Chapter 398 An Unexpected Discovery

Chapter 398 An Unexpected Discovery

Emily bent down and picked up the badly damaged doll, cradling it in her palm.

"The stuffing's coming out."

Emily pointed to the doll's tiny arm, nearly torn off, where blackened, burnt cotton peeked through.

James glanced down at the doll in Emily's hand, his tone flat. "Ten years ago, this place went through a massive fire. It destroyed a lot, but fortunately, no one died. The staff and kids from the orphanage were all rescued. Bethany and Marc were among those kids. By chance, Bethany caught NovaStar Entertainment's eye—they took her in, trained her as a trainee. Marc, on the other hand, I brought back to the Thomas Villa. He became my personal assistant."

"Is this what Tobias dug up too?"

"Yes."

Emily fell silent. She looked up at the charred ruins before them and said softly, "Let's go. Let's take a look inside."

James took Emily's hand again, and they stepped over the scorched earth, entering through the orphanage's front gate.

For some reason, Emily didn't throw away the doll.

They explored from the first floor all the way up to the third.

The first floor held a reception area, a cafeteria, and staff quarters.

The second and third floors were children's rooms.

Four hours later, James and Emily came back down to the first-floor lobby.

The orphanage wasn't huge—it only took them a few hours to go through everything. Unfortunately, the fire had been so thorough that most documents and belongings were destroyed. They couldn't find anything useful.

"Looks like we're leaving empty-handed today."

James walked to the entrance and looked up at the overcast sky, frowning slightly.

The air smelled like rain. A storm was coming.

They were on top of a mountain. If it started raining, the roads would be treacherous—dangerous, even.

His expression grew serious. He turned back to see Emily at the front desk, tapping here, knocking there, as if searching for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Come help me move this desk."

Emily tapped the front desk and looked up at James.

James raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? We're allowed to investigate, sure, but we can't touch anything here—and we definitely can't take anything out."

"Didn't the police already finish their investigation?"

"Of course."

"Then if they missed something important and we find it now, that clue is ours."

Emily had never been one to follow rules too closely. If she had, she wouldn't have survived on a single burning need for revenge, wouldn't have endured five years of suffering only to return to Emerald City, swearing to take back everything that was hers.

Damn it, Emily had a point—one he couldn't argue with.

"What's under there?"

"I don't know. Move the desk and we'll find out."

They stared at each other for a moment. James gave in.

He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and moved the desk aside, revealing the floor beneath.

Emily crouched down and tapped the floorboards a few times.

"I knew it."

A satisfied smirk tugged at her lips. She ran her fingers along the edges of a small section of the floor, tapping and feeling around until she found a raised spot.

There was space under this floorboard!

Emily's mind raced. She looked up at James. He looked back at her.

Then, wordlessly, they pried the board open, revealing a dark hollow beneath.

Emily started to climb down, but James grabbed her wrist.

"Don't be reckless."

His voice was urgent, his tone sharp.

He gripped her wrist tightly with one hand and turned on his phone's flashlight with the other, illuminating the space below.

"This is…"

The flashlight beam revealed what lay hidden beneath the floorboards.

Emily's face went pale, her eyes widening in shock.

She never imagined their search of the orphanage would lead to 'this'.

James's expression darkened. His grip on her wrist tightened unconsciously, leaving a ring of red marks on her skin.

…

The sky, which had been bright and sunny just moments ago, was suddenly smothered by dark clouds. A flash of lightning split the blackness like a silver snake, followed by a rumble of thunder rolling closer. Soon, rain poured down in sheets.

Another crack of thunder boomed across the gloomy sky.

Qiana looked out the window with growing concern at the thickening curtain of rain, a vague unease settling in her chest.

She wondered where James and Emily were—whether they were off doing something dangerous again.

Shaking her head, she turned to Briar, who was playing with building blocks nearby. Her expression softened with affection.

"Briar, it's thundering. Aren't you scared?"

Briar had just finished building a little house with her blocks. She blinked up at Qiana and said cheerfully, "Nope! I'm super brave. Great-Grandma, are 'you' scared of thunder? Want me to protect you?"

Qiana couldn't help but smile at the child's innocent words.

"Briar really is brave."

"Hehe, of course! I'm a girl, but I'm super strong!"

Briar puffed out her chest proudly.

"Mr. Thomas, what's wrong?"

Just then, Faye's panicked voice rang out from outside the room.

Qiana's expression changed. She stood and walked to the door.

"What happened?"

"Mrs. Thomas, please come quickly—Mr. Thomas, he…"

Qiana followed Faye's voice and found her near the staircase, in a shadowy corner.

Mason was huddled there, arms wrapped around his knees, trembling. A shattered cup and a puddle of water lay on the floor beside him.

Faye stood about five steps away, wringing her hands helplessly. When she saw Qiana, she rushed over. "Mrs. Thomas, Mr. Thomas went to the kitchen to get some water, and when he got here, there was a clap of thunder. It startled him—he dropped the cup, and now he's like 'this'… He won't let me near him. What should I do?"

"Mason is afraid of thunder?"

"I don't know. He's never shown any fear of it before."

Faye felt both anxious and guilty. She'd been taking care of Mason for so long—how had she never noticed he was afraid of thunder?

"I'll go to him."

Qiana walked slowly toward Mason.

"Mason, I'm here. Don't be afraid. It's just thunder…"

"Don't come closer!"

Mason's voice was hoarse, choked with a quiet, desperate cry.

Both Qiana and Faye froze.

Mason… had just spoken!