"Colby?"


    Sophie groggily woke up, her eyes slowly focusing on the clock hanging on the wall. It was already half-past twelve. She had been so exhausted from the previous day that she slept right through to the afternoon. rushing to make lunch for me?"


    Pushing open her bedroom door, Sophie made her way downstairs. She found Colby in the kitchen, busily preparing lunch. It seemed everyone else was still asleep. Seeing Colby like this, Sophie couldn''t help but smile. "You still haven''t fully recovered, and you''re already Colby, carrying a Dutch oven, stepped out and said, "Go lie down a bit longer; the other dish will be ready soon."


    As Sophie descended the stairs, she threw herself into Colby''s arms, instantly feeling her fatigue melt away. "Colby... I''m so tired. Could you add a chicken leg to my meal?"


    "Of course."


    Colby gently patted Sophie''s head. Just then, Angelo burst out of his room. "Who''s cooking chicken stew? It smells amazing!"


    Seeing the two embraced on the first floor, Angelo''s face turned a shade of awkward red. He nced up at the ceiling, whistling, "I''ll just... check on the chicken stew in the kitchen."


    "Mr. Colby, let me take care of the kitchen," offered Timothy from a corner, where he had been cleaning.


    Colby, without even a direct nce at Timothy, coldly declined, "No need."


    When Colby''s gaze returned to Sophie, it softened warmly. "Sit on the couch and wait for me; it''ll be ready soon."


    "Okay!"


    Sophie nodded, her gaze drifting towards Timothy. Seeing Timothy still diligently doing his chores, seemingly oblivious to the previous night''s events, Sophie began to doubt her own judgment. Was this underage boy really one of the masterminds behind it all, or just an insignificant underling?


    "Ms. Sophie."


    Jonah returned from outside,


    looking as if he had been working through the night. He approached saying, "Ms. Sophie, we didn''t find the three missing socialites at the venue yesterday, nor did we see the masked man you described."


    "And what about Logan?"


    "Logan?"


    "The person who saved me yesterday that I told you about."


    Jonah frowned, "There were indeed bloodstains at the scene, but no sign of the person you mentioned."


    Was Logan hurt? Sophie fell silent. Where could he have gone if he was injured?


    "So, you''re telling me, after all the borate trap Vanessa set up, she''s the only one who ended up dead, and everyone else has vanished?"


    "Based on the four bodyguards you


    described, we''ve conducted a thorough search throughout downtown Summerfield and haven''t spotted them. We''ve also checked


    the CCTV footage from the streets, but it showed nothing."


    "All these people disappeared, and you''re telling me the CCTV captured nothing? Could it be that the Pearl Hotel has an underground passage hidden beneath it?"


    That remark made both Sophie andExclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Jonah snap back to reality. An underground passage. Just like the one the Mintons had uncovered before. It was possible the Pearl Hotel had one too!


    "I''ll go and find out right now!" Jonah turned and ran.


    Sophie, however, felt an unsettling tightness in her chest, filled with anxiety.


    "Trouble! Trouble!"


    Sandy ran out of her room, pale-faced, and eximed, "Something terrible has happened at home!"