CHAPTER 922: CHAPTER 922: J.B. IS MISSING!

In the adjacent room.

The Little Dumpling was proudly showing Ann Vaughn the shells he had collected, mostly uncommon varieties. There weren’t many, but they were rare.

His pale yellow bucket was almost full.

"All of these are for Mommy." Kenny offered the small bucket to Ann Vaughn, biting his lip with an adorable smile.

"For me?" Ann Vaughn was momentarily surprised, feeling both delighted and guilty, "Thank you, Kenny. Today is your birthday, you should be happy, yet Mommy caused such a big mess, I’m sorry."

She never expected that while she was swimming just fine, her right leg would suddenly cramp, and she inhaled a lot of seawater while calling for help, unable to make a sound, so no one noticed anything was wrong with her.

If it weren’t for later...

Kenny reached out his chubby little hand and gently patted Ann Vaughn on the head, like a little grown-up, with a very serious expression:

"Mommy is not a trouble, and Mommy being okay is the best birthday gift I received today."

Ann Vaughn’s heart instantly melted, and she tapped his little head lightly, "Did you put honey on your little lips? So sweet."

Just then, Julian Ford knocked and came in, having changed his clothes, only his hair was wet.

"Miss Vaughn, I heard from Evan Sawyer that you were looking for me?"

Ann Vaughn turned her head and, seeing Julian Ford in such a state, a strange feeling immediately flashed through her heart.

The inexplicable emotions that had arisen in her heart when she had nearly suffocated underwater quietly dissipated.

Coming back to her senses, Ann Vaughn gave Julian Ford a small smile.

"I wanted to personally thank you, thank you for saving me."

"It was just a small effort, you don’t need to mind it." Julian Ford quickly waved it off, feeling the pressure increase.

"But since earlier, it seems I haven’t seen Mr. Vaughn, do you know where he went?"

Julian Ford calmly replied: "Oh him, something came up at the company unexpectedly, and he’s in the study having a video meeting, so he didn’t come over."

"I see." Ann Vaughn nodded, an unnoticed hint of gloom flickering in her eyes.

James Vaughn hadn’t appeared, which meant it wasn’t him who saved her.

Then why did she feel that it was him who saved her?

Ann Vaughn couldn’t figure it out and decided to put it aside for now.

"Miss Vaughn, then I won’t disturb you, have a good rest, the evening’s activities are waiting for you to attend." Julian Ford spoke with deep meaning.

"Don’t worry, I will."

Only then did Julian Ford leave the room, taking Kenny with him.

After they left, Ann Vaughn looked down at the bucket of shells, her eyes filled with thought.

...

Night fell.

During dinner, Cyrus Hawthorne’s seat was directly opposite Ann Vaughn, no matter if she looked up or turned her head, his figure was always in her sight.

He looked slightly pale, with lips of faint color, eyes lowered, appearing not to be in the best spirits.

For some reason, that strange feeling of familiarity surged within Ann Vaughn again.

While Ann Vaughn was distracted, Julian Ford suddenly exclaimed in alarm next to her: "J.B. is missing!"

Ann Vaughn’s fingers trembled, and she quickly raised her head to look at Kenny’s seat, only to find it empty!

Her throat tightened, just about to speak, when she noticed that Cyrus Hawthorne remained calmly seated, showing no sign of nervousness.

Before Ann Vaughn could figure it out, Julian Ford continued worriedly:

"According to a good Samaritan who wishes to remain anonymous, J.B. is hidden somewhere in this villa, and to find him, we must first gather seven Dragon Balls... I mean, all the clues, and solve the mystery."

After speaking, Julian Ford handed out cards hidden in his pocket.

Upon receiving it, she saw it was a black-gold card, with writing that seemed stained with blood, a disturbing red.

[A family of three living on a mountaintop villa, isolated from the world. Until one day, they took in a lost explorer in the mountains for one night. The next day, the explorer was murdered...]

Ann Vaughn: "..."

She wondered why she hadn’t seen any birthday party decorations like balloons in the living room; it turned out they had turned the party into a suspense game.

"The clues are scattered around the villa; we have four people, so splitting into two teams should be quicker," Evan Sawyer surprisingly didn’t contradict Julian Ford, but followed up on his words.

"Cian...Mr. Vaughn won’t be participating; he never likes these games anyway," Julian Ford waved his hand deliberately and added, "Miss Vaughn alone isn’t safe; one of us should accompany her to ensure her safety."

Hearing this, Ann Vaughn shook her head, "It’s okay, I can manage on my own..."

But before she could finish her sentence, Cyrus Hawthorne, who had been silent, suddenly lifted his gaze and nonchalantly remarked, "Kenny is afraid of the dark, if it gets too late, he’ll cry."

"So, I’m joining in too."

Hmm?? Kenny would cry??

Julian Ford looked over at Evan Sawyer, his eyes questioning: Have you ever heard that Kenny is afraid of the dark?

Evan Sawyer: Never heard of it!

Unaware of this, Ann Vaughn felt a bit worried, "Then let’s quickly form teams, so Kenny doesn’t get anxious waiting."

Half an hour later.

The third floor of the villa, in the room at the end of the hallway.

Ann Vaughn meticulously searched the room for clues, not even sparing the corners, her dedication akin to that of a detective.

She couldn’t help it — after all, someone had taken Kenny as a "hostage."

However...

"Mr. Vaughn, have you noticed that the lighting in the villa seems to be getting darker?" Realizing this, Ann Vaughn’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she couldn’t help but inch a bit closer to Cyrus Hawthorne.

"Hmm." Cyrus Hawthorne slightly turned his head, asking her in a deep voice, "Are you scared?"

"Huh? No, not really, it just feels a bit off." Ann Vaughn slid a book back into the shelf, when a photo suddenly fell out from it.

She picked it up and turned it around, it was stained with blood on the wall.

The photo depicted a family of three: a father, a mother, and a seven or eight-year-old girl holding a teddy bear.

"Mr. Vaughn," Ann Vaughn raised the photo in her hand and walked toward Cyrus Hawthorne, "Do you think this might be the family of three from the story?"

As she got closer, she saw a card held between Cyrus Hawthorne’s long fingers, and happily remarked, "Did you find a clue card?"

"Yes, it was hidden behind the photo frame." Cyrus Hawthorne turned the card over, indicating Ann Vaughn should have a look.

Ann Vaughn eagerly leaned closer, instantly closing the distance between them.

The card read:

[Under the explorer’s blood-stained palm, there was a photo, the murderer is one among the family of three. The family, filled with suspicion and unease, decided to bury the explorer’s body. On the third day, the mother was also murdered...]