Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young)
Chapter 297

Chapter 297 Digging for Answers

"What's on your mind?" my mom asked, eyeing me with concern. "You always look so weighed down with worries. I'm afraid you'll burn out soon."

I managed a weak grin and met her gaze. "Mom, are you hexing me?"

She clicked her tongue in disapproval and replied, "Of course not! Why would I curse you? I am just worried you are thinking too hard and wearing yourself out."

I offered a small smile but could not hide my curiosity. "What's there to think about?"

She let out a sigh of relief. "That's my girl. You should take a page out of Alice's book, you know. She's in her thirties and still looks so fresh and lively. You're way younger, yet you two could pass for the same age."

Her comment caught me off guard, and I did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Mom, are you saying I look ugly or just old?"

She

gave a helpless shrug. "What kind of talk is that? I'm just giving you a nudge. You've been a looker since you were a kid. I just hope that when you're Alice's age, you'll still be as gorgeous and fit as you are now."

I was at a loss for words at her logic. After a moment, I ventured, "Has Alice ever been married?"

"Not anymore!" my mom shook her head, sharing the latest gossip. "She had a husband once, but they split up. Not too long after they called it quits, her ex kicked the bucket."

I paused, taken aback. "He died?"

Mom nodded. "Yeah, he passed away from sickness. Mary touched on it before, but I didn't pry. It's not exactly cheerful stuff to dig into, you know? What's up with you? Since when did you care about digging into other people's business? You've got enough chaos in your own life, don't you?"

I pressed a hand to my forehead. Mom always knew how to push my buttons. "You've got a point. I was just being a little nosy. I noticed she seemed to hit it off with Maxwell, and I got curious."

She shot me a look that could freeze lava. "Drop the drama, will you? Little Sanchez and Alice are good kids. They just clicked, nothing more. Alice probably just sees him as a little brother she needs to look after. Little Sanchez has not been back long and doesn't have many friends here. Him replaceing someone to chat with is a good thing. Don't stir up trouble."

Her words made me feel like I was trying to dance on quicksand. I managed a sheepish grin.” Mom, I say one little thing, and you come back at me with a whole lecture. What, a few days apart, and I'm disowned?"

She made that tsk sound that meant trouble. "As if I could do that if I tried.

I made a face. "Feels like, I am on the verge, the way you are shutting me down. I just wanted to catch up on what has been going on with you guys up in the mountains, but you're putting up walls before I even get a word out."

She gave me that exasperated mom look. "Is this why you have been circling around the topic

Chapter 297 Digging for Answers

with me?"

I shrugged. "Not exactly. I just wanted to check in on you."

She squinted at me like she was trying to read my mind. "Something tells me you're not telling me everything. Come on, Yvette, spill it. Are you hiding something from me?"

2/2

I pressed my hand to my forehead in exasperation and said, "Mom, I'm just really curious. You heard Maxwell on the phone, right? He said they found something in the mountains and wanted to check it out, but then Alice cut him off. I'm your daughter, I just want to know what you guys found out there. Do you really have to keep it from me?"

Mom looked at me with a mix of frustration and resignation. "If you want to know so badly, why didn't you just ask directly? Why beat around the bush with me?"

I gave a sheepish grin. "I guess I didn't know how to bring it up. Plus, I wanted to catch up with you. It's been days since we last talked, and I've missed you like crazy."

At that, her lips twitched into a smile. "We didn't replace much. Alice thinks the ground under the mountain is hollow, not from any natural disaster, but like it was mined out years ago. I don't really get all that stuff, and I didn't pry. If it turns out to be an old mine, then the accident that took little Sanchez's parents might not have been an act of God, but someone's doing. Though, after all these years, whoever was responsible is probably long gone."