Lucian cautiously observed as he walked up the stairs, hoping to discover a hidden compartment. Just when everyone was feeling a little defeated, Bill’s phone rang. It was a call from the head of the bodyguards that Lucian had arranged for him.
The head said, “Mr. Chapman, I’ve got an update for you. Yuliana has been living in the mansion since she returned. A car drove out not long ago, and we’re following it now.”
“Great. Don’t lose them. There are still people in the mansion, right? Keep an eye on them. They can’t possibly rely only on one car!” Bill ordered. After being reassured by the head of the bodyguards, Bill hung up the phone.
Bill turned his attention to Lucian and Roxanne and nodded. “Winnie seems to be making a move now. There are two things they might do: destroy the evidence or escape.”
Roxanne’s expression changed. “E-Escape? Does that mean they no longer want to sell the mansion?”
“I believe so. When I told Cayden to negotiate the house deal with them, Winnie seemed anxious at first, but after being questioned by the cops, she seemed less concerned about the sale. The change in her behavior might suggest that money is no longer a priority for her. She must be the culprit!” Lucian uttered firmly. A glint flashed across his eyes. “But I won’t let her slip through my fingers, not in Horington or anywhere else.”
“Mom, someone must have followed the car that has just left. With Lucian’s influence in Horington, I’m afraid we’ll have a hard time leaving the mansion.” Yuliana stood by the window and gently drew the curtain open with her fingers to observe the neighborhood.
The surrounding was exceptionally quiet. Yuliana was certain that they were being watched closely from the rooftops of the neighboring mansions.
She had dispatched two private investigators in a car, not to search for the heirloom, but to distract Lucian from his plan. She picked up her phone and made a call. “It’s time for you guys to depart!”
In the courtyard, the headlights of another vehicle, which belonged to Yosef, were turned on, and the other two investigators were seated inside. They were about to make a trip to the airport.
Yuliana believed the two cars were heading to the exact locations that Lucian had anticipated and that those two locations must be the primary focus of their pursuit. Sure enough, not long after they set off, the private investigator reported, “Ms. Yuliana, someone is following us.”
“Ignore them. Try to take a longer route around the city and keep an eye out for the flight departing at ten tonight,” Yuliana ordered.
In the common area upstairs, she turned to Yosef and nodded. Yosef had shed his lazy demeanor after being warned that if they failed to escape, he might lose not only his arm but turn into a cripple.
The thought of this frightened him deeply. How am I supposed to play poker if I’m paralyzed? However, he still had no idea why his mother said he was involved in poisoning Roxanne’s mother. I was only five at that time. What could I have done?
Despite his doubts, Yosef decided to act according to Yuliana’s plan. He turned off all the lights upstairs, causing the entire common area to plunge into darkness.
In total darkness, the three of them then quietly made their way down, carrying only their identity cards and wrapping themselves tightly in their clothes.
As it was the middle of winter with bitterly cold weather, dressing in thick layers was not an uncommon sight. As they got downstairs, the trio continued their walk to the underground parking lot.
The parking lots in the residential area here were not separated but connected to each other. Yuliana was betting that Lucian’s men might not be aware of this. Hence, they had prepared another car in advance.
In fact, when Yuliana returned in the afternoon, she had already had an escape plan in mind. That was why she had entered the building with a taxi. She had intentionally rented a luxury taxi at a high price to avoid arousing any suspicion.
Everything went smoothly as they got into the vehicle. Yuliana, who was driving the taxi, closed all the windows tightly before heading to the southern exit, which was the farthest away from the mansion.
As expected, only an elderly security guard was present at the gate. The parking lot system recognized that the taxi had been parking in the residential area for more than five hours, so the guard demanded payment.
Yuliana tossed out two banknotes and muttered, “Keep the change. We have an urgent matter to attend to. Let us through quickly!”
The security guard’s eyes lit up. He nodded before pressing the button on the remote to lift the boom gate. At that moment, their hearts were racing. Yuliana instructed her mother and Yosef to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings while she stepped on the accelerator and quickly merged the taxi into the traffic.
“No one noticed us!” Yosef scanned around but did not come across any suspicious figures. Winnie, too, glanced around anxiously. “I don’t see anyone spying on us. Yuliana, where should we go now?”
Yuliana felt her heart about to jump out of her chest. After taking in a deep breath, she replied, “Let’s go to that small pier. We’ll leave Horington and head to Gishwick. It’s closer to Gerton.”
The trio thought they had a chance. Little did they know that the elderly security guard had picked up the phone and immediately reported the car registration number.
At the Jarvis residence, Bill kept receiving calls from the bodyguards informing him of the movements of Winnie and her family members.
“As expected, they’ve resorted to a rather devious escape plan. Two cars set off, one toward us and the other toward the airport. But in reality, they escaped using a taxi from the underground. Anyway, they won’t be able to escape for long,” Bill reported to Lucian and Roxanne after compiling all information he had gotten from the bodyguards.
Lucian was shocked. The bodyguards he had assigned to Bill were highly skilled and professional. They were clearly well-trained. Lucian’s face remained calm as he nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help but notice how Yuliana’s escape plan was similar to the one chosen by Jack in the past.
They both tried to leave by water, as traveling by planes and trains had fixed schedules and was easily traceable. Roxanne was not concerned with these details. As long as Lucian said they couldn’t escape, she was certain that they wouldn’t be able to.
However, the most pressing issue was still the evidence. Without sufficient evidence, it would be meaningless to stop Winnie’s family from leaving.
Where would Mom keep her heirloom? She racked her brains, trying to remember but to no avail. Roxanne looked at Lucian and asked, “Is it possible that my mother’s heirloom is not in the Jarvis residence?”
Lucian shook his head, denying her speculation. “It’s simple. Your mother was bedridden in her last few years. Unless someone helped her, it would be impossible for her to take anything out. Besides, she wanted to leave her things to you when you grew up, so she would never put them in a place where you couldn’t find them. Don’t forget, she was also afraid of being discovered by Winnie and Grant.”
After listening to Lucian’s analysis, Bill nodded in agreement. “But we’ve already searched every corner of the house. It couldn’t be hidden within this reinforced concrete structure. We have to tear down the whole building if that’s the case!” Roxanne became frustrated and continued to look around exasperatedly.
“I was thinking, didn’t you sell the house before? Madilyn bought it back. Could the buyer have found it?” Lucian continued to analyze.
Roxanne shook her head. “No. Although the family bought it, they never lived in it. After they bought it, they emigrated.”
“That… doesn’t seem right? Since they bought the property, which is a fixed asset, why did they emigrate?” Bill frowned. Puzzled, he deemed it necessary to investigate the buyer.
“Today is Madilyn’s big day. It wouldn’t be nice to disturb her. I’ll ask her tomorrow,” Roxanne said. Since they wouldn’t be able to find the heirloom anytime soon, Lucian advised her to go back and rest.
As long as they didn’t let Winnie escape, there was still time. Bill also advised her to leave and let him continue searching, as there was no need for everyone to be there. Soon after, Roxanne and Lucian returned to the Farwell residence.
An hour later, Bill sent a text message to Lucian, informing him that the boat Yuliana wanted to use to escape was an unlicensed black ship and had been seized by the maritime police. Yuliana’s car was on the way back to the mansion.
Lucian was amazed by Bill’s methods, realizing. that they were different from his own. Bill was a retired police officer who still adhered to certain ethical standards and wouldn’t resort to violence to prevent their escape without sufficient evidence. Until there was enough evidence, Winnie could only be considered a suspect.
Later, even the four private investigators were taken down by the bodyguards and politely sent away from Horington.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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