Chapter 836
Johanna noticed Thomas’s gaze lingering on her earrings. She smiled. “What is it?”
Thomas replied, “Your earrings look familiar.”
She brushed her fingers lightly against the pair and said with a soft laugh, “Victoria has the same set. We had
them custom-made together.”
He had indeed seen something similar on Victoria before, and this time his composure didn’t falter.
“I see,” he answered calmly.
Johanna arched a brow. “Thomas, you seem unusually interested in my earrings. Why? Do they hold some
special meaning for you?”
She asked it casually, not expecting an answer. She never imagined he would speak so directly.
“My benefactor,” Thomas said, “seemed to wear earrings identical to yours.”
Johanna’s curiosity sharpened. “Seemed? You’re not certain?”
“No,” he admitted. “I haven’t found her yet.”
His gaze fixed on her earrings. “May I take a closer look?”
She slipped them off without hesitation, passing them to him with a smile. “Of course.”
Thomas accepted them, examining them carefully.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, catching on to one detail. On one earring, the engraved pattern mirrored exactly
the one on the lone earring he had found.
Victoria’s pair might look identical at first glance, but upon closer scrutiny, subtle differences appeared.
Without careful observation, even he wouldn’t have noticed.
But this one-Johanna’s earring-undoubtedly matched the piece in his possession. Together, they formed a
pair.
His gaze shot back to her, sharp as a blade.
The intensity of it made Johanna’s heart lurch. The weight of his stare was suffocating and piercing. She had
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Chapter 50
met many powerful figures in her life, but none had unsettled her like this man before her.
For the first time, she thought with certainty, ‘Thomas is no ordinary man.’
Feigning ignorance, she forced a light laugh. “What is it? Is something wrong with them?”
Thomas lowered his lashes, concealing the dangerous edge in his eyes. His voice returned to its steady calm.
“Nothing.”
Johanna, however, quickly offered an explanation. “Actually, one of these earrings isn’t from the original set. I
lost one, but I liked them so much that I had another one remade.” 1
Even as she spoke, tension coiled in her chest. Victoria had once told her that only a single earring had been
found in Sharon’s room.
She suspected it was Sharon who had lost it. And if so, perhaps Thomas had picked it up by chance.
Of course, it was only a guess-one that still needed proof.
And if it turned out false, nothing was lost. At worst, she simply failed to pose as the woman Thomas was searching for.
But if she succeeded… it would bring her one step closer to him.
She wasn’t trying to get closer out of love. What fascinated her was his identity. She had never been so curious
about anyone in her life.
She wanted to uncover his true self. And that, to her, would be the most thrilling discovery of all.
Thomas turned the earring over in his hand, eyes as dark and fathomless as a deep pool, revealing nothing.
Johanna couldn’t tell whether she had bet right or wrong.
She was still debating what to say next when Thomas suddenly spoke.
“I met her in a garden,” he said. “She was playing the violin… performing a piece called First Love.”
