Chapter 233 - Synthetic identity

Ethan examined his dad's expressions turning bitter at the mention of aunt Evelyn. His grandfather and grandmother are the worst people he had seen and his mom belongs to the same category. "Does mom knows about her?" Ethan asked.

"No," Stephan said in uncertainty. If Lauren knew about her existence, she would have wiped her existence. He doesn't want to think of that possibility. "Leaving aside the matter, I heard you cancelled the engagement with Casey. At last, you did one good job."

"I should have done it before. I feel a huge burden is lifted off my shoulders," said Ethan. His mom and grandparents threatened him but Ethan did not bend this time.

"Marry someone you love, son. Don't become a puppet in your mom's hands and make the same mistake I did." Stephan If only he was not a coward in the past, he would have married the woman he loved.

"I am trying hard not to follow your steps," replied Ethan with a smile. "So, had your lunch?"

"Not yet. Wanna join with me?"

"I would love to." Ethan got up and both father and son walked out of the office with all smiles.

....

Twilight came as palpable murmurs for the stars to come. Dropping Leena and Carrot at home after their hospital visit, Nick went into his condo. He got shifted to Greenwyn village to stay close to Leena.

Getting fresh, Leena made a special dish that she found on a blog and gave it to Reese, Nick, and uncle Pumpkin. Carrot ate her food and went into her room to sleep. When she heard the main door opening, like a kid, she rushed."Devin...." She screamed and hugged him tightly.

C.a.r.e.s.sing her hair lovingly, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Had your dinner?"

"Not yet. I am waiting for you. I tried a new dish today. So, I want you to taste and click pictures of it." The moment their relationship started, Leena turned Devin into her personal photographer for her blog 'holy banana pants'. She is getting more praises for the pictures than her content and as usual, Leena took the credit for it.

"Just tell me you need a scapegoat." snapped Devin.

Hitting his c.h.e.s.t, she looked at him with a pretentious pout. "I made the dish with love and care especially for you. Do you have to be so harsh on me?"

"Your never-ending dramas started?" Devin scorned. "Get the camera and arrange the dishes. I will come back after my shower."

"You are the best, Devin" Leena pecked him on his lips and whisked away before he would catch her.

"I will have my way when the time comes." He grumbled touching his lips, a silly smile plastered on his face as he went into the bedroom.

Leena was carefully adjusting the angle of the bowls to get the perfect shot, then she got a call from Francis. Her face lit up and slid the green button immediately. "What's up Francis Hayes. I have made a new dish. Wanna join?"

"I would rather eat rat poison than your weird food combinations," Nonchalantly, Francis replied.

"At least I am trying. You don't even do that. You eat all the food uncle Caleb makes like a python." Leena scoffed.

"Python? sounds good. Let me give it as a pet for your upcoming birthday."

"Francy." Leena cried. "I am not talking with you anymore."

"Thank God! At least for a while, your blabbermouth will be locked." Francis laughed when he could sense Leena's vexation. Hearing the footsteps, Leena turned around and threw her mobile onto Devin's c.h.e.s.t, and stormed into the kitchen in anger.

Looking at the caller ID, Devin spoke up. "What did you do this time?"

"It's fun to annoy my baby," Francis said. "Did you get the information?"

"Yes." Devin walked to the balcony away from Leena. "I will call you once Leena sleeps. Come to greenwyn village."

"Fine then."

Ending the call, Devin strolled into the dining room where Leena was capturing pictures of her dish. Without making a noise, he went near her and buried his face on the crook of her neck wrapping his arms around her waist. "Did you decide the place for our honeymoon?"

Leena's mood brightened up at the mention of honeymoon. "I am still in confusion, Devin. Why don't you decide?"

"Alright. I will do it later." He grabbed the camera and clicked the pictures of the dish and settled down for dinner to try this weird dish. He wondered she would ever stop making them. Reluctantly, he finished the dinner and went into the bedroom.

A thought occurred in his mind as he thought of the picture sent by the stalker. Without planting a seed of doubt, he can ask Leena if she can crack the clue. Climbing on the bed, he pulled Leena into his arms and called her. "Leena."

"Hm?" Leena looked up pausing the Dora the explorer cartoon she was watching.

"Our company is celebrating its eighth anniversary in the next few months. To make it lively, employees are conducting fun activities."

"Wow...that's wonderful. " Beaming with excitement, Leena said. "Even if you are busy CEO, you should take part in it."

"I planned to do so. I got a picture puzzle without a clue. Wanna help me in solving it?"

"Bring it on. I love puzzles, babylicious. I got many awards in school for solving countless puzzles."

Devin opened the mobile and showed it to her. Carefully observing the picture for a while, she made her own calculations. It has an open mouth at the front, so the front part must be a hippo and its back has white and black lines in the tail, so its back part must be zebra. That's it? "It's very simple, Devin." Leena confidentially said.

"I knew it. You can find solutions to the impossible also." Proudly, he patted her head. "What is the answer?"

"Thank you, babylicious." Shyly Leena giggled. "So, the answer is a crossbred animal creature. It's a combination of hippopotamus and zebra."

Devin: " "

Massaging his temples, Devin smiled c.a.r.e.s.sing her cheeks. "Never tell to anyone that you are a puzzle lover."

"Is it wrong?"

Pulling the blanket up to her c.h.e.s.t, Devin said. "Your brain has gone bananas again. Sleep."

'It's definitely a crossbred animal. He will realize his mistake once the answer is revealed.' Leena pouted and drifted to sleep.

Hearing her even breathing, he got up arranging a pillow beside her. The moment Devin stepped into the elevator, a man entered with a file.

"Monitor all the CCTV's of greenwyn village," Devin ordered. "If you find anyone suspicious, report me."

"I am on it, Devin," replied Nick. "With the parcel you got today, the stalker is keeping a tight observation on even you. It's not safe to stay in this place."

"I will slowly convince Leena to shift the place." Stepping out of the elevator, he asked. "Are you getting along with Leena?"

"One hell crazy girl but she treats me like a family, Devin." Replied Nick, a smile plastered on his face when he received the dish she made. Although it did not taste good, he felt happy that she remembered him.

"That's a unique thing about my Leena." Spotting a car in the distance, Devin checked the surroundings and knocked on the car door.

"Is my baby asleep?" Francis asked as he opened the door.

"Otherwise she would unleash the detective Sherlock Holmes, uncle Francis," Nick said.

"You have studied her in a single day, Nickelodeon?"

"Woah! It reached your ears already?" Nick exclaimed.

"Of course my baby doesn't keep secrets."

"Enough with your boasting, Francis." irked with his gloating, Devin handed a file to Francis angrily.

Francis opened the page as a name appeared on it. "Wilson Norton? Didn't Casey confessed it was a woman?"

"I don't know on what basis that dumb woman has assumed the criminal to be a woman when she never talked and met her. But the number we traced is under Wilson Norton's name. Did you hear this name anywhere in the past?"

"Not that I heard of."

"Wilson Norton is living under synthetic identity. He has stolen some of the private information like names, date of birth, other crucial information from different people but he didn't pretend to be the actual person because there would be a chance of serious threat living with a fake identity."

Devin handed another file to Francis where a picture of the house was attached. "According to the address proof we received, it is his own house but it's been two decades, he rarely comes home and no neighbors have seen him. He rarely has used his bank accounts. So, we can conclude he is still using his old identity. To the law, he is Wilson Norton but the other identity? We don't know."

"Two decades?" Francis whispered connecting the dots. "Heather's accident_"

"Exactly France," Devin explained. "It must be related to the Hayes family. Aunt Heather's accident, Wilbur's parent's death, and Leena's accident five years back. It must be done by one person."

"According to Casey, she left the place the moment Leena fell off the cliff but Leena heard a woman voice when she was pushed for the second time but she was not in a state to discern whose voice it is exactly. In her frenetic state, Leena assumed it must be Casey."

"So, Wilson Norton is doing all the work for that woman under the fake identity," Francis concluded.

"Probably. That woman is playing a very smart game without dropping a single clue." Devin was amused by this woman's antics. She resembled the stalker as if they have connection.