Chapter 192

Chapter 192

Elizabeth stopped abruptly and slowly turned around.

Cornelius walked up and stopped in front of her. "His parents died years ago. Because he was addicted to gambling, he took all the family's money to gamble and lost everything. His father couldn't handle the blow and fell gravely ill. But Nash had already gambled away what little money was left. His father died from illness, and his mother, unable to bear it, drowned herself in the lake."

"Maybe he has siblings..."

"He's an only child."

So despite winter approaching, today was a rare beautiful day. Warm sunlight bathed the earth. Elizabeth stood under the tree and could still feel the sun's rays filtering through the branches, warm and comforting.

But she felt ice-cold all over. A wave of delayed fear washed over her. "Maybe it was a friend..."

"Would you be friends with a gambling addict?" Cornelius shattered her last shred of hope.

No.

No one would want to be friends with a gambling addict. Because addicts could never quit. They didn't just destroy their own families—they dragged others down too.

So...

Who exactly was that person just now?

Cornelius noticed her unusual expression. "Let's just check the security footage and find out."

Elizabeth glanced at him and went with him to the security office.

Though she didn't want to admit it, having him by her side seemed to dispel some of that bone-deep chill.

At the security office, the guard was slouched in his chair, fast asleep. His snores were thunderous, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Elizabeth hadn't even moved when Cornelius kicked the guard's chair. The guard jolted awake with a start, standing up and looking around wildly.

Seeing the two people standing before him, he casually wiped the drool from his mouth and said impatiently, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"We need to check the security footage," Cornelius said.

"Can't do that. Only property management or residents can view the footage. First tell me your names. Are you owners here?"

Though the guard slept most of the time, he'd been working here for nearly ten years. He roughly remembered the people who came and went in this apartment complex.

These two were well-dressed and their faces were completely unfamiliar. The guard was certain he'd never seen them before.

Elizabeth explained, "We're not owners here. We came to visit relatives. We found that though our relative wasn't home, the door was open. I'm worried someone might have broken in, so I want to check the surveillance."

"Impossible. No one broke in. I've been watching."

Elizabeth frowned slightly. "When I came in earlier, you didn't stop me. You didn't even ask questions or register me."

That was the guard's negligence.

The guard's face hardened. "What are you trying to say? I saw you were just a young woman who didn't look like a bad person, so I let you in. Now you're turning around and saying I'm not doing my job?"

Elizabeth tried to reason with him. "I'm not saying you're not doing your job. But it's a fact that you didn't register or question me when a stranger entered the complex. If this is how you treat us, how can you be sure you didn't let other people in?"

"I said no one got in, so no one got in. Now leave."

Elizabeth was about to say more when Cornelius stopped her. No point wasting more words. The guard wasn't stupid. If they actually checked the footage and found suspicious people had entered, wouldn't that be proof of his negligence?

"My friend's door was open, and we did see someone coming out. To avoid disturbing the scene, we didn't go in. We don't know if anything was stolen, but I've already called the police."

After Cornelius spoke, the guard's expression shifted slightly.

If the police had been called, he no longer had the authority to refuse the surveillance request. He'd even have to cooperate with the investigation.

"Who exactly are you two? I haven't even asked why you entered the complex. Are you two thieves trying to cover your tracks? See—you say you want to check the footage, but you actually want to delete it, right? Show me proof!" The guard blocked the monitors, glaring at them suspiciously, trying to pin something on them and scare them off.

Unfortunately, these two were each harder to deal than the other.

Cornelius didn't bother arguing. He simply pulled out his phone and called the property manager.

At the same time, Elizabeth called the police.

Seeing their actions, the guard finally panicked. "Why are you calling the police? Nothing could have been stolen from this complex!"

Elizabeth ignored him. "This isn't my first time at this complex. Why haven't I seen you before?"

Last time when Becky was kidnapped, it had been a huge incident. Elizabeth had entered the security office multiple times to check footage. But she remembered it had been a guard around forty years old.

This guard looked maybe thirty-something, a bit thinner than the forty-year-old, taller, but too skinny—giving him a weaselly look.

"I'm new here. I've been super dedicated since I started. I register everyone who enters the complex. You must be mistaken."

Cornelius grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Why waste words on him? When the police and manager arrive, everything will come to light."

The security office was cramped and stuffy. The two simply went outside to wait under a tree. But the guard actually followed them out.

"You two aren't residents. According to our property rules, you haven't registered and no owner has vouched for you. You can't stay here."

This was going too far. Elizabeth said coldly, "You don't need to rush us out. The police will be here soon. Right or wrong, you can explain it to them then."

The guard glared at her, muscles tensed, his face twisted menacingly. Elizabeth had no doubt he was considering getting physical. But Cornelius stood right beside her.

She didn't think using his presence was a bad thing. She had no intention of acting tough right now.

She decisively moved behind Cornelius and opened the video recording on her phone. "If you want to get physical, go ahead and try. I might as well tell you—I'm a streamer. Once I record this video, I can make you famous immediately."

The guard's face turned livid, but he stood frozen in place.

Cornelius glanced at Elizabeth, a smile flickering in his eyes.

The three of them remained in this standoff until the police finally arrived.

With police involvement, checking the surveillance became effortless. The footage showed a young man wearing a mask. The guard had been in the booth at the time but had completely ignored him.

Elizabeth recognized him immediately. "That's him. Same clothes, same mask. Height and build match too."

"Was anything stolen from the apartment?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I didn't notice. I didn't go through anything."

So the police decided to investigate and also called Nash in. After all, he was the party involved in this case. Only he would know if anything was missing.

Nash checked around the apartment, finally stopping in front of the computer, his expression dark.

"What's missing?" Elizabeth asked.

Nash glanced at her, his eyes flickering. "A USB drive is gone."