in a number for Meritopia Broadcasting’s New Year’s Gala.

Coincidentally, the Sterling family’s seldom-seen youngest son, Ezra Sterling, also attended the gala that night. Backstage, Chloe Kerr found his hearing aid, and that’s how they met. They added each other on WeChat and began to chat frequently online.

Ezra Sterling fell for the gentle and thoughtful Chloe Kerr. But before long, Chloe started ignoring him. She stopped replying to his messages and then, without any warning, blocked him completely.

He was an innocent young man, already insecure about his disability. Being so abruptly cut off by someone he liked was utterly devastating for him.

Ezra Sterling locked himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink. A doctor diagnosed him as showing signs of depression.

Shane Sterling had always doted on his younger brother. After finding out what had happened, he sought out Annabelle Leighton, who was in the same dance troupe, to ask about Chloe Kerr.

When they met, they discovered that Chloe Kerr had stopped coming to work at the troupe right after she cut off contact with Ezra Sterling.

Shane Sterling also sent people to Chloe Kerr’s hometown. Her parents had divorced long ago, and both had since remarried and started new families. They rarely kept in touch with her. Chloe had been raised by her grandparents, who didn’t have a phone. All they knew was that their granddaughter was working in Meritopia and hadn’t been home to visit in a very long time.

“So Chloe Kerr is missing?” Isla Prescott asked anxiously.

“Yes.”

“Did anyone call the police?”

“They did, but she still hasn’t been found.”

“And you suspect her disappearance has something to do with Wendy Bell?”

Annabelle Leighton nodded.

Because before Chloe Kerr, there had been several other members of the Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe who were rehearsing one day and then suddenly stopped showing up for work the next, without any explanation. All of them had one thing in common: they had all gone out on “social engagements” with Wendy Bell.

Of course, not everyone who went on these outings with Wendy Bell disappeared. The ones who didn’t either found their careers at the troupe suddenly taking off, or they started flaunting new wealth, their lifestyles taking a significant leap.

Isla Prescott’s grip tightened on her cup.

The situation was terrifying. The more she considered the details, the more horrifying it became. In fact, it was horrifying even at a glance.

“We also suspect that the Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe is actually a platform for the Aevis Group to scout young women for its clients.”

“So when you stole the performance spot for the company’s anniversary celebration… you were trying to save me.”

“Yes. I’m a Leighton. They wouldn’t dare touch me or cross me.”

Annabelle Leighton had secretly saved many newcomers by “stealing resources” like this, but no one understood her true intentions. No one dared to ask her what was really going on, either. They all just assumed she was arrogant and domineering, looking down on them because of her family’s status. That’s why she was actually pleasantly surprised when Isla Prescott came to confront her.

“Thank you, Miss Leighton,” Isla Prescott said with genuine gratitude.

If not for Annabelle Leighton, she might have been a lamb to the slaughter just last night.

’Thinking back on it, it all made sense. No wonder Wendy Bell hadn’t promoted her own cousin, Yara Jennings, yet kept giving *her* one opportunity after another. It turned out those “opportunities” all had a hidden price tag.’

“Don’t mention it,” Annabelle Leighton said with the air of a righteous heroine. “Now that you know the inside story, I’d advise you to get out of here. The troupe is not a place you want to stay in for long.”

“What about you, Miss Leighton? Are you planning to stay at the troupe?”

“I’m not leaving, not for now. Ezra hasn’t been doing well lately. I have to help him find Chloe Kerr. I need to find her, dead or alive. He needs closure before he can move on.”

The Leighton and Sterling families were on good terms. Annabelle Leighton and Ezra Sterling were around the same age and had grown up together. Because Ezra was born deaf and mute, Annabelle’s mother had always told her to look after him. As a result, Annabelle felt a natural-born instinct to protect him.

’Besides, this wasn’t just about Ezra; many other people were involved. Now that I’m starting to uncover the truth, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.’

Isla Prescott lowered her gaze, silent for a moment. Then she suddenly looked up at Annabelle Leighton. “I’ll stay and help.”

Annabelle Leighton couldn’t help but study the woman across from her in a new light.

’She was truly beautiful—an ethereal sort of beauty, almost poetic. But her eyes showed she was no mere porcelain doll. How to describe it? Annabelle thought for a long time before a fitting phrase came to mind. “She’s a mix of moonlight and wild rose—soft, but with thorns that refuse to yield.”’

“Why do you want to stay and help?”

“I owe Sean a favor. Since this is about his brother, I want to do my part to help.”

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