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Chapter 1226
Skylar and Natalie quickly left the mall and found a nearby restaurant for a quick meal. Before they could finish eating, Skylar received a phone call from Jeremy, urging her to come to the Hughes Group.
He mentioned that he couldn’t explain everything over the phone and that they would need to meet in person to discuss the details.
After finishing their meal, Natalie accompanied her to the Hughes Group.
Natalie had visited the Hughes Group before to see Jeremy, but much had changed since then. The receptionist at the front desk was now someone new.
Skylar introduced herself, and the receptionist promptly led them to the elevator, taking them directly to Jeremy’s office.
When they entered, Jeremy looked surprised to see Natalie. It had been half a year since they last saw each other, their last encounter being a chance meeting at a restaurant.
“When you called Skylar, we were having dinner, so we decided to come together. If it’s inconvenient for me to be here, I can wait in the lounge.”
Seeing Jeremy glance her way, Natalie assumed he had something he didn’t want to discuss in front of her. As she spoke, she turned and walked toward the office door to give them some
privacy.
Jeremy averted his gaze and said calmly, “No need to go to the lounge. There’s nothing you shouldn’t know.”
Although the conversation ahead was important, he believed Natalie would keep it
confidential.
Natalie hesitated for a moment before replying, “I think I’ll wait in the lounge anyway. It gives me a chance to play on my phone.”
After Natalie left the room, Jeremy frowned and turned his attention to Skylar. “I called you
here to show you this.”
Skylar stepped closer to Jeremy’s desk.
Skylar watched as Jeremy operated his computer and opened his email. There it was, a message from an unknown sender. Attached was a photo–a single, haunting image.
The photo clearly showed a person whose hands were cuffed, restricting his movement.
At first glance, it was impossible to recognize him. His face bore several deep scars that were shocking to behold. But upon closer inspection, Skylar realized they knew this person. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the image.
“This…“, she stammered.
Jeremy wasn’t surprised by her shock. He replied in a low voice, “I was taken aback when I first saw this photo as well. This is my personal email, which I check occasionally. I don’t usually open emails from unknown senders, but today I happened to open it.
“At first, I thought it was a prank, but I quickly realized that the person in the photo was Paul!
“Can we trace the sender’s location? Also, has Paul ever taken similar photos before?” Skylar asked, her voice trembling with urgency.
If this photo was taken recently, then Paul was still alive. If Paul was still alive, it meant that Joe was alive too. The timing and location of the photo were crucial.
Jeremy shook his head. “We’ll need to bring in a tech expert to track the location. The scars on Paul’s face don’t look like special effects makeup. His overall state also doesn’t suggest it’s a
fake.”
Tears glimmered in Skylar’s eyes as her heart raced uncontrollably. “So, Joe is alive. My determination over the past few years has been justified, right?”
Jeremy felt a twinge of emotion. “Before you arrived, I had already contacted specialists. They will investigate the source of the photo as quickly as possible. Skylar, I have a feeling you might be right. Perhaps Joe and Paul are both still alive.”
However, there was one thing he couldn’t bring himself to say. Given the circumstances of the photo, Paul’s situation didn’t seem optimistic.
If Joe and Paul were together and somehow managed to send this photo, it meant they had been living in dire circumstances for the past few years. They must have had little to no opportunity to connect with the outside world.
This was likely their first chance to reach out, but they could only send one photo.