After hanging up the phone, Gunner issued several orders in quick succession.
First, he instructed his men to intercept anyone from the main house trying to leave.
Next, he arranged for people to check the surveillance footage to find out where Deanna had been taken from.
Lance was also making arrangements on his end.
The atmosphere in the old mansion became tense.
Guests noticed the constant movement of bodyguards in and out of the courtyard and sensed that something was wrong.
"What happened? Why are the Martinez family's private guards mobilized?"
"Not sure. I stopped someone to ask, but they said everything was fine."
"It doesn't look fine at all. I think the Martinez family doesn't want us to know what's going on."
People were whispering among themselves.
Logan and Samantha also questioned Lance.
Samantha asked, "What's going on outside? Several groups of security have come into the courtyard, and many have stayed."
"Don't hide things from us, kid," Logan warned from the side.
Hearing this, Lance spoke truthfully.
"Deanna has been taken. We don't know if the person has left the mansion or if Deanna is the only target. Mr. Martinez and I have sent people to protect you."
"What? Deanna was taken?" Samantha exclaimed.
Lance quickly said, "Mom, keep your voice down. Don't let Deanna's grandmother, Gregory, or Chloe hear this. I haven't told them yet."
"Oh, okay. I won't say anything. Do you have any news about Deanna?" Samantha lowered her voice and asked urgently.
Logan, however, disagreed. "You can't hide this for long. If you don't find her before the apprenticeship ceremony this afternoon, the old lady will find out, and she'll be just as scared."
"I know, but we might find Deanna before then," Lance replied solemnly.
At that moment, Xavier walked in and respectfully said, "Sir, we've found Shannon and Nightingale."
Hearing this, Lance quickly ended the call with his parents.
"We have a lead on Deanna. I'll talk to you later."
Putting down his phone, Lance looked at Xavier with a serious expression. "Where were they found?"
"In an abandoned courtyard. Mr. Martinez has already been notified," Xavier replied gravely.
Lance nodded and went with Xavier to meet Gunner.
Soon, they saw the unconscious Shannon and Nightingale.
"What's their condition?"
"They were drugged. I've already given them the antidote; they should wake up soon," Gunner responded from beside the bed.
Shortly after he spoke, Shannon and Nightingale slowly regained consciousness.
Seeing Gunner and Lance by the bed, they were momentarily stunned but quickly realized what had happened.
"Master Gunner, Miss Deanna was taken."
"Boss, I'm sorry. I failed to protect Missus," they said remorsefully, looking at Gunner and Lance.
Lance was the first to question them. "What happened at that time?"
The two exchanged glances before Shannon replied, "Shortly after Mr. Martinez left, a servant came and said Master Gregory and Miss Chloe were missing. Missus was anxious and followed the servant without much thought. It wasn't until we entered that abandoned courtyard that Missus realized something was wrong, but it was too late. We don't know when the servant drugged us; we were knocked out."
Hearing this matched what others had said earlier, Lance and Gunner's expressions darkened.
Lance turned to Gunner and asked, "What about that father and son? Did you get anything out of them?"
"They're tough; they won't say anything," Gunner replied angrily.
Lance's face turned icy. "If you can't handle it, let me do it."
"Alright, I'll arrange for them to be sent over," Gunner agreed and then turned to Nightingale, instructing her, "Draw a picture of the servant who took you away. I'll have someone investigate."
Nightingale nodded and asked for paper and a pen.
Seeing this, Lance decided not to leave immediately. He wanted to wait for Nightingale's drawing and then send someone to track down the lead.
During this time, members of the Martinez family's guard also came to report their findings.
"Master Gunner, we've checked the east, west, south, and north courtyards. Nothing unusual was found. The surveillance at several exits also showed nothing."
"Nothing at all? Did they vanish into thin air?" Gunner was dissatisfied with the guard's report.
At this moment, Nightingale seemed to remember something. She stopped drawing and looked up. "Master Gunner, isn't there no surveillance in that abandoned courtyard? And I remember there's a small door there; I don't know where it leads. Could they have taken Miss Deanna through that door? That's why we found no clues."
Hearing this, Gunner turned his head to look at Jagger.
After all, he wasn't very familiar with the internal layout of each courtyard in the old mansion.
Sensing Gunner's gaze, Jagger thought for a moment and said, "There's indeed no surveillance in that courtyard. Ten years ago, that area was sectioned off from the mansion. As for that small door, it should lead to the back mountain."