Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Tina immediately thought of one person: Claudia.

The fox had finally revealed its tail.

Jared seemed to have guessed it too. He stepped forward to hold Tina's hand. "They've already made a move. From here, all we need to do is make ours, and they'll show their hand." Tina's eyes narrowed.noveldrama

She couldn't be certain about many things, but one thing was clear-anyone bold enough to harm her wouldn't meet a good end.

Jayden approached with his team to report. "Young Mistress, we chased them halfway but lost them in the southern district. However, we managed to intercept a batch of their goods, which we've now secured at..." "How many were injured?" Tina interrupted.

Jayden froze, then lowered his head. "Not serious. Only minor injuries."

Tina strode forward, grabbing Jayden's wrist firmly to check his pulse. Her brows furrowed. "An injured heart meridian, and you call that minor?" Without another word, she pulled out a half-empty bottle of healing pills from her pocket. "Distribute these. Don't say I mistreat my subordinates." Jayden stared at the bottle in stunned silence.

As Tina and Jared headed further inside, Hayden sauntered over and patted Jayden on the shoulder. "Tsk tsk, Jayden, you should count yourself lucky. You know how rare Serena's healing pills are, don't you? She just handed over half a bottle. Even my brothers haven't received this kind of treatment."

From ahead, Tina's voice rang out. "Hayden, stop dawdling and catch up."

Hayden's expression shifted instantly. "Coming! Serena, wait for me..."

Inside the room, a hole had been dug in the middle of the floor, revealing an underground lab.

What kind of research was being conducted here? Tina would have to see for herself.

Jayden handed her a gas mask, his face no longer as pale as before. "Young Mistress, we can't be sure whether the materials left here were deliberately planted as a trap. It could be risky. Please wear this before you go down." Tina took the mask and put it on.

Claudia had managed to hide herself so well. Her mind was undoubtedly more meticulous than most.

What lay here might not be of much importance, but to Tina, it could be a crucial clue to unraveling Claudia's secrets.

Jared noticed Tina's determination and extended his hand for a gas mask as well. "Bring two more. I'll go down with Tina to take a look."

Hearing this, Hayden immediately felt a chill. "Wait a second, one of those masks isn't for me, is it?"

Jared shot him a glance. "Are you coming or not?"

Hayden wanted to cry. You're all going down there-why drag me along too?!

Before anyone could say another word, Tina had already leaped down.

Above ground, it looked like an unassuming residential house. Below, however, was a sizable laboratory. The equipment left behind had been destroyed, leaving only scattered documents on the floor. Tina picked up one of the papers. With just a glance, she recognized its contents.

"Immortality."

Jared spoke up. "It was really her."

Hayden, who had just climbed down, froze upon hearing their words.

"No way. At this point, that old witch is still researching immortality? First, it's ripping out hearts, now it's experiments. What's wrong with her brain?"

"Does she think she's some kind of emperor? Why cling to this world so desperately?"

After witnessing Dorothy Russell's true face, Hayden could only think of Claudia as a grotesque, inhuman monster.

Such a person didn't deserve to be called human. Calling her a demon might even be too kind.

But something occurred to Hayden, and he frowned. "Serena, if immortality is what she's after, why would she need living human hearts? What's the connection?" Jared's eyes narrowed slightly. "The hearts may not be directly related to the immortality research, but they're undoubtedly tied to Claudia."

Tina agreed.

The essence of ST-1 was to alter human genes. Human trials alone wouldn't suffice.

Especially not with hearts that had already been removed from the body.

But from what they'd seen at the past few sites, Claudia seemed desperate to obtain these hearts.

And they had to be fresh, young, female hearts.

It resembled some sort of ritual offering more than a scientific experiment.

The true reason behind it all, however, might not be far from discovery.

Tina glanced at the confiscated goods-half-finished ST-1 products. They were of no use to her.

Jared led Tina back to the surface, leaving Hayden behind, dumbfounded.

"Serena, what should we do with all this stuff?" Hayden called after them. "You're just leaving me here? I can't carry all this on my own! This stuff looks heavy as hell!" Above ground, Tina removed her mask, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. She turned to Jayden and instructed, "It's useless. Burn it all."

Hayden froze. "What?"

Jayden approached the opening, looking down at Hayden, his expression calm. "If you don't come up now, the gas down there might actually become toxic."

The Swanson Family

Kaleigh had just returned home. As her car pulled into the garage, she noticed a shadow darting past in the distance.

It was eerie.

Terrified, she screamed.

The shadow stopped abruptly at the sound, turning and charging toward her with a menacing air.

Kaleigh's face went pale. She collapsed to the ground, trembling, covering her head. "Please don't kill me! I beg you, don't kill me! I'm the daughter of the Swanson family! I'll give you whatever money you want..." "Useless thing!"

Kaleigh flinched, trembling even more. Slowly, she raised her head, only to see part of a masked face. She quickly lowered her gaze again, her voice shaking as she stammered, "Grandfather!" "I... I didn't know it was you..."

Mark's cold gaze swept over her, his tone dripping with contempt. "I thought you'd be more useful than River. Turns out you're even worse. Useless."

Kaleigh didn't dare argue. Bowing her head, she pleaded, "Grandfather, I was wrong. I won't do it again..."

"No one is to speak of what happened today."

With a gust of wind, Mark vanished.

Kaleigh knelt there alone in the vast garage, making the scene feel even more eerie.

But she knew all too well-what had just happened was no coincidence.

The drop of blood on the ground confirmed it.

It had fallen from Mark's right hand moments earlier.

Steeling herself, Kaleigh stood, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and hurried toward the main house, completely disregarding Mark's warning.

"Brother, guess who I just saw!"

Kaleigh barged into the room, only to freeze in place. The man inside was half-dressed, holding a dark shirt he was about to put on.

What caught her attention wasn't his frailty, but the scars crisscrossing his back. Old wounds, layered over years, created a harrowing, tangled pattern. Kaleigh was stunned.

She had never known her brother bore such injuries.

But how? He had never left the Swanson family.

Sensing her gaze, Kevin's eyes turned sharp. "Get out."

Kaleigh jolted back to her senses, her face tightening with fear. She quickly stepped outside, murmuring, "Sorry, Brother. I didn't know you were changing." Minutes passed, and Kaleigh began to think he wouldn't let her back in.

Suddenly, the door opened. Kevin's expression was as calm as ever. "Come in."

Kaleigh hesitated before stepping inside. She stared at him, still shaken. "Brother, you..."

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't," Kevin interrupted, his tone light but laced with warning.