Chapter: 376

Jonathan sprang up from his chair. “When did that happen?"

“It's been a while," Nikolas replied vaguely, trying to avoid further questioning.

Though he hadn't been involved in the death of Bethany's mother, he more or less had an idea of what had transpired.

It was not that he wanted to hide anything from Jonathan, but...

Jonathan's mother was the culprit. Even if Jonathan knew the truth, what could he do about it? He would only feel endless regret and guilt towards Bethany, unable to change anything. It was better for him not to know.

"How did you find out about this?" Jonathan sensed something was off right away.

Brody had investigated Bethany for years without finding a trace. If Jonathan hadn't stumbled upon her by chance, he still might not know her whereabouts. Yet, Nikolas knew about her mother's death.

That meant Bethany's mother must have died before she left Bates Group, perhaps even before she brought up divorce.

"I found out when I ran into Bethany one day, but she asked me not to tell you. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I didn't say anything," Nikolas said, pulling back, fearing he might accidentally reveal something that would be impossible to cover up later. “Anyway, I have to go, there's something I have to deal with. Don't overthink it, okay? Bethany Left you. Her mother's death isn't your fault. Why worry about it?"

With that, he hurried away as if he was being chased.

With a deep frown, Jonathan called Brody.

"Look into Bethany-"

"Mr. Bates," Brody interrupted, "Bethany is fine. She'll be discharged after one more night of observation. There are two men taking care of her: an executive named Ryan Blakely, and a manager, Colt Flores. The attacker has been heavily punished and won't be released for at least a year."

Hearing Brody's thorough response, Jonathan was left speechless.

So, Brody knew he couldn't truly forget Bethany, nor could he completely ignore her.

It turned out that although he had repeatedly told Brody to cease following Bethany, Brody continued to keep tabs on her.

Surely, it wasn't out of curiosity, was it?

"That's not what I wanted to ask," Jonathan finally said.

"Mr. Bates, I looked into it. Those men are just Bethany's colleagues. They're taking good care of her because she's a hardworking employee. Their relationship with her is purely professional.”

"That's not what I wanted to know either!" Jonathan's frown deepened, then his shoulders sagged. “Forget it. Don't look into her anymore. I don't want to know what she's up to."

There was a pause on Brody's end before he asked, “What about her friend, Aimee?"

Confused, Jonathan didn't say anything, and waited for Brody to continue.

"It appears she's married with a child, or at least she has a daughter. She brought her daughter to visit Bethany today. I received the surveillance footage from the hospital. Do you want to watch it?"

Aimee had a daughter?