Chapter 298

The three of us finally headed to the house where Adelaide had been staying.

Honestly, Simon had handled most of this, and I was barely involved.

So, this address felt unfamiliar to me.

Thinking back, apart from the day we brought the kid back, I hadn't really been to this place.

Simon led us through the area.

Since the location was chosen to be discreet, it was in a rundown part of town.

The environment was cramped and dimly lit. If it weren't for Simon, Savannah and I would never have come to a place like this.

When we arrived at the house where Adelaide had been staying, Simon opened the door.

"I talked to the landlord. He said he hasn't seen her for a week..."

"The house has been really quiet, and when I came in, it was spotless."

This was clearly unusual.

If Adelaide had been taken away suddenly, she wouldn't have had time to clean the house so thoroughly. This could only mean that Adelaide had secretly contacted someone!

The thought made me anxious. "We were too lax in monitoring her..."

"Otherwise, how could she have had the chance to escape!"

Simon nodded and said, "If we get another chance, we'll definitely improve. But talking about it now won't help."

"Let's search the room for any clues and then head back."

Adelaide had been taken away, and she wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

Simon's plan was to renew the lease for another three months.

If Adelaide didn't return by then, we'd give up the house and look for other ways to handle the situation.

"Keeping this place indefinitely isn't practical. And if we don't find any clues, it won't matter how long we keep it."

I knew Simon was right.

The three of us searched the house carefully, and I felt a sense of déjà vu, like when we were looking for the kid.

"Honestly, at this point, nothing surprises me anymore."

I sighed.

I accidentally knocked over a vase, and water spilled out.

The water was murky from sitting for days, and it splashed up dust when it hit the floor.

But as I stepped back, I noticed a small piece of paper floating in the water!

My heart raced, and I quickly bent down to pick it up.

The paper had no writing, just a drawing.

"Come take a look at this!"

I called Simon and Savannah over.

The two of them examined the drawing.

It looked like a flower, but none of us recognized it...

While they were trying to figure out what kind of flower it was, a face suddenly popped into my mind.

"Could this be a spider lily?"

Hearing my words, Simon was taken aback.

He quickly pulled out his phone and searched for the flower. "It does look similar..."

"What does she mean by leaving us this note?"

And the paper hadn't disintegrated despite being in the water for so long.

It was likely that Adelaide had hidden it there before being taken away!

"Good thing we came to check today, or we might have missed this clue."

I felt a chill run down my spine and pulled Savannah towards the door.

"Let's not stay here any longer. We need to figure out our next steps."

On the way back, I leaned against the car window, lost in thought.

The person with the spider lily avatar-I first saw her picture on Brandon's phone.

From that first glance, I had a gut feeling it was a woman.

Not just because of the avatar, but also because of the way she and Brandon communicated.

Thinking about those explicit messages still made me feel sick.

But now, knowing that the person with the spider lily avatar was still around, I felt an eerie sense of unease.

"If this really is about the spider lily, could it be connected to Brandon being released?"

Even though we had taken down half of the Jordan family, their foundation remained.

Especially with Brandon recently being released and acting so brazenly, he didn't seem worried about any retaliation from me...

"Honestly, if it is this person, she could very well be behind all of this."

Simon had already done some research. "My private investigator couldn't find any leads on this person."

"Some people like to use distinctive avatars like the spider lily, but it's hard to track someone down based on that alone."

Savannah nodded. "And they could always change their avatar."

I disagreed.

"If she was bold enough to use that avatar while exchanging explicit messages with Brandon, she wouldn't change it easily. And with Brandon being so arrogant after his release... I have a feeling the person using the spider lily avatar isn't afraid of being discovered."

It almost felt like she was turning herself into a symbol.

Simon started to ponder.

I shook my head, indicating I didn't know.

The only thing I knew for sure was that the person using the spider lily avatar had never really left my life.

Even when I thought everything was over, for them, it seemed like it was just beginning!

That's why Brandon was always used as a pawn, caught and released by them.

"If that's the case, I'll keep looking for clues about this person. But without more information, it's hard to pinpoint who she is."

I understood. "Time has flown by, and I almost forgot about this person."

Honestly, Brandon's disgusting actions were far more than just this.

Compared to the videos and other things he left behind, this was nothing.

It was just verbal provocation.

Thinking about Brandon again soured my mood. "Let's call it a day. When we get back, I'll also beef up security at home."

"Starting tomorrow, I need to get back to the office to handle the Asher project. You guys should focus on your own tasks."

Kathy had a private fitting session tonight, and I was swamped.

Simon nodded and dropped Savannah and me off at Kathy's studio.

Kathy's eyes lit up when she saw Savannah. "Perfect timing! One of my models canceled, and I was worried about finding a replacement. You're just in time..."

Savannah sighed. "I just got back. Can't I get a break?"

Kathy laughed. "It's a special time, so we all have to pitch in a little more!"