Belle got nervous at how serious he was being and tried to soften the atmosphere. "If I really was the sun, you'd be burnt to a crisp by now. Anyway, I'm starving now. Let's go eat."Grayson stared at her. He wanted to ask if she could stay with him even after their time was up. He wanted a proper answer from her. However, he was worried that he wouldn't like her answer.He exhaled slowly and ruffled her hair lovingly. "Let's go."Once they reached downstairs, Grayson took the dinner he had prepared long ago out of the insulated lunch boxes he kept it in. They started eating together.While they ate, Belle suddenly thought about the missing kids and asked Grayson, "Have you heard about the missing cases in Maltford?""Yes.""Are the rumors real?""Some are real, and some aren't. The news about the kids going missing is real."Belle frowned. "A child is a family's greatest treasure. If they lose their kid, the family is done for. Can't the police do something about something s
Belle continued to enjoy her meal.Grayson frowned and opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But he was unsure about how to say it.Belle said, "He mentioned that he'd taken a long break before and was still able to keep up with his studies. I hope his results won't be affected by this."Grayson held back what he was originally going to say. Instead, he replied, "Their last year of high school is basically used for revision. They won't learn anything new, so his results won't go awry after only a few days. Don't worry.""Okay."After dinner, they cleaned up and went on a walk with Sixteen. Grayson suddenly passed Belle a sheaf of documents. "There's something wrong with Hunter."Belle froze. "What? What's wrong?""Just look at these. I got someone to do some research on today's incident and also on Hunter. I found some information."Belle read through the information and frowned.…Meanwhile, the men who got beaten up by Belle were in a small private clinic.They were
The group of thugs couldn't care less about him when they saw how he was dressed. They assumed he was young."Hey, fucker!" one of them called out. "We're about to have a good time here, so fuck off and don't spoil our fun!"Gabriel spat out the gum in his mouth and walked over. The thugs frowned. One of them warned him, "Are you trying to get yourself killed or are you trying to get in on the fun? If it's the latter, then go wait somewhere until your turn. We'll pass her along to you once we're done."Gabriel didn't reply. He just kept approaching.They could tell that he wasn't here to mess around. One of them said, "You guys can start first. I'm going to go kill this fucker."As he spoke, he stretched his neck and walked toward Gabriel menacingly.He raised a fist and heard a loud crack before it flopped uselessly to his side.The man hadn't expected Gabriel to act so quickly, and his eyes widened before he started to scream.He only screamed for a second before going sile
Hugo began to panic as he realized that the men were all in various forms of misery."W-What happened to you guys?"The defeated men shivered as they quietly stared at Gabriel.Hugo then looked up at Gabriel and froze in place."Who are you?"Gabriel's voice was deep."Are you the man who bullied the woman at the restaurant today?"Hugo took a moment to reply."So what if I am? Who are you? What do you want? You—"Gabriel rushed toward him and pinned the man's wrist onto a nearby tree with his dagger.The dagger served as a nail as it went through Hugo's wrist and plunged straight into the tree stump.Hugo screamed out in pain, beginning to feel his head burning."What are you doing? It's burning! My head is on fire!"He raised his free hand to slap his head in an attempt to put out the fire.The burning sensation began to melt his senses with immense pain as he felt that his head was about to explode.Hugo began to panic and continued to slap on his head despite the fir
The next morning, Belle woke up earlier than usual and headed to her clinic.Grayson didn't try and stop her even though he knew she was going out to look for Hunter.Hunter's mental illness would continue to bug her if she couldn't figure it out.Grayson forced her to have breakfast at the very least before heading out."Call me if anything happens.""I know."Belle promised to be safe and headed out the door.It wasn't even six in the morning, and the sky was only dimly lit when she arrived at the clinic.She knocked before entering the ward, only to find Hunter missing. Benjamin had seemingly just woken up.He was surprised to see Belle."Dr. Walters, you're here early today."Belle replied, "I came to visit even though I'm off today since I couldn't sleep. Where's Hunter?"Benjamin seemed happy."I always assumed youngsters would sleep in late. Who knew that you folks could wake up early as well? I think Hunter has already left to buy some breakfast for me. He always w
The most suspicious thing was that Benjamin had been hospitalized for treatment ever since he was diagnosed with cancer at their own expense.He was discharged from the specialty hospital two weeks ago as he was deemed healthy enough to return home.Hospitals were known for costing anyone a fortune, let alone if it was treatment for a cancer patient.The information that Grayson had compiled for Belle mentioned that Benjamin had used only imported medicine for his treatment. That alone had already accumulated a cost of a hundred grand in these two weeks. Benjamin's stay in the hospital previously had also probably cost them a similarly huge sum of money.Where could Hunter possibly get such a substantial amount of money to pay for these expenses?Belle recalled seeing Hunter alone among all the youngsters. He reminded her of Robert. She felt that he was a righteous young man.After what happened that day, she did a basic background check on him on the way home. She only found o
Belle quietly scanned Hunter from head to toe.He was wearing his school uniform along with a pair of white worn-out sneakers, which had been dirtied.It was apparent that he had been taking good care of his shoes. They had just picked up some dirt while he was outside.Other than his face, the rest of his body was slightly dirtied.Benjamin spoke up before Belle, "Where did you run off to? You've gotten yourself dirty. Was it raining outside?"Hunter avoided Belle's gaze and walked up to the bed. He placed the breakfast on the nearby table."I stepped into a dirty puddle on the way to get breakfast and splashed myself. Ms. Belle, I bought more than usual. Do you want to have some? I'll go and get a change of clothes first."He then quickly walked away into the inner room. Belle remained silent as the dirt stains on his body matched his explanation.Her phone suddenly started ringing with a call from Ginger.She excused herself from the ward and went out to pick up the call.
Hunter frowned and remained silent.Belle continued, "I've already checked the security footage. You went out after your dad fell asleep and only just came back, no?"I'm not trying to invade your privacy or anything … I'm just concerned since I consider you my younger brother of sorts."Hunter remained silent for a while before replying, "I went out to run some errands."Belle deliberately asked, "Your dad told me that you hold extra tuition classes for your classmates. Did you have a class last night?"He shook his head. "No."Belle felt slightly relieved as he didn't seem to be trying to lie to her.Although she had no idea what he had gone out in the night for, she already knew that it wasn't because of tuition classes."Where did you go then?" asked Belle.Hunter frowned and took a moment to reply. "I don't want to talk about it, Ms. Belle."Belle was at a loss for words.The television in the room was still on after Benjamin switched it on early in the morning.The sc
Belle playfully reached for Sixteen again. "Come here!"Sixteen barked back, seemingly firm in his stance. "I'll cry if you don't come here, okay?" Belle then held her face in her hands and pretended to cry.Sixteen immediately calmed down as it nudged Belle's hands with its paws, trying to comfort her. Belle broke character, revealing a grin. "Are you still mad at me?"Sixteen, appeased, finally got into her arms and launched into enthusiastic licks.Grayson watched the exchange with a hint of envy. "Hey, Sixteen!"Sixteen whimpered and offered Grayson a sheepish look.Belle scolded, "Why are you scolding Sixteen? You're a bad guy!"She then petted Sixteen on its head and stood up. "Let's go! We'll get something tasty to eat! Just ignore him, okay?"Grayson was left speechless. He felt defeated by the pet dog as he watched Belle and Sixteen skip and hop into the house.Meredith had already finished preparing dinner when they arrived. She put on a gentle smile as she watched Belle
After returning to the house, Ava asked, "Why did Xenia go crazy? Wasn't she fine not long ago?"Lena wiped her hands and handed the towel back to Ava. "Someone drugged her and induced hallucinations of her worst fears. She's been on the edge ever since. After all, she did commit all sorts of misdeeds." "Someone?""Belle Walters."Ava was shocked. "Why would Belle drug Xenia?"Ava and Lena had been moving from place to place, seeking a safe hideout ever since they picked up Xenia. They had only found a relatively safe place today, so Ava finally had the chance to inquire about the details.Lena shot her a look of disgust and proceeded to ignore her question.Ava dared not press further and changed the topic. "Now that Xenia's lost her mind, can we still get her to talk?"Lena continued to ignore her and went to scribble down a prescription. She had spent the entire day with Xenia in the basement but hadn't managed to extract any useful information from her. Ava sheepishly c
Meanwhile, Ginger, too, was grappling with confusion. She'd also offered Hunter money, only to be stunned into silence by the astronomical sum in his bank statement. Compared to him, she was practically penniless. The largest amount she'd ever held was a few million Gabriel had won in the lottery—a drop in the bucket compared to Hunter's wealth."Why do you think Mr. Sanders was so wealthy?" Ginger queried, seeking Gabriel's insight.Gabriel was similarly grappling with confusion and remained quiet. However, he was preoccupied with a different mystery. His mind was consumed by the deaths of Penny and Terry. He had taken time to visit the corpses and noted the peculiarity surrounding their deaths. Their autopsies revealed unusual injuries that baffled forensics.Both victims, young adults in their prime, looked as if they'd been scared to death.Aware of Hunter's ties to the Nightwalkers, Gabriel wasn't surprised by the inheritance. Compared to the wealth amassed during the Sanders f
Belle pondered aloud, "While Hunter isn't as averse to exploring tombs as Benjamin, they share a similar disposition. Otherwise, with his expertise, he could easily be making a fortune.""The Sanders ancestors might not have been saints," Grayson conceded, "but perhaps Hunter's grandfather started a positive trend. Like Benjamin, he likely tried to shield Hunter from their legacy. A truly evil man couldn't have raised such a kind son."As Benjamin grew, he remained kind-hearted despite his timidity. And now, Hunter has grown into an upright, kind, and courageous young man. His talent for exploration makes him the pride of his lineage."Belle nodded and sighed. "Money is crucial for a comfortable life today. With what Hunter has, financial worries shouldn't trouble him. He'll be well provided for."Grayson pulled her into his arms and responded, "Don't fret. While Hunter may still be in school, he's mature for his age. He can take care of himself just fine."Belle leaned onto his s
Hunter crouched by the bed, methodically clearing away the books until a single floor tile lay exposed. Prying it open revealed a dark hole just big enough for one person. Grabbing a flashlight, he squeezed through the narrow opening and emerged into a moderately sized room of perhaps about 130 square feet. Wooden boxes, weathered with age and adorned with simple designs, filled the space.Hunter made a beeline for a particular box, brushing off the dust before prying it open. The wooden box was filled to the brim with notebooks. Hunter sat down on the floor, picked up one of the books, and started reading it.This hidden chamber and its contents were discovered by a young Hunter, seemingly guided by destiny. Hunter's father, Benjamin, had buried them, driven by a desire to safeguard their knowledge from Hunter's curious gaze. Fear had gripped Benjamin after learning about the Sanders family's history, the expertise that had seemingly drawn them toward a dangerous path. He
Nora let out a long sigh. "It's fine. Just keep it with you! I don't really need the money right away or anything. Besides, an old woman like me won't be spending much in town even if I tried."Hunter stopped Nora as she was about to leave and took a wad of money from his bag. "I have 20,000 dollars right here. It's far from the actual price, but you can keep it for now. I'll pay you the rest when I can."Nora was stunned. "Where did you get so much money?""It's the money I gathered from donations for the funeral, mostly from Ms. Belle and Mr. Grayson.""Oh, that makes sense. Here I was, wondering how you managed to get such a huge amount from donations. I can tell your friends are really kind-hearted people. You should treat them just as well as they treat you, okay? Study hard and make a name for yourself, and then you'll be able to properly repay their kindness.""Yeah, I know. Anyway, the gold nugget weighs slightly over 17 ounces. So, its worth is about 37,500 dollars. I'll pay y
As the final step of the funeral, the townsfolk gathered for a meal after Benjamin's burial. After Benjamin was buried, Belle and Ginger approached Hunter, inquiring about his plans for the future. Belle expressed her desire for Hunter to stay with her and Grayson, mentioning that their house had plenty of spare rooms. The only drawback would be that it was quite the distance from his school, but they could always arrange a driver for him.Ginger also invited Hunter to stay with her and Gabriel as their house had just finished with renovations. They also had a spare room for Hunter if he were to join their house.Hunter was genuinely touched by their offers, but he still declined them both. "I'd like to stay in my school's hostel for now. I'll think about what to do next when I graduate."Belle and Ginger recognized that they couldn't sway Hunter's decision, so they ceased their attempts to pressure him into making a choice."If you run out of space for your belongings, you ca
Hunter detailed, "I recall every person who came to offer prayers for my father... However, it was during my trip to the restroom that the dogs began barking. Upon my return, I spotted some unfamiliar footprints. Without seeing anyone there, I dismissed it. But upon hearing about Penny and Terry's deaths this morning, I began to connect the dots..."Both Gabriel and Grayson were left speechless.Gabriel exchanged a glance with Grayson before turning back to Hunter. "So, you're suggesting that the stranger who came to town also visited your house to pray for your father before departing to exact revenge on Penny and Terry for Mr. Sanders' death?""Yes.""Why didn't he meet you then?""I don't know.""Any other suspects you have in mind?"Hunter shook his head. "My father and I don't have friends other than you guys. It's just the two of us for as long as I can remember.""Could it be someone else from the Sanders family?" asked Gabriel."I don't think so. I'm an only child, and
Belle, Ginger, and the rest of the group arrived at 8:00 am. They noticed the crowd alongside police cars at the entrance to the town. The two of them then squeezed through the crowd to make it to the house as soon as they could. "What happened, Hunter?"The policemen were stunned by their sudden arrival. "Who are you?""We're Hunter's friends. You can tell us about what happened."Hunter's eyes gleamed with hope as he greeted them. "Ms. Belle and Ms. Ginger!"Grayson's car stopped in front of the town alongside a truck filled with equipment for the funeral.Without Belle and Grayson's friendship, Hunter would have had to manage all the funeral arrangements alone, and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Ginger.Sam remained outside to stand guard while Grayson and Gabriel entered the Sanders family's old home.The townsfolk and the police were shocked when they saw them.They didn't recognize Grayson or Gabriel, but they could tell at a glance that they were really special peo