When Love Is a Lie (Whitney and Damian)

Throw it away?

This was a gown from Corlons Boutique. As far as she knew, even the cheapest gown there cost five figures.

And the one she held in her hands-judging by the craftsmanship and quality was likely custom-made, possibly even one of their signature pieces.

Whitney looked up in surprise.

Noel's expression remained impassive, his entire demeanor radiating cold indifference. "Anything I give away, I don't take back. If it's not to your taste, then throw it out." Not to her taste? That wasn't it at all.

Whitney tried again. "I'm saying it's too expensive, not that I don't-"

"It's all the same," Noel interrupted.

Whitney was speechless.

How could that be the same thing?

Before she could respond, he asked again, "You're moving out?"

She followed his gaze and noticed he was looking at something behind her.

Turning, she saw her packed suitcase by the half-open door, where she had left it for convenience when she left in the morning. She hadn't expected Noel to notice it.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm moving back to his place tomorrow morning."

"It's about time, after all this back-and-forth."

The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable, and it made her uncomfortable.

She lifted her chin slightly. "Yes. That way, we won't have to see each other every day and keep getting on each other's nerves."

With that, she turned and stepped back inside.

Only after closing the door did she realize she was still holding the gift box.

She glanced at the trash can nearby and, without a second thought, tossed it in.

She started to walk back to her bedroom, but after a few steps, she stopped. Turning back, she retrieved the box from the trash can. "I'm not about to waste something so valuable," she muttered.

...

The next morning, Whitney dragged her suitcase out the door.

She glanced briefly at the closed door across the hall, then headed for the elevator. After loading her luggage into the trunk, she pulled out her phone to call Damian. She needed to confirm that he would drop the lawsuit as soon as she moved back in. Just as she was about to dial, her screen lit up. An unfamiliar number was calling.

She hesitantly swiped to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Ms. Spencer, this is Eugene Hill from Regal Cold Hotel. Do you remember me?" The voice on the other end sounded vaguely familiar. Whitney paused, and then recognition clicked. "Mr. Hill?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm calling to let you know that someone saw what happened in the restroom that night. Would you like to come by?"

Whitney froze, hardly able to believe her ears. "Are you saying someone actually witnessed what happened in the restroom that night?"

"Yes, one of our cleaning staff. She resigned shortly afterward, so she wasn't here when you were questioning the employees. I only just found out and thought I should inform you right away."

"Thank you. I'll be there right away," Whitney replied, her voice trembling with excitement as she gripped her phone tightly.

This was the breakthrough they'd been hoping for.

After quickly calling Helena to share the news, Whitney drove out of the parking lot, barely able to contain her excitement.

A little way down the street, a black sedan was parked. It was one of the official cars from Seabourke Architectural Institute, reserved for Noel.

Inside the car, Dariel glanced at Noel in the rearview mirror.

"Mr. Howard, why didn't you just tell Ms. Spencer yourself? Instead, you had Mr. Hill make the call and let him take the credit."

After discovering that none of the banquet staff had witnessed the full incident, Noel instructed Dariel to investigate if anyone might have been overlooked. Sure enough, Dariel uncovered that a cleaning staff member had resigned the day after the incident. When Eugene realized he couldn't hide this, he finally admitted the truth.noveldrama

Noel then had him provide the cleaner's last known address. But when they arrived, she was already gone.

Neighbors informed them that she had returned to her hometown. After a series of inquiries, they finally tracked down her address in her hometown.

Originally, Noel had planned to send Dariel there to speak with her as soon as possible. But last night, Dariel received a call from Noel, and the two of them drove through the night to locate her.

After finally persuading her, they brought her back to Seabourke and handed her over to Eugene, instructing him to relay the news to Whitney.

Noel leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "Take the day off, Dariel."

Dariel knew Noel would never take credit for what he had done. He was the typical strong, silent type-the "closed-off male lead" straight out of a novel.

...

Two hours later, Whitney arrived at the hospital.

Yvette was sitting on the bed, staring blankly. She hadn't been sleeping well and had visibly lost weight over the past few days.

The moment she saw Whitney walk in, she quickly erased the worry from her face and forced a cheerful smile. "Hey, honey. You're here."

Whitney couldn't contain her excitement. She rushed to Yvette's side, grabbing her hands. "Yvette, the truth is finally coming out!"