Jenna''s eyes narrowed as she watched Angelo, suspicion growing by the second. "You were just telling us you suspected James, and now you''re defending him. So, do you suspect him or not?" "I..." Angelo stammered, momentarily lost for words.


    With Jenna and Adler staring him down, Angelo gritted his teeth and finally confessed, albeit reluctantly, "Of course I suspect him! What I said earlier was just based on how I''ve interacted with him. What does that prove? It proves our enemy is too cunning! James is too good at hiding his true self! He''s definitely a big yer!"


    "Being this perceptive..." Jenna patted Angelo on the shoulder, a faint smile ying on her lips. "You''re sharper than I gave you credit for. Truly, Mr. Angelo!"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "You''re too kind, really..." Angelo forced a smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes.


    Once Jenna and Adler let him off the hook, Angelo tried to act casual as he headed upstairs.


    Sandy, still feeling uneasy, wanted to get to the bottom of it. But before she could even start, Angelo cut her off, "For crying out loud, give it a rest! Your big brother needs some sleep!" "But -"


    But I still have questions!


    Before Sandy could finish, Angelo had already shut his bedroom door behind him.


    Even in the safety of his room, Angelo''s heart was pounding. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed James''s number.


    As soon as James picked up, Angelo blurted out, "James! You''re a genius! How did you pull it off?"


    "Sophie getting hurt is a big deal. The moment the call connected and you didn''t say anything, I knew something was up on your end."


    "God, you''re like a mind reader!"


    "Cut the crap. What happened to Sophie?"


    "Oh, it''s not too bad. Looks like


    someone hit her from behind with a stick. I checked it out; there''s a bit of blood, but nothing major. Honestly, it''s minorpared to the injuries she got back when she was with you."


    James was about to hang up, but Angelo quickly interjected, "Wait, wait, I was just kidding! Here''s the deal: I just escaped from my dad''s ce and realized Sophie''s been targeted." "By Griffin?"


    "Griffin? You mean Elodie''s little


    sidekick? No, not him!" Angelo said. "It''s their cook-or maybe the nanny? No, not that either! A security guard! Ah. anyway, a servant-Timothy! I''ve mentioned him before!


    James furrowed his brows on the other end of the line.


    Angelo continued, "That


    guy-remember Sophie said he was harmless? But my journalist instincts told me he''s been watching Sophie! Not just her, but everything at Burke Estate. His presence is SO minimal, I didn''t notice him until today! And guess what? He sneaked into Sophie''s bedroom when no one was looking!"


    "Nobody else noticed, how did you see him?"


    "My eyes were glued to him, that''s just my journalistic integrity!"


    Angelo puzzledly added, "But he left after a few minutes, probably didn''t find what he was looking for."


    "He couldn''t find what he was after."


    "How do you know?"


    "Because that thing isn''t in Sophie''s possession."