The Bride Behind the Mask

Chapter 876

Chapter 877

The little girl sat up perfectly straight, her round cheeks giving her a cherubic look. Gone were her trademark

pigtails; today, her hair was swept up into a neat, high ponytail. The wild, scatterbrained air she usually carried

had vanished without a trace.

Margot raised her hand to wave over the waitress, her voice soft and childish as she ordered a glass of orange

juice. She took two eager gulps, the glass almost too big for her hands.

Across from her, Hayes watched calmly, arms folded, utterly unhurried as he studied her.

Margot pouted, then asked, "You don't seem surprised at all."

"| figured out a while ago that you were my mysterious online friend."

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Her eyes went wide in disbelief. "How? | thought | was being so careful! Besides, | heard from Manley that you've

been searching for your sister. So | assumed you'd mistake my identity online for hers."

Hayes just smiled, offering no explanation.

Even now, this kid was still trying to play games with him. She really was incorrigible!

Margot took another sip of juice. When she saw Hayes still refusing to speak, she dropped all pretense. "You said

last night that you'd cracked the wafer. | chere today so you could tellhow."

Hayes fixed her with a piercing look, his tone suddenly sharp. "Has someone already had the wafer implanted?"

"es."

"Who?"

Margot's gaze darted away, guilt flickering across her face. "You don't know him. And... we're not really close."

"If that's true, why did you pushso hard to investigate?"

“Because..... I'm just curious about the technology, that's all..." She turned away, refusing to meet his eyes.

But no matter how she tried to dodge, Hayes saw right through her.

"It's your father, isn't it?" His words struck home, and Margot's hands tightened around her glass.

Caught off guard, she blurted out, her voice rising defensively, "Don't say that! My dad's fine!"

Hayes didn't bother sparing her feelings. He placed a freshly printed hospital report on the table.

His voice was calm, his logic airtight.

"| pulled this from the hospital yesterday. Your father's nis right here. And the scan matches the image you

sentthat night. That shadow on the frontal lobe-it's the wafer, isn't it? The size is small enough, and the way

it's merged with the brain's structure, no one would suspect it's foreign. But you forgot you once sketched the

wafer's framework for me. That's how | recognized it instantly."

Margot didn't even have tto be shocked. Hayes was just as sharp as ever he could see through every one of

her lies with a few words. There was no fooling him.

"Margot, if you want my help, you need to be honest with me. No more secrets. Right now, I'm the only one who

actually knows what's going on with your father. So you have to tell me: How did he get the wafer implanted,

and why?"

Margot seemed to brace herself, her small face full of hurt as she looked up at Hayes. "You really want to know?"

"Of course."

"Then get ready, because what I'm about to tell you might shock you even more."

Hayes wasn't sure if she was being tic, but the way she said it made him hold his breath.

Slowly, Margot slid a photograph across the table. "This is who | used to be."