The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 66

After everything was set, she walked into the study.

She deliberately left a stack of her father's old, irrelevant business documents scattered across the desk.

There were old contract drafts, voided financial statements, and a few project proposals.

At first glance, they looked exactly like "the Sargent Group's core historical files."

She spent the entire morning at the old residence.

She dusted her parents' portraits and placed fresh lilies on the altar.

At half-past eleven, she and Harriet got ready to leave.

Just as they locked the door and reached the top of the stairs, Harriet's footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second. Without drawing attention, she gently nudged Annelise's arm.

Harriet cast a quick, subtle glance toward the corner of the street below, half-hidden by an old locust tree.

Annelise didn't turn around.

She kept walking downstairs at a steady, unhurried pace.

She knew the fish had taken the bait.

The two of them walked out of the complex and hailed a cab.

Sitting in the backseat, Annelise watched the city blur past the window, her face completely expressionless.

Sitting beside her, Harriet dug into her pocket and passed her a small, folded piece of paper.

Written on it in pencil was a license plate number.

"Ma'am, it's that car," Harriet whispered. "The black one parked across the street. It hasn't moved an inch since we got here."

"There's someone inside, but the windows are heavily tinted, so I couldn't get a good look."

Annelise took the slip of paper, glanced at it, crumpled it up, and shoved it into her pocket.

That very night, Harriet used a distant relative at the DMV to pull the car's registration details.

The owner was a company called "Apex Business Consulting."

A name that couldn't possibly sound more generic.

Annelise typed the company name into her laptop.

The business registry loaded instantly.

The legal representative was a name she didn't recognize at all.

But as her eyes scanned down to the shareholder information, her pupils contracted sharply.

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