When the news reached Kris Cooper, it was already late at night.

On the large bed in their bedroom, Vera Wave was already sound asleep.

The man sat quietly on a wooden bench in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette as he listened to Tommy Taylor’s report. After carefully listening, Kris Cooper’s face showed little emotion.

"Have someone keep an eye on Nathan Leafcastle. I want to know his reaction."

"Alright, I’ll arrange it."

Ending the call, Kris squinted, gazing at the faint glow of the small night lamp filtering from their bedroom nearby. He slowly exhaled a cloud of grayish-blue smoke.

Despite the current lack of concrete evidence, various signs still made him suspicious of Nathan Leafcastle. Intuition told him this matter was definitely related to Nathan.

And that was precisely why he was troubled now.

If it truly was him, a confrontation with Nathan Leafcastle would be inevitable. How could he possibly broach this subject with Vera?

In the deeply shadowed courtyard, only the lamplight cut through the darkness. The cigarette between the man’s fingers burned down, nearly scorching his skin, yet he seemed entirely oblivious.

CREAK!

With a gentle sound, the bedroom door was pushed open, and Vera emerged, wearing a thin coat.

Kris Cooper extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray and strode over to her. "Vera?" he asked. "Why are you awake?"

"Shouldn’t I be the one asking why *you’re* not asleep yet?" Vera tilted her small face up to meet his gaze. "Is something bothering you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she coughed lightly. Kris quickly stepped back.

"I reek of smoke, don’t come any closer!"

He swiftly unbuttoned and removed his shirt, tossing it to one side of the corridor. "I’ll go back to bed. We can talk after I take a shower."

Of course, the shower was to prevent the smoke from bothering her. More importantly, he needed to figure out how to bring this up.

He’d botched it twice before and had to learn from those experiences. He couldn’t hide it from her again this time, but how should he phrase it?

Vera reached out and took his arm, her clear, distinct eyes meeting his gaze again.

"Is it because of Brother Nathan?"

"Mm."

After a long hesitation, Kris finally grunted a reluctant affirmation.

He had to tell her eventually. Since she’d brought it up, he might as well get it over with.

"I suspect... he’s the one who instigated Irene Spencer. I’ve already sent people to investigate."

Vera nodded. "I understand."

Nathan Leafcastle had actively hired Irene Spencer and had even approached Kris Cooper. At this point, it was perfectly understandable for Kris to suspect him.

Her fingers tightened on his arm, and Vera pursed her lips.

"Should I go talk to him?"

"If he really did orchestrate this, do you think he’d tell you?" Kris Cooper gazed at her small face, his expression tinged with a sympathy he found hard to bear. He reached out and gently held her shoulder. "Vera, I know that you and Nathan Leafcastle grew up as close friends. I understand it’s hard for you to accept this reality, but I have to remind you... you’ve been apart for far too long. The Nathan Leafcastle of today isn’t the Nathan Leafcastle of the past! Leave this matter to me; let me investigate. You just focus on taking good care of yourself and the baby, okay?"

The man’s eyes were filled with concern, mingled with a hint of distress and helplessness.

Vera offered a faint smile and placed her hand on his chest.

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Let me know when you find out the truth."

Kris Cooper nodded gently. "It’s a bit chilly out tonight. Let’s go back to bed."