Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)
Chapter 472

"So, we switched gears!" Logan said with a nonchalant air. "We dug into Olivia, then Irving, and finally circled back to Nettie. Took us some time, though."

"But in the end, it was Nettie who led you to the breakthrough?" Catherine pressed.

"Yeah! Looked into Nettie, then the people around her. Turned out Nettie had switched her housekeeper, and when we checked the current housekeeper's background, boom! Lucius had a new identity- Eamon Thornton. His wife and son had new names too. Their son, now going by Alcott Thornton, was even classmates with Nettie."

"Holy smokes..." Catherine gasped, "I should get Janice in on this!"

"Let's not bother her today. I'll gather the info and we can call her later, or just have a chat," Logan suggested, stopping Catherine.

I quickly asked, "This Irving guy is so sly! It just shows how cautious and meticulous he is!"

"It depends on who he's up against!" Logan replied confidently. "He got impatient, that's all."

"Lucius, or I should say Eamon, had some personal dealings with Irving. They met when Irving was out on a sales run. Eamon had some car trouble and got jumped, but Irving came to his rescue. They've kept in touch ever since... you know, the kind of bond that forms when someone's got your back in a tight spot. And then they end up in cahoots."

"Right, and Nettie's pretty chummy with Eamon's kid, almost like they're dating," Logan added. "The kid's name is Alcott Thornton!"

Catherine and I exchanged a look, a chill running down our spines. What a mess!

"It's all because of Irving's meddling!" Catherine fumed. "Look at Nettie, turning out just like her no-good father!"

To be honest, I felt gutted. If Nettie ever found out the guy she loved was the son of her mother's killer, I couldn't even bear to think about it!

"If Janetta finds out, she'll be beside herself with rage," Catherine sighed.

Logan turned to me. "Hazel's funeral is tomorrow, you're not considering...?"

I shrugged. "The last thing I want is to deal with that. I've finally got some distance from it all; what else could I possibly want?"

"Hmm," Logan grunted noncommittally.

I could tell he had something on his mind, so I probed, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." he denied.

"If you've got an idea, spit it out!" I encouraged him.

"We have a hunch Jerome will show up," Logan finally said.

"So, do we try and catch him?" I asked.

"No, we let him go, make him run!" Logan declared.

"Why?" I inquired.

"To bait a bigger fish," he answered succinctly.

I shared the details of my meeting with Jesper earlier that day, and after a long look, Logan said, "There's something... you might be the right person to handle it."

"Then out with it," I said, unfazed.

"Ronan doesn't agree," Logan admitted, leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head, lost in thought.

"Let's hear it," I urged Logan.

Sitting up straight, he addressed me seriously, "We're certain Jerome will make an appearance tomorrow. Only the Dawson family's relatives will be there, so not many. It'll be tough for a stranger to blend in." "I thought we weren't making a move?" I countered.

"We need to pressure Jerome, make him feel cornered. He won't make a move until he's desperate. And we need someone to deliver that message, someone who can really shake him up."

"That someone sounds like it's gotta be me," I said quietly.

Catherine immediately objected. "Hold on! Ronan is worried for good reason. Don't go playing the hero; you and the Dawson clan are practically at war! You're thinking of walking into the lion's den, acting like some savior?"

She then turned to Logan, her frustration clear, "Logan, are you out of your mind? You're sending her in? Do you have any idea what kind of people the Dawsons are?"

As her voice rose, she continued, addressing Logan directly, "They're a bunch of desperados. Allie had just clawed her way out of hell, and you want her to dive back in? For the sake of your darn mission, don' sacrifice her, okay? She's nearly killed by them; don't you remember?"

Catherine's words extinguished Logan's fiery resolve, and he fell silent.

I sat in silence too, then finally looked up at Logan. "I'll do it."