The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 554

Theo followed their gazes and glanced over, pausing in surprise when he saw the woman's face.

"Jeanette? What's she doing here?"

Remembering she was a friend of his younger sister, he hesitated for a moment, then made his way over and sat across from her.

Jeanette's heart was pounding with excitement, but she forced herself to act oblivious, pretending to be tipsy and out of sorts.

"Who... who are you? Why are you sitting here?" she slurred, looking up at him with feigned confusion.

Theo frowned. "This isn't the kind of place you should be hanging around. Go home, Jeanette."

Jeanette threw her hands in the air in wild exaggeration. "Go home? Go where? The house is gone, my father's in jail, my mother left... I don't have a home anymore."

Only then did Theo remember the recent events, the headlines from earlier that day. He pressed his lips together. "Then you should at least get a room at a hotel for the night."

Jeanette shook her head stubbornly. "I... I haven't had enough to drink yet."

Theo's frown deepened. "You're already drunk. I'll have someone take you back."

rose to leave, but

"Don't go," she pleaded.

Theo tried to pull away, but her grip was surprisingly

struggled, something slipped from beneath the collar of Jeanette's shirt, catching the

hanging from her neck—a battered old locket-and demanded urgently, "Where did you get this? How

eyes flashed with a sly, triumphant look, though it

confusion. "What are you talking about? This locket's

you have it

Jeanette replied, giving him a

at the locket, tracing the intricate pattern and the single deep scratch across its surface-a mark he remembered

Talbot had work to do, so Theo wandered off alone, curiosity getting the better of

of noise and color, and Theo-restless and mischievous at

and tourists. In

jumped

could, but they were stronger-he was just

when Theo thought he was done for, a little girl charged out of nowhere, flinging a handful of cayenne pepper into the

staggered back,