No one could ever replace Melissa!
Not even Claire could fill that specific void!
What gave Tiffany the audacity to think Yolande could?
"Padgett, let me check your vitals and see how you're holding up," Claire requested.
Though Padgett felt perfectly fine, he wasn't about to refuse his granddaughter's sudden medical check.
"Alright, go ahead."
"But if you find anything wrong, don't sugarcoat it."
He had made peace with his mortality long ago.
Aside from the agonizing mystery of his missing daughter, his life had been incredibly fulfilling.
"I would never hide anything from you," Claire promised.
She checked his vitals, maintaining a perfectly neutral expression.
Padgett watched her with deep admiration.
Her ability to stay utterly composed under pressure proved she was destined for greatness.
Honestly, Dane was getting too good of a deal with her.
"Your vitals are incredibly strong," Claire announced. "Since you started taking my custom supplements, your overall health has actually improved."
"Padgett, I have even better news for you."
Padgett let out a subtle sigh of relief upon hearing he was healthy.
He had been slightly worried her expert check might catch a hidden illness the hospital missed.
He felt robust enough to stick around until Melissa finally walked through the front door.
Wherever she was out there.
"What kind of news?" Padgett asked, leaning in with keen interest.
"I found a lead on my parents."
Claire didn't hold back, detailing her recent harrowing experience in Apex.
While Padgett was thrilled at the prospect of finding his daughter, his expression quickly morphed into a stern frown at the danger Claire had faced.
"Finding them is crucial, but not at the cost of your own life," he scolded gently.
"You don'tjust walk into a minefield, Claire.
If something happened t
you, how could
fever face tonet
when they return?"
His daughter was paramount, but so was his granddaughter!
Claire knew she had been reckless.
"I didn't want to take the risk, but
Meiko si..
and
243 anehanet
already set their sights on
"I preferred dealing with the threat head-on rather than constantly looking over my shoulder."
"Besides, the conspiracy goes far deeper than I can handle alone."
"I already reported it through Dane's channels, and high-level authorities have taken over the case."
"They were the ones who confirmed the intel on my parents."
"Don't worry, Padgett. I know how to protect myself."
"And after this massive blowout, I'm certain the authorities will assign a detail to watch over me."
It was just a solid deduction on her part.
Frederick Vane's explosive death while in custody had drastically escalated the investigation.
She knew the operatives would monitor her to flush out the mastermind.
And being monitored by the authorities was effectively a heavily guarded safety net.
"Wait, so that traitor is dead?" Padgett vividly remembered Frederick Vane.
When Melissa vanished, Vane had disappeared alongside her.
Padgett had tracked down his background, only to discover Vane was a wanted fugitive.
He had heavily suspected Vane was the one who abducted Melissa.
The files showed Vane had been obsessed with Melissa in college and confessed his feelings to her.
Fortunately, Melissa had firmly rejected him.
To the Churchills, a nobody like Vane was entirely unworthy of their daughter.
He was nothing but a pathetic clown.
Yet, it was this exact loser who had somehow caused Melissa's
disappearance, erasing her finet
the
world for decades.
Padgett harbored a deep, burning hatred for the man. Hearing of his demise brought immense satisfaction.
"Good riddance!"
"A scumbag like that deserves worse!"