Yvonne Cheney was taken aback, her face changing slightly: "Why bring him up!"
Cora Lowell curled her lips into a smile.
"My brother's photos are all old, and the weeds have grown around his gravestone. You've never visited him, have you? Don't you miss him at all?"
"Shut up!"
Yvonne Cheney abruptly closed her eyes.
She dared not open them, dared not turn around.
She turned and left quickly.
The guard promptly followed her, the iron door closing and locking shut after her departure.
The second basement floor instantly plunged into complete darkness.
No lights, no windows, not a sliver of light could penetrate.
The walls around were ice-cold.
She sat in the corner, her back against the wall.
A rotten stench seeped out from the floor cracks.
Both foul and nauseating...
Her lips were already cracked, her tongue bitter, and her mouth tasted of blood.
Three days later, the door was finally opened again.
The light was not warm; instead, it pierced her eyes, making her squint.
The butler still had a lifeless expression.
"There are important guests tomorrow. The master wants Miss to rest well, not to embarrass herself in front of others."
After speaking, he stood at the door, silently watching her.
During these three days, she hadn't drunk a drop of water, her throat so dry she could hardly make a sound.
She returned to her room.
Her knees were weak, but she forced herself to stand straight.
She stared at every corner of the room.
As expected, everything had been changed out.
Even the duvet covers were brand new.
The clothes in the wardrobe were also replaced, in similar styles but with different materials.
The skincare products on the dressing table were all updated.
Even her usual perfume had been swapped for a new bottle of the same kind.
On the bedside table lay an old-style mobile phone.
It couldn't even connect to the internet, only make phone calls.
The phone's casing was faded, and the buttons worn, deliberately an outdated model.
Next to it, there was no charger, only a fully charged spare battery.
They were... guarding her stringently.
Cora Lowell walked to the sink, her hand sliding to retrieve a chip from a hidden compartment, inserting it into the phone.
The compartment was concealed under the faucet, needing a specific angle of pressure to open.
The chip was entirely black, its edges engraved with tiny codes, and its surface had an anti-scratch coating.
Upon insertion, the phone screen flickered a few times and an encryption interface popped up.
"Ms. Lowell? Did you use the backup card I gave you? I just received the activation alert over here."
Julian West's call connected immediately.
The voice was processed through multiple encryptions, impossible to intercept externally.
The signal was stable, with no delay or noise.
Cora Lowell replied with a soft "Hmm."
She leaned against the wall, her fingers tightening around the phone.
Her eyes fixed on the corner of the ceiling, where there might be surveillance equipment installed.
Back when Julian West handed her this card, he mentioned it could connect to the global network directly.
It could even be used in polar icy regions, equipped with positioning and anti-tracking functions.
Each call automatically changed encryption keys to prevent data leakage.
If forcibly cracked, the chip would self-destruct, reverting to an ordinary SIM card.
Using it now was most fitting.
"What's the situation outside?"
She needed intelligence, not comfort.
Julian West got angry the moment this issue was brought up.
"What means did Tristan Lowell use that he managed to suppress all the news! So many people attended the banquet, yet none dared to talk!"
Even if she couldn't escape, she could at least blow up the situation...
If he tampered again, Tristan Lowell would definitely realize quickly that it was him behind the scenes.
"Ms. Lowell, what are your plans after this? I've heard Theodore Hale also wants to marry you, to form an alliance."
Cora Lowell didn't answer immediately, just lowered her head to tidy her sleeves.
"I know."
The moment the Jade Flute appeared, she understood.
She gently touched her chest, where there was still a circle of tooth marks.
They weren't left by chance but were an intentional mark.
"Help me look into someone."
She lifted her head, gazing straight ahead, her tone indisputable.
At night.
The wind outside the window gently fluttered the curtains.
Cora Lowell sat by the window, her mind replaying the day's events at Varden.
She remembered the man standing by the water, his lips moving.
What did that man say at the time?
She hadn't heard clearly.
She could only rely on his lip movements, analyzing them repeatedly.
She tried mimicking his mouth shape, softly repeating possible phrases.
The writing on the paper grew more and more chaotic, but she didn't stop.
Suddenly, she stopped writing.
Her fingers tightened slightly, the pen tip leaving a black dot on the paper.
At a glance, that familiar face outside the window had already appeared.
At the same time.
She finally confirmed that he had said: "Cora Lowell, I'm helping you."
"Stunned? What are you dazing for?"
Landon Lockwood braced one hand on the window frame, made a nimble flip, and landed behind her.
His footsteps made no sound.
He glanced at the papers on the table, eyebrows rising.
It was crooked and disorderly, unlike her usual handwriting.
Cora Lowell's eyes also lit up.
Julian West hadn't uncovered the background yet.
Yet, he had come finding her first.
No matter what he wanted, to her, it was an opportunity.
Landon Lockwood narrowed his eyes, studying her.
"Seeing me, you're not surprised—instead, you're quite happy?"
His tone carried a hint of suspicion and a touch of caution.
Cora Lowell nodded, speaking directly.
"A bit, want to sleep with me again?"
Landon Lockwood froze, his breath caught.
He stared at her, trying to discern any emotion from her face.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke: "What do you want?"
Cora Lowell tilted her head, thinking it over.
"Marry me, can you?"
Landon Lockwood curled his lips into a smile, raising a brow.
This woman, truly bold.
"No, I can't."
"Why? You clearly enjoyed it that night."
"You talk so bluntly?"
Before he could ask further, a noise came from upstairs.
Landon Lockwood's pupils constricted, he swiftly stepped back half a pace, his hand already pressing on the pouch at his waist.
Cora Lowell sneered, glanced down without a word, and pushed Landon Lockwood towards the window.
The night wind hit her face, shadows of trees swaying, a few barks from dogs sound below.
"No time for idle chatter. Think it over, if you're not here tomorrow, I'll find someone else."
Having said that, she released her hand.
Landon Lockwood landed safely, effortlessly balancing on the lawn.
Several people in black immediately approached, swiftly retreating.
They moved along the predetermined route, avoiding all surveillance cameras and patrol routes.
One of them quickly checked the window sill before leaving, confirming no traces were left behind.
Throughout the whole process, no one made a sound.
At this point, her old-style phone rang.
She walked over to pick up the phone, the screen lighting up to display an unfamiliar number.
"Why so fierce?"
She froze, her fingers pausing on the keypad.
Then she sent Julian West a question mark.
She stared at the screen, waiting for nearly ten minutes before the phone buzzed again.
After a while, Julian West sent back a photo.
Lying on a hospital bed, his expression helpless: "Got blindsided while investigating him."
Cora Lowell was silent.
She stared at the photo for a long time, slowly furrowing her eyebrows.
The photo's background was a standard hospital ward.
A water glass and a prescription were on the bedside table, a surveillance camera clearly visible in the upper right corner.
This indicated the photo wasn't taken casually, but with preparation.
Well then, at least it showed she hadn't misjudged him.
This guy was indeed not easy to provoke.
"Just lay there and recover."
She wiped away all traces, reset the phone to factory settings, and snapped the SIM card in half.