Chapter 2800

Rita's resilience—and all that she had encountered in her years within the family—resulted in pent-up emotions within her. Without Sherman by her side, she might not have revealed such a fragile facet of herself. In addition, she had matured swiftly in the past few years too. Though her family disapproved of her work and she occasionally traded barbs with her stepmother and stepsister, none of that could match up to the challenges of a reporter roughing it on the streets. Once Rita had composed herself, her mind churned with questions. For example, she wanted to know how they got information that she was going to be there with Sherman. She had kept her investigation of Esmond close to her chest, discussing it only with Sherman. That raised the question of how Esmond knew about their arrival and if his counter-surveillance operations were that formidable. After she shared her concerns with Sherman, he thought for a moment before asking, "Are you certain you didn't mention Esmond to a