From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 267: Chapter 267

Jolin jolted awake in an instant. Seeing Elijah's face full of joy, she asked in confusion, "What's out? What happened?"
"The portrait reconstruction—it's done!" Elijah was beyond thrilled.
"Really? Where is it? Let me see!" Jolin's drowsiness disappeared immediately. She stepped right over the coffee table and rushed up to Elijah.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Ms. Sutton is doing the final touches, but I just took a quick look—it's unbelievable!" Elijah was so excited that he started rambling, struggling to find the right words to express his emotions.
The successful reconstruction of the portrait meant a breakthrough in this stalled case.
"Yay! I knew it—my mom is the best!" Serena's adorable little voice suddenly chimed in, reminding everyone that there was still a child present.
Elijah chuckled and ruffled Serena's soft hair. "Yes, your mom is the best!"
Jolin couldn't wait any longer—she went straight to Ethan's office. Lately, all her energy had been focused on this case. The lack of progress had left her physically and mentally drained.
Now that they had a portrait of the suspect, even if it didn't solve the case immediately, at least it gave her a new direction for the investigation. With that thought, she quickened her pace.
When she reached Ethan's office, she didn't even bother knocking—she just barged right in. "Ethan, my captain just told me that the suspect's portrait has been reconstructed?"
Ethan had looked completely drained before, like a seductress had sucked the life out of him. But now, aside from looking a little messy, he was practically glowing.
Jolin was momentarily stunned. "Ethan, did you take some kind of miracle pill?"
She remembered seeing him before, looking like he was on the verge of death. Now, he seemed like a completely different person.
Ethan chuckled sheepishly, finally having the patience to talk to someone. "Yeah, my teacher gave me some medicine."
Ethan thought, 'No wonder—it's a tonic personally made by my teacher. Just one pill is already working wonders.'
Jolin eagerly looked toward the easel. In front of it sat Paisley holding a paintbrush. She had long hair tied in a ponytail and was dressed casually.
From the back, there wasn't much to discern. But for some reason, Jolin felt an odd sense of familiarity.
At that moment, Paisley with the brush was making the final adjustments to the portrait.
Jolin's gaze landed on the painting—and her pupils suddenly contracted in shock.
In an instant, she understood why Elijah had described it as "unbelievable."
The detailed portrait was so lifelike that she recognized the person immediately—it was the older brother of one of the victims in this case.
Before this, they had never even considered him a suspect.
The bond between the two brothers had seemed too strong, and he had been the one who first discovered the body and reported it to the police.
"Isn't this—" Jolin looked at Ethan, hesitating.
Ethan knew what she wanted to say. He, too, was stunned and nodded.
After all, Paisley wasn't a part of the criminal investigation team—she had only been brought in as an external expert by Elijah. That meant she wasn't privy to many details of the case.
The only things she had been given were a rough idea of the crime, publicly available information on the victims, and two blurry surveillance images.
That was why Jolin was certain—Ethan's teacher had no idea that the victim had an older brother, let alone what he looked like. And yet, she had managed to reconstruct such an accurate portrait. That alone spoke volumes about her skill.
In that moment, Jolin felt an immense sense of respect for Paisley.
Ethan was incredibly excited.
Paisley had just taken his unfinished draft and made a second round of edits and enhancements.
He watched in awe as Paisley turned something mediocre into something extraordinary.
A plain sketch with no distinct character features had been transformed into an accurate portrait with recognizable traits, making it clear who the person was at first glance.
Ethan thought, 'Such an incredible teacher she is. I still have a lot to learn from her and need to keep refining my skills.'
"Alright." Paisley had already heard someone enter, but she had been too focused on finishing up to pay attention.
After adding the final stroke, she turned to Ethan. "You can take this to Mr. Wyatt now. I hope it helps with your case."
Just then, Elijah walked in with the other team members. "Help? This is more than just help!"
Elijah eagerly took the portrait and immediately started giving orders, organizing the next steps for his team.
Paisley stood up and dusted off her clothes. As soon as she lifted her head, she locked eyes with a familiar face.
"You—" Jolin finally got a clear look at Ethan's teacher and was instantly stunned. She had a photographic memory.
One glance was all it took for her to recognize Paisley—it was the very same person she had encountered at the Godard estate last night, the one whom Tyson had just acknowledged as his daughter.
Jolin thought, 'So, she's my cousin.'
"Oh? What a coincidence." Paisley also recognized Jolin. She nodded slightly, her expression calm.
Elijah had just finished giving orders when he turned and heard Paisley's words. He was taken aback. "Wait, Ms. Sutton, you know Ms. Godard?"
"So, you're the deputy captain here." There was a hint of admiration in Paisley's eyes.
Jolin was still in shock. Seeing that look of appreciation from Paisley made her cheeks flush instantly. She stiffly nodded. "Ah... yeah... right..."
"Very good, very impressive. A young woman daring to take action—truly remarkable." Paisley spoke with an air of authority, offering her praise.
Jolin had heard similar compliments many times before, but they always sounded formal and insincere.
However, hearing Paisley say it now, for some reason, made her feel strangely embarrassed. "I-I'm not that great."
Elijah had never seen Jolin act like this before. Everyone in the precinct knew she was like a firecracker, always ready to go off on someone—even the chief hadn't been spared from her outbursts. But now, in front of Paisley, she was suddenly acting shy.
"Paisley, how do you know Ms. Godard?" Ethan, now full of energy, couldn't help but gossip.
"Oh." Paisley stretched her slightly sore wrist, catching Jolin's obvious nervousness from the corner of her eye.
Jolin kept throwing her anxious glances as if silently begging her not to say something.
Paisley smirked slightly, "We just happened to meet last night."
That wasn't exactly a lie—they had, indeed, met the night before.
Jolin breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Paisley hadn't revealed her identity.