With that tone, anyone listening would actually believe Shawn was telling the truth. Felicia gave him a surprised look. Was this really Shawn? This idiot actually had a brain for once? It was hard to believe. Charles was silent for a moment, unable to answer. Some of the villagers who joined the search expressed uncertainty, muttering, “Maybe… he really didn’t do it?”
Felicia kept her gaze fixed on Shawn, her eyes clear and sharp. She said slowly, “Well, since you’re so eager to help, why don’t you join us in the search?”
Although Charles was still suspicious of Shawn, he had no evidence and could only allow everyone to continue searching for Lucas. The vice principal also organized student groups to assist in the search.
“Sure thing!” Shawn answered without hesitating.
Arnold wanted to help too, but Kayla, still recovering from a twisted ankle, had called him multiple times to complain that the family caring for her hadn’t fed her. Kayla’s stomach hurt from hunger. She whined that her low blood sugar was making her feel faint. Frustrated, Arnold decided to stay behind to look after her.
The entire village and the nearby hillside soon lit up with bright beams coming from flashlights. Voices also echoed across the landscape.
“Lucas, where are you?”
“Lucas, come out!”
Their efforts shone in the growing darkness. Little beams gathered together like stars scattered across the hills.
Meanwhile, Stephan hadn’t left Alverton. He wasn’t staying nearby either. His helicopter was parked on a clearing on another mountain, giving him a clear view of the village below. Watching the commotion, his expression was cold under the moonlight. He turned to his subordinate and asked, “Has the information I requested still not come through?”
The subordinate felt the pressure of Stephan’s gaze. Just as he was about to say it should be any moment now, his phone rang. Relieved, he quickly said, “Mr. Russell, the information just came in!”
Clearing his throat, he reported,
.n
“That night, during Felicia Fuller and Arnold Lawson’s engagement party, Arnold suddenly left everyone behind to go see his fake sister Kayla Fuller. It seems she staged a suicide attempt by cutting her
wrists.”
Stephan shot him a sharp look. “Get to the point.”
He wanted news about Felicia, not Kayla.
“Yes, sir!” The subordinate’s voice strained as he continued, “After Arnold left, Mr. Lawson Senior arranged bodyguards to escort Ms. Felicia to the party. However, Ms. Felicia managed to escape. She ran from the reception area all the way testhe guest rooms at the back.”
The venue had strict rules against cameras due to the high-profile nature of its guests, so this information had been pieced together from the accounts of staff members who had witnessed Felicia running.
“Once she was in the guest area,
nobody knew where she went, and we haven’t managed to find out either. M Lawson Senior’s
bodyguards almost tore the planet
apart trying to find her, but they
didn’t. So, the engagement party fell
apart,” said the subordinate.
“It wasn’t until the next morning, just past 5:00 am, that Ms. Felicia left the venue. The first thing she did was take a cab back to her dormitory building at the college,” he finished.
Stephan took this in and finally turned to face his subordinate. “And after that?”
The subordinate steadied himself before revealing, “Abbie Dawson was invited to the venue by someone in the social circle named Laurence Quinn. We investigated him, and he claimed to have spent the night with Ms. Dawson, but…” The subordinate glanced at Stephan’s expression and then lowered his voice, “He has no idea why she left the next day wearing your suit jacket.”