The Mysterious Wasteland
"Look, there's a small door over there. We can go in through that.”Cassandra smiled faintly and pointed to a nearby clump of bushes.
A small door? Alison had never heard of any other entrance to the ancestral home.
Led by Cassandra, they soon reached the thicket. She slipped free of Alison's arm and began pushing aside the bushes. Soon, a narrow path emerged before them.
Cassandra beckoned, and Alison followed her through the gap in the foliage.
After walking three or four meters, the space suddenly opened up.
This was the little door Cassandra had mentioned. A row of fence posts stood before them, one of the bars pried open just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
They now stood within the grounds of the ancestral home.
"How did you find this place? Aunt Cassandra?" Alison asked curiously.
"Well, that day, I saw Stephanie come in from here,” Cassandra explained.
“You mean you saw Stephanie enter the ancestral home through here one day?” Alison asked doubtfully.
"Yes." Cassandra nodded earnestly.
"All right, let's go see Aidan," Alison said, leading her away.
The area near the fence was overgrown with weeds, and they had to push aside the tangled vegetation with every step.
By the time they reached the front door, they was covered in grass clippings.
Alison brushed her shoes against the doormat, and the dirt flaked off—it was red.
"Let's go inside," Alison said after tidying her shoes. She pulled Cassandra through the door into the hall.
Soon, they reached the third floor. Just as she was about to knock on Aidan's door, Cassandra nudged her. "You go to bed. I want to see Aidan, but I don't want you to see him. He doesn't like you. Not one bit."
"All right, I'll go to bed then. Make sure you get some rest after seeing him, too.” She said this, though she didn't leave immediately.
“Why aren't you leaving?” Cassandra turned to look at her.
“I want to see you walk into Aidan's room with my own eyes.”
“No way. I don't want Aidan to see you. If you want to watch, go hide around the corner over there. Bottom line, I won't let Aidan see you again, you vixen."
"All right." Alison walked to the corner.
Only after Cassandra knocked on Aidan's door and went inside did Alison finally relax.
She pulled out her phone and texted Aidan: [I just brought Auntie Cassandra back from the road outside the ancestral home. Don't let her sneak out again.]
Aidan simply replied: [Got it.]
Then, she turned and headed toward her guest room.
Back in the room, she stared blankly out the window at the street below, silently praying that Jack would return.
Suddenly, the front gate of the ancestral home swung open. She saw headlights flashing before a car pulled in.
The vehicle stopped, and a figure approached the front door.
It was Rock.
Moments after he entered the house, the lights downstairs flickered on.
"Have you found any news about that woman, Rock?" Alexander asked.
"No, Grandfather. Everyone in the Polar Bear Alliance who knew her background has disappeared. I had Emily double-check, and there's truly nothing,” Rock replied. Rock replied.
Then, there was a sound of a fist slamming onto the table, followed by Alexander's furious roar. "It must be that woman! If not for her, your father wouldn't have disappeared!"