There used to be a group of servants in West Magnolia’s Hudson Manor, where it was so well-maintained that they could have specially designated servants to clean up every piece of leaf. But now, the manor was dead quiet, and only the sound of birds could be heard despite it being the afternoon.
Rachel’s flats stepped on a dry branch. The sound startled her, making her jump.
She laughed at herself as she looked back and saw the branch that had been stomped into three parts behind her.
Despite how people with a clear conscience were supposed to be fearless, Rachel found it ridiculous how she still felt a chill run up her spine even though she didn’t do anything she felt guilty about to the Hudsons. Not to mention that it was still in the middle of the day.
Jefferey, who was executed by the firing squad, might not bother Rachel much, but the bloodied Amber did fall into the river in front of her eyes. Even now, Rachel would occasionally dream about the scene and jolt awake from her sleep.
As she reached the main entrance to the manor, she noticed how tight the seal on the door was.
She then encircled half the yard before she found a broken window in the side yard.
It was necessary for houses to be inhabited, as an unoccupied one was prone to be vandalized and have problems everywhere within the shortest time possible. This was a metaphysical belief.
Now that Rachel had entered the house smoothly, she found Jefferey’s locked study with ease.
Being the upright person that she was, she hesitated for a few seconds before she took a small hairpin from her updo. It became a piece of iron wire after she stretched it out. She had seen people in movies open doors with just a piece of iron wire and she knew the general principle of it, but it was for a fact that she had never done it.
Just as she poked the wire into the keyhole, she heard a ‘click’ and the door was open.
She was stunned for a second as she wondered if she was naturally talented like that, but she instantly understood when she saw the mess in the study.
If nothing else, a burglar had probably gone through this place.
The court had indeed confiscated the valuable furnishings, such as the antiques in the room, but the officers who came from the court to collect the items would not have turned the place into such a mess. They would have sealed off the things that were not worth much. The room, however, looked like a bomb had hit it.
Rachel quickly walked to the whole wall bookcase, and found the switch to the secret room from her memory.
The squeak that ensued was especially clear in the quiet room. Just like six years ago, the door of the bookshelf turned halfway, revealing a dark and discreet secret room.
Even after so long, she still prepared herself for a fright, her emotions already affected. However, she stopped abruptly when she saw the inside of the room.
The candles on the enshrined ‘altar’ had long since gone out, and the black-and-white photo had also disappeared.
Where is it?
The court would have contacted her if they had found these things.
Did the burglar steal from here as well?
Seems impossible, though.
Right when Rachel was deep in her thoughts, her phone suddenly rang, scaring her out of her wits when the sound reverberated throughout the empty space.
Startled, she hit her arm against the side of the table, making her gasp painfully.
While she endured the pain, she took a look at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button when she saw Jolly’s name flashing across her screen. “Hello? You had better have a good reason for calling me!” Rachel growled in a ‘kind’ voice.
“Ugh, what has gotten your panties in a knot?”
“You scared me, you butthead.”
“I was only worried about your safety. Turns out it backfired.” Jolly sighed.
“I probably won’t find anything.” While talking on the phone, Rachel groped around in the dark room but didn’t find anything she was looking for. “There is nothing here. It has been visited by burglars as well.”
“I told you there is a 80% possibility you won’t find anything. People from the court have been here several times before. The people in charge of the confiscation would have noticed if there really was a problem.”
“But my mother’s photo is missing.”
“What?” Jolly murmured before she suddenly let out a startled gasp.
Rachel immediately felt herself shiver when she heard that frightening sound.
“Hello? Jolly? Jolly!”
The call was cut off abruptly right after.
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat, and she didn’t even bother closing the door to the secret room as she sprinted out to look for Jolly.
Too much had happened recently that Rachel couldn’t let her guard down even during the day.
After painstakingly climbing up the wall of the manor, a male voice rang out. “I thought only Miss Jolly knew how to climb walls.”
Startled, Rachel turned her head, only to see a tall figure standing outside the wall surrounding the yard.
“You have thoroughly impressed me today, Rae,” he continued.
Rachel could see the astonishment in Justin’s eyes as he looked at her.
She was currently straddling the wall. The corners of her mouth fell open and a deep frown on her face. “Why are you here?”
“Jolly called me and told me to come here for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Indeed, it is just like she said. It is indeed once-in-a-lifetime.”
“Jolly. Carter!” Rachel gritted her teeth and called out her name. “Where is she?”
“Are you sure you want to keep the conversation going in your current position?”
Justin raised his head slightly and looked at her straddling the wall, his tone playful.
Realizing what he meant, she awkwardly cleared her throat. “Give me a minute.”
Rachel took a look around, but she was still embarrassed to climb up the tree. She had managed to climb over the wall earlier by leaning against the tree outside the wall. However, with Justin staring at her now, she felt too embarrassed to stretch her legs.
After a long while, she asked with difficulty, “Can you turn around?”
“Right,” the man replied as he quietly laughed about it.
She only crawled from the wall to the tree after seeing him turn around. She was inwardly cursing Jolly the whole time.
Why would she call Justin over when I am so unsightly? She must have done it intentionally!
Rachel then decided that she had to call Leroy over to have a look if Jolly was ever caught in a similar predicament in the future. Even if he couldn’t come physically, she would have the video evidence and have it sent to him on the spot to let Jolly experience what social death was like.
As Rachel quietly grumbled while she climbed up the tree, she got distracted, and suddenly lost her footing when she was climbing down the tree.
“Ah!”
Amidst her shriek, Justin, who was seemingly ready, turned around quickly and grabbed her arm with his big one, helping her land smoothly.
As Rachel gasped from the shock, she smelled the faint, musky scent of cologne drifting off his torso.
“You don’t look too experienced.” He unhesitantly made fun of her from the top of her head.
“Why would anyone be experienced in climbing trees and walls?” Rachel coughed and shoved him away. “Didn’t I tell you to turn around? How could you lie?”
Not knowing whether to laugh or feel upset, Justin replied, “My bad.”
“Where is Jolly?”
“She left.”
“She left?” Rachel looked to where the car was parked in disbelief. “She dumped me here by myself and just left?!”
“She drove away when she saw me coming. She also told me to wait here.”
Rachel immediately realized what had happened then.
Jolly must have intentionally screamed on the phone just now to worry Rachel, so that she would come out and look for Jolly, and then let Justin see her climbing the wall.
Jolly Carter, just you wait!
“Let me give her a call.”
Jaw clenched, Rachel took out her phone, only to be stopped by Justin.
“Ouch!” She gasped in pain.
