Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

At the same time, in the Pace family residence.

When Ruud returned home, the livestream was nearing its end.

Leo, Gabe, and Armel were seated at the computer, still deeply engrossed in a discussion about what they had just watched.

By the time Ruud stepped into the study, the desktop computer was already turned off, and all he caught was a snippet of their conversation: "That Reed family girl has so many tricks up her sleeve. What she did was completely against the rules."

Ruud raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking about?"

Hearing his voice, all but Leo stood up.

"Ruud, you're back. We were just talking about the case Chief Reed handled," Gabe explained.

"Tina?"

The mention of "Reed" immediately brought her to Ruud's mind. His brow furrowed instinctively. "Since when can you all watch cases being handled by the Security Department?"

"No, no, this isn't one of their internal cases."

Gabe waved his hand to deny it. "It's an old case from years back-a top teacher at Ashbury High School was falsely accused of assault. The incident caused a big uproar back then. Today, Tina worked to overturn the verdict." "Ruud, you don't know-the turn of events was absolutely mind-blowing!"

Five years ago, Gabe and Armel had been following Ruud in the military and were unaware of what had happened outside. They only watched today because Leo wanted to, and they stuck around for a bit, which turned into ten minutes, then another ten. By the time the livestream ended, all three were still processing what they'd witnessed.

It had to be said that these dramatic, messy, and absurd family scandals were oddly captivating, even to hardened soldiers who were used to life-or-death, blood-and-iron situations.

Leo stroked his beard. "That girl Jared found-she's something else. I honestly can't figure out how she came up with the idea to get the man's biological daughter to testify."

"And that Phil Walker-what a coward. A few words from her, and he was scared stiff. What a useless piece of trash," Gabe chimed in, nodding in agreement.

But when it came to Tina, Gabe had a different perspective. "You can't necessarily say it was all Tina's brilliance. What if the plan came from Jared? Besides, you don't know-she brought Adriana Smith into this at the end. We've met her before. At the time, we thought it was related to their mission, but it turns out she arrested Smith just because she hurt someone from the Dyer family. That's completely against protocol!"

Armel didn't see it that way.

To him, completing a mission often required stepping outside the bounds of duty, so he didn't find Tina's actions particularly objectionable.

Seeing Ruud's indifferent expression, Armel nudged Gabe. "That Adriana Smith deserved what she got. Whether Miss Reed or the police arrested her, does it make a difference? Besides, she'll eventually be handed over to the authorities. Miss Reed was just... borrowing her for the time being."

He paused, recalling Tina's expression during the livestream. "And honestly, I have a feeling she stirred up all this trouble today for a deeper reason."

Gabe sneered dismissively. "What deeper reason could she have? It's just abuse of power, plain and simple!"

"Don't be so quick to judge," Leo interjected. He hadn't interacted with Tina much, but for some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with her.

Not willing to hear anyone badmouth her, he defended her. "That girl Tina-she's clever. If she made everything so obvious, she wouldn't have climbed to her position at such a young age."

"And who knows who helped her get to that position?" Gabe muttered under his breath, not daring to openly argue with Leo. His words were so quiet that only someone with extraordinary hearing could have caught them.

Ruud had no intention of joining their argument, but hearing Tina's name made him feel even more critical of her. Thinking back to his previous impressions of her, General Praevion surprisingly found himself agreeing with Gabe. Still, he kept those thoughts to himself, casting a subtle glance at his brothers and Leo, who seemed quite satisfied with Tina. He cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"The livestream is over. Any updates on the tasks I assigned you?"

At this, Gabe immediately straightened up. "Ruud, we've infiltrated all five major families of the hidden clans. I believe it won't be long before we get results."Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Ruud nodded, raising a hand slightly. Under his father's curious gaze, he led Armel and the others into the study.

With a quiet click, the door closed.

Boris, lurking in the corner, popped his head out and began wheeling Leo's chair away. "Ruud's always holding meetings, even at home. What could he possibly need to keep secret from us?"

The elderly man, still recovering from a major illness, was usually low on energy. Feeling drowsy after watching the livestream, he was about to instruct Boris to take him to his bedroom when he heard those words.

His neck stiffened, and his murky eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. "He's a national officer. Who are you to think you have the right to eavesdrop on their plans? If one day, your loose lips cause a leak, can you bear the consequences?" The rebuke made Boris tighten his grip on the wheelchair, grinding his teeth in secret. "I-I was just speaking casually. Dad, why are you so angry?"

Scratching his head, Boris cursed under his breath, wishing the old man had died on the operating table.

If he had, his plans might have succeeded!

Jared and Ruud could have been at odds, leaving him free to fish in troubled waters. But now, for some inexplicable reason, the old man wasn't suspicious of Jared-or anyone else in the family, for that matter! Now, Boris had to find another way to frame him...

Leo, oblivious to his son's thoughts, merely snorted and warned him to tread carefully and not waste his efforts. Then, brushing Boris's hands away, he wheeled himself toward the stairs, calling for Mrs. Marshall as he went.

He didn't notice the fleeting malice in his son's eyes or the calculations that followed.

Boris watched the old man leave, his hand still frozen in midair as if pushing the wheelchair.

Fine.

If even you, my own father, look down on me, don't blame me for being ruthless!

Old man, let's see just how much longer you can live!

Ashbury's skies had just cleared for a few days when a clap of thunder signaled the return of torrential rain.

By the time Tina and Jared returned to their apartment, the downpour had turned the world outside their floor-to-ceiling windows into a blur. Rain streamed down the glass in thick rivulets, and the distant city lights shimmered like flames, beckoning those longing for warmth to come closer.

After taking a shower, the couple emerged to find their phones buzzing incessantly with dozens of new messages.

Tina skimmed through the urgent ones first before going through the updates from Cole. "Master and the others have already arrived in Ensford. By the time we wrap up the Luke Gill case, we should be able to decipher the ancient texts in our hands."