Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Elizabeth looked around the living room. Nothing seemed unusual, so she headed toward the bedroom.

The bedroom door was closed.

Nash had said the letters were hidden in the nightstand in the bedroom.

Elizabeth grabbed the door handle and pressed down. The door didn't open—it was locked from the inside.

She stepped back, then turned and ran toward the exit.

She wasn't sure if she was just on edge, but she seemed to hear footsteps behind her. Elizabeth quickened her pace, but when she reached the door, someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.

Elizabeth grabbed her bag and swung it around.

The bag hit the person square in the head. A young man, clutching his head with an "ow."

"Are you crazy? Breaking into my place and hitting me?"

Elizabeth froze, gripping her bag tightly, eyeing the man warily. He straightened up. He wore a mask, only his eyes visible—filled with resentment.

And a bump on his forehead.

From where she'd hit him.

Elizabeth stood by the door without moving. "Who are you?"

The man glared at her. "Before you ask me that, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

Elizabeth pulled out her phone directly. "The owner of this place is Nash Powell. He never mentioned any relatives visiting. He hired me to come clean the place. I don't know you."

Seeing she seemed about to call the police, the young man panicked. "Don't call the cops! If I'm here, obviously the owner gave me a key. How else would I have gotten in?"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly, silently regretting not asking Nash at the station whether he had any relatives. Now she couldn't confirm what this guy's deal was.

"What's your relationship with Nash?"

The man rubbed his forehead, accidentally touching the bump and hissing in pain. "He's my uncle. I come stay at his place all the time, so he gave me a key. He borrowed money from me a while back and hasn't paid me back, so I came looking for him."

He pulled a key from his pocket—identical to the one Nash had given Elizabeth.

"Then why did you lock the bedroom door?" Elizabeth still hadn't let her guard down.

The man sighed helplessly. "I didn't lock it. I was trying to get into the bedroom to find him when a gust of wind blew the door shut. I couldn't get out. I was about to call a locksmith when you pressed the handle from outside and somehow got it open."

Just then, a breeze blew in through the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling window, as if confirming his story.

The man spread his hands. "You believe me now, right?"

Elizabeth stared at his face, though she could only see his eyes. "You're visiting relatives and you're wearing a mask?"

"I've got a cold. Figured I'd be careful going out, not spread it to anyone." The man touched his face through the mask, as if confirming the mask was properly in place. Finally, he glanced at his watch. "I've got things to do. I'm leaving. This place is covered in dust—clearly my uncle hasn't been back in ages. You better get to cleaning. Oh, by the way, I didn't ask—when did my uncle call you? Recently?"

Elizabeth said casually, "No, a month ago. He hired me to come clean periodically. Today just happened to be the day."

The young man sighed, looking dejected. "I don't even know where he ran off to. Borrowed money from me and disappeared. I was hoping I could contact him through you. Forget it. Today was a waste of a trip."

The man walked dejectedly toward the door. When he reached it, Elizabeth blocked his path.

"Are you not letting me leave?"

Elizabeth stepped aside, letting him pass. Watching his retreating back, she suddenly asked, "You didn't go through anything, did you?"

The young man turned back incredulously. "What kind of thing is that to say? I'm not a thief. Why would I go through stuff? I just came to find my uncle today. He wasn't here, so I'm leaving. And another thing—you're not a very polite housekeeper. I'm going to tell my uncle to fire you."

With that, the man turned and strode away.

Elizabeth gently closed the door and locked it from the inside before turning and quickly walking into the bedroom. Everything in the bedroom looked normal. The blankets on the bed were neatly spread, with no signs of having been disturbed.

She opened a drawer. Several envelopes lay quietly inside.

Elizabeth opened one. On the letter paper was written: [The Riverfront Casino—you can break even.]

Though Elizabeth had never been, she'd heard the name. The city's largest casino. Supposedly, this casino was different from the others.

Everyone knew casinos were places where even millionaires could walk in and leave with nothing.

But this particular casino was supposedly a true paradise.

They said you might lose everything there, but you could also turn your luck around and win millions.

Elizabeth had heard of it but never been.

She didn't examine the remaining letters here. She stuffed them all into her bag, then looked around the bedroom. There didn't seem to be any other clues to find, so she left.

Outside the door, the hallway was quiet. The young man from earlier seemed to have already left.

Elizabeth walked to the elevator. It was still under maintenance. She had to take the stairs.

Finally finishing the long descent, as Elizabeth walked out, she was still thinking about going home to carefully examine those letters. Maybe she could find some clues in them.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. A low voice sounded near her ear.

"Watch where you're going."

Elizabeth was pulled by the wrist. Her back collided with a solid chest. A familiar scent surrounded her. Her expression blank, she brushed off his hand.

"What are you doing here?" She looked at Cornelius.

Cornelius frowned, his hand slowly dropping. "I should be asking you that."

"I obviously have my reasons for being here."

"If I'm not mistaken, this is where Nash lives." Cornelius's voice was deep. "Even if Nash isn't here, there's no guarantee his place isn't dangerous. And you came alone?"

What danger could there be? Elizabeth was dismissive. "Facts prove there was no danger."

She seemed somewhat distracted. "I have things to do. I'm leaving."

Cornelius followed behind her. "You didn't used to be this bold."

Nash had complicated connections and unpaid debts. Who knew how many enemies he had? She'd come over alone—if something happened, she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Elizabeth walked under the shade of trees, saying flatly, "I don't think there's anything to be afraid of. Nash's place has no danger. Only his relatives came by."

"Relatives?"

Elizabeth said absently, "His nephew."

Cornelius stopped. Elizabeth noticed but didn't stop herself. She'd only walked a few steps when Cornelius's somewhat cold voice came from behind.

"I've looked at Nash's file. He doesn't have any relatives."