Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Jared found a man's hat and sunglasses among a pile of clothes.

For an ordinary person, these might just be accessories. But in the hands of a man capable of disguising himself so expertly that no one could detect him, they were overkill, a touch too much.

He pointed them out to Tina.

Tina froze for a moment but quickly understood what her Uncle meant. A cold smile crept across her face. "She thought these things were useless to us, but she didn't realize they'd reveal her fatal weakness."

The hat, the sunglasses, and this basement-it all confirmed one thing.

A severely injured Claudia was afraid of light.

Thus, whether it was the places she chose to hide or the timing of her attacks on women living alone, it all had to be under the cover of darkness.

Tina stood up and headed for the door. "Looks like it's time to have another chat with the old man."

On the way, she took out her phone and called Master Tam. The moment the call connected, it was declined.

She raised an eyebrow and tried again.

Declined again.

Tina smirked, stopped calling, and decisively sent a text: "I'm on my way to the Brooks family. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Two seconds later, her phone rang.

Master Tam's voice came through, unmistakably arrogant. "Who said I was at the Brooks family? I'm not your Brooks family's nanny. Now that the kids are better, can't I return to my own place?" "Little brat, even if you want to see me, you won't catch me."

Tina chuckled, her tone casual and indifferent. "Oh? I recently got my hands on a wild snow lotus and thought I'd let you take a look. But if you're not here, forget it."

Master Tam snorted. "You think I'd fall for that? I don't believe you."

Tina remained calm. "Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. The snow lotus is useless to me anyway. I was just passing by the Brooks family, so I'll give it to Grandpa to brew tea."

"You..."

Master Tam was clearly furious now. "You're wasting a treasure! Giving such a precious thing to that old man for tea? Are you trying to drive me to my grave?"

Tina feigned innocence. "But you said you weren't at the Brooks family, so I can only give it to Grandpa."

Master Tam paused, his tone shifting abruptly. "I-I just have some urgent matters at Serenity Ridge. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Tina's expression turned serious. "About the story you told me last time, I think it's worth looking into further."

"That's it?"

"Fine. I just got back to the mountain. I'll take the time to look through some old books and see if there's anything useful."

After hanging up the call, Tina calmly gazed out the window, as if the entire conversation had left her completely unaffected.

Jared broke the silence. "Master's gone back to Serenity Ridge?"

Tina chuckled. "He hasn't even left the capital. Serenity Ridge is just a cover."

Jared raised an eyebrow. "Then what's this about?"

Tina clicked her tongue. "He's clearly sulking. All over a sandalwood bracelet! The old man's getting stingier as he ages."

Jared sighed. "And the snow lotus you promised him?"

Tina lifted an eyebrow. "I'll just say it went bad while waiting for him and that I threw it away." Jared stared at her, speechless.

Only a master-disciple bond could survive such blatant lies.

Back at home, they coincidentally ran into Marie, who had brought Sophia over for a visit.

Tina didn't mind her mother-in-law stopping by.

But the gift Marie brought was a bit... blunt.

Tina stared at the package of herbal medicine on the table-a tonic soup mix designed to boost vitality.

The silence in the room was deafening.

Tina's gaze naturally shifted to Jared.

Sure enough, his face darkened visibly.

With a long sigh, Jared grabbed Marie's arm and dragged her to the balcony. "Mom, take it back.

I don't need it!"

Marie offered a sheepish smile to Tina before turning to scold her son. "Take it back? Tina's too polite to say anything, but you dare refuse? I went out of my way to get this, and it's supposed to work wonders!"

Jared's jaw tightened. Did he really look like someone who needed this?

Seeing her son's silence, Marie softened her tone. After all, a man's pride was a delicate thing. Even if there was an issue, it couldn't be said outright.

But as a mother, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing while her newlywed daughter-in- law...

"Son, your grandfather specifically told me before I came. The future of the Farrell family depends on you. If you don't take care of yourself, how can you manage? Listen to me-just try one round of the treatment. If it doesn't work, we'll stop."

"Pfft!"

Tina spat out the water she had just sipped, startling Sophia, who had been quietly watching TV nearby.

"Tina, are you okay?" Sophia asked, concerned.

Tina quickly waved her hand, her voice strained. "Just choked on tea."

It wasn't her fault she overheard. The balcony door wasn't exactly soundproof. That had to be it. How could she have known that a casual comment she made at the Farrell family would lead to such "consequences" for Jared? She silently vowed to choose her words more carefully in the future.

Jared turned at the sound, his gaze locking onto Tina's guilty expression as she quickly looked away.

He glanced back at the table, where the pile of herbal medicine packages seemed enough to last a year. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Was this how his wife portrayed him to others? Since when did he need supplements for that? Jared sighed and turned back to Marie, cutting off her long-winded speech. "Mom, this is the last time I'm saying this-I'm perfectly fine! Take all of it and throw it away. Tell Grandpa I'll make sure his wishes come true this year, I swear."

With that, Jared strode back into the living room.

Marie stood frozen.

Had the medicine worked... without even being consumed?

After Marie and Sophia left, Jared pulled Tina into the bedroom. The moment the door closed, he pinned her against the wall. His entire body pressed against hers, and his lips crashed onto hers with an intensity that left no room for escape.

Tina's eyes widened in shock. She met Jared's piercing gaze, which seemed to see through everything. Feeling guilty, she stammered, "Mom's still nearby..."

Jared raised an eyebrow, ignoring her protests. His hands slid slowly up her waist, sending shivers through her body, while his increasing physical presence made his intentions clear.

He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear. His voice was low, restrained, but unmistakably dangerous. "Tina, do you still think I'm not capable?"

Tina was speechless.

She hadn't meant it like that!

"Uncle, Mom misunderstood. It's not what you-mmph!"

"Too late to explain now."

What followed was an hour of indescribable passion.

At midnight, Tina had just fallen asleep when she was woken by the sound of movement besidenoveldrama

her.

She opened her eyes to see Jared getting dressed.

"Uncle?" she asked groggily.

Jared turned, his voice low. "Didn't mean to wake you. Something happened with Hayden. I need

to check it out. Go back to sleep."

Tina's brows furrowed slightly. "What happened to Hayden?"

Jared sighed. "He snuck into the White family's estate in the middle of the night. They mistook him for an intruder and nearly killed him."