The Pretender and The Prince novel Chapter 48

In her own mind, she was just a guest in the Thorne household.

While Seth and Zaria chatted with visitors over coffee in the living room, Ondine stayed in her bedroom upstairs.

She called her neighbor in Riverdale, Wanda, to wish her a merry Christmas.

“Wanda, Merry Christmas!”

“Ondine, dear! Merry Christmas to you too! How are you and Yvaine doing?”

“We’re doing well. My mom’s condition has stabilized. She’s undergoing chemotherapy now, and the doctor says she can have surgery about a month after the New Year.”

“That’s wonderful news. I hope the surgery goes smoothly.”

“Me too. How have you been, Wanda?”

“Oh, just fine,” Wanda said cheerfully. “My troublemaker son finally brought a girlfriend home for Christmas this year. She’s a lovely girl—pretty and so polite. His father and I are very pleased.”

Ondine smiled. “Congratulations.”

“Oh, by the way,” Wanda’s tone shifted. “A few days ago, a young man came to your house looking for you. He seemed quite frantic. He asked me if I knew where you’d gone. I just told him you were out of town for treatment. I didn’t dare say you went to Boreal.”

Ondine guessed it was probably Ellis. “How old was he? How tall?”

“Looked to be about your age,” Wanda replied. “Quite tall, over six feet, and very handsome.”

It had to be Ellis.

“He’s a college classmate I had a falling out with,” Ondine explained. “Thank you for not telling him where I am. If he comes by again, you can just ignore him.”

“Will do, dear.”

…

That night, Zaria snuggled under the covers with Ondine for a heart-to-heart.

“Go ahead and scold me, sweetie,” Zaria mumbled, pouting. “I have no backbone. I texted Yohan ‘Merry Christmas.’”

After a moment, a thought struck her. “By the way, did you see the news online about that vice president at Riverdale Meridian Hospital, Harley Jefferson?”

“I saw something about it,” Ondine said. “It’s about time a monster like that was brought to justice.”

Zaria lowered her voice to a whisper. “Just between us, my brother was the one who had his crimes investigated and sent the evidence to the state authorities.”

“What?” Ondine was stunned. “Seth did that?”

“Yep. You were at the hospital that day. My brother and I were at home, and these two guys came to see him. I overheard them talking when I passed by the study. That’s how I found out it was my brother who reported Harley Jefferson. And apparently, someone with the last name Henson got caught up in it too, for bribery.”

“Henson?”

Ondine suddenly remembered the day she went to Seth’s study and overheard his phone call. He had said something about “breaking the law,” “no one can save him,” and “taking them all down.”

Henson…

Her eyes widened in shock. “What’s the first name of the person named Henson?”