Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 480

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 480**
**Chapter 480**

“I did,” Elliot affirmed, his voice unwavering after a moment’s reflection. “I even had someone retrieve the original case file. The official verdict was that it was an accident.”

Julian’s expression darkened, shadows flickering across his features as he absorbed the weight of Elliot’s words. After a brief pause, he issued a quiet yet firm directive. “Send someone back to Brimcrest. They need to comb through that file meticulously.”

On the other end of the line, Elliot could hear a sharp intake of breath, the tension palpable. “You think…”

But before he could articulate his thoughts, a dawning realization swept over him.

“I’ll assign someone to it immediately,” Elliot replied, urgency threading through his voice.

Then, as if a thought had just struck him, he added, “Oh, and there’s something else. Tonight, Madam Sterling visited a villa in the western suburbs. She didn’t take anyone with her—not even her driver. Only Jason followed her.”

After all the time spent monitoring Eloise, this was the first indication of movement since Flint’s release.

A humorless laugh escaped Julian’s lips, a sound devoid of mirth. “She went to meet him, didn’t she?”

“We can’t say for certain yet,” Elliot cautioned. “But shortly after Madam Sterling arrived, a man in his fifties exited the villa. He was driving a car with counterfeit plates. They switched vehicles halfway through, and we lost track of him.”

Julian’s features hardened, his brow furrowing. “In his fifties?”

Flint was older than that.

“Exactly,” Elliot responded, his frown deepening. “And that’s the bizarre part. We’ve never encountered this man in Jouleston before. His appearance near that villa is the first recorded sighting of him here. It’s peculiar, considering how stringent the city’s surveillance system is—”

“You were played,” Julian interrupted sharply, his eyes narrowing to icy slits. “There’s a 90% chance that was Flint himself.”

Elliot froze, the implications crashing over him like a wave. “Flint? But his appearance, his age—none of it aligns!”

Then it dawned on him. “Wait. You mean he’s undergone plastic surgery?”

“Exactly. A disguise. How did we overlook that?” Elliot thought bitterly, frustration gnawing at him.

In the entire country, only two individuals possessed the skill to execute such a transformation: one worked with law enforcement, while the other operated in the shadows, demanding exorbitant fees.

Regardless, both could alter a person’s visage in mere hours—enough to deceive both cameras and the keenest human eyes.

For a heartbeat, Julian went rigid, as if a cold hand had gripped his heart. Even his expression faltered, a myriad of emotions flickering across his face. ‘Of course. It makes sense now. No wonder she started avoiding me, distancing herself without explanation.’

Eloise, the woman who had once shattered lives for the sake of a past love, had taken Sydney’s parents without a shred of remorse.

Every piece of the puzzle fell into place, the realization searing through him like acid, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Perhaps the abruptness of the conversation had caught Sydney off guard, for all the questions she had rehearsed in her mind had evaporated, leaving only silence.

How could she now ask him, “If I seek revenge for my parents, will you despise me?”

She turned slightly, as if contemplating an escape, but Julian’s hand shot out, catching her wrist gently yet firmly. His lips parted, searching for the right words to bridge the chasm between them.

For a long moment, the air was thick with unspoken thoughts. The hallway sensor light clicked off, leaving only a pale wash of moonlight spilling through the window, casting ghostly shadows around them.

Sydney tilted her chin upward, a faint, brittle smile gracing her lips.

“What’s so difficult to say, hmm?” she murmured, her voice a soft challenge. “Don’t tell me you’re about to claim you’re not one of the Sterling family.”