Ralph had intentionally turned on his phone speaker so that the gatekeeper could hear what Alexander said. “So, can I enter now?” Since the property owner had agreed, there was no reason for the gatekeeper to stop him. Ralph drove his car slowly into Alexander’s house as he felt a sense of accomplishment. Alexander’s residence was a place not easily accessible to just anyone, including him. Ralph could not help but feel proud of himself as he waltzed freely into the compound. When he got to the living room, he saw maids all around, searching meticulously for the ring. Ralph immediately ordered, “I’ll search for it on my own. You can all leave now!” “B-But Mr. Russell told us to help,” one of the maids explained. “It’s fine! You don’t even know what the ring looks like! Besides, just because Alexander trusts you doesn’t mean I do! My mother’s ring cost a fortune and could even be considered our family heirloom. How would I know if you’d be tempted to keep it when you f
Ralph ran straight to the first floor. He did not know which room was Alexander’s bedroom, but as he observed the rooms along the corridor, one door to a room was tightly shut. There was obviously something in the room. He walked toward the bedroom, and as he was about to turn the knob, he stopped. If this was Alexander’s bedroom and the book was in there, he would not be able to enter that easily. Ralph was sure that this room would be filled with traps.Alexander was a cautious person. He had ensured that his house was well-equipped with the latest security measures. It was impossible that he would leave this room unsecured. With this in mind, Ralph carefully turned the doorknob, and he was surprised to find that the room was unlocked. This was very suspicious.After giving it some thought, he decided to take the risk. After all, he was already here. He took out a piece of wood from his pocket and pushed the door open with it. He investigated the slightly ajar door and saw a hu
Ralph decided to try it. He gritted his teeth and recalled the password he saw in Alexander’s office. He began to move the dial slowly out of fear that he might accidentally trigger the trap. Just then, he heard a slight click sound, and he could feel that the safe had unlocked. He was overjoyed! He stopped just as he was about to open the safe and decided to use the piece of wood. When he opened the safe, a “whoosh” sound was heard, followed by a cool breeze, and two sharp arrows were currently stabbed into the ground in front of the opened safe. Ralph could not help the shiver down his spine—that was such a close call! Ralph was right to predict that Alexander still set other traps. It was exactly his style to do something like this. His gaze fell upon a book within the safe. Ralph was elated. He wanted to cheer out loud with joy so badly. This was it! Lying in a safe in Alexander’s bedroom and guarded by layers of booby traps, it was definitely the secret kickboxin
The butler nodded in agreement. “Yes, you’re right, sir. It was our negligence that Mrs. Margaret lost her ring under our watch. If I may, sir, have you found the ring?” Then the butler sighed in relief when he saw the ring in Ralph’s hand.Ralph nodded. “Yeah, I found it. I’ll bring this to my mother immediately. You should clean this place and check if anything else is missing. You might even be able to find something. Also, you guys should improve your security here. This time it was my mother. What if it was someone else next time?”“Yes, of course! We’ll do better next time,” the butler assured Ralph politely. Ralph was delighted with the butler’s attitude, so he did not continue to make things difficult for him. Moreover, he already had what he had come for and was excited.He could not wait to leave. “Good, now I’ll be leaving. Take the time to reflect on your shortcomings!”The butler smiled politely, his hands crossed before him while sending Ralph off. The smile on the bu
“Who else would it be? Of course, it’s your silly uncle.” Margaret looked slightly across. “He took a century to look for a ring! Still, he found it. According to him, it was between the cushions on the sofa, and I didn’t even realize I dropped it there.”“That’s excellent news, and you still have time to spare. Tell Uncle Ralph to come to pick you up, then you could make it for your show,” Alexander said while looking at his watch.Margaret nodded. “Thank goodness you were here to accompany me, or I would’ve panicked.”Ralph arrived moments later. Since he knew they were at the cafe, he came over immediately. He entered the cafe and rushed straight to their table. “Mom, I found it.”Then he removed the ring from his pocket and handed it to Margaret. “Look, this is the one, right?”“Yes, that’s it. This ring has never left my side all these years. If I lost it, I would never be able to rest in peace even after I die.” She hurriedly took the ring from Ralph and put it on her finger
Heather entered the house and heard a commotion in the kitchen. She entered the kitchen to check what was happening when she saw Hannah. Heather’s face darkened as she asked sternly, “What do you think you’re doing?”Hannah was surprised when she heard her sister’s voice. Her hand that held a pot cover trembled. The steam from the pot scalded her as she yelped softly.“You’re so clumsy!” Heather said frustratedly, “Come here!”“I-I’m sorry.” Hannah had been apologizing a lot recently. However, she was more obedient than before and hurriedly left the kitchen with a bowl of soup. It was still warm, covered with a cotton cloth to keep the heat inside. The aroma of the soup was appetizing.“What’s this?” Heather frowned and looked at it.“I made some soup for you,” Hannah spoke softly, not daring to make eye contact with Heather. She gently pushed the bowl toward Heather, trying to make Heather happy.“Who permitted you to cook? You should stay in your room until I tell you to come o
“What’s this? I’m not eating that!” Heather rejected her offer, looking at it with disdain. The bowl was filled with white, creamy liquid and bits of chicken and vegetables that looked appetizing and smelled amazing. It did make Heather hungry, so she asked, “What soup is it?Hannah’s face immediately brightened, and she answered Heather’s question eagerly, “It’s some chicken broth that’s good for the body. I heard that you’ve injured yourself, and I hope this can help you recover.” “Good for me?” Heather eyed her suspiciously and took out her phone to search for information about it. “How did you know chicken soup is good for injuries or when someone’s sick?”“I saw it on TV,” Hannah replied immediately, “I noticed that we have the ingredients needed to make it, and the kitchen was empty then, so I decided to make this for you. Don’t worry. I made sure no one saw me.” Heather was not worried about Hannah being seen. She made sure that the people around her were those s
Heather went upstairs while Hannah took the empty bowl to the kitchen. She turned on the tap and cleaned the bowl with a cloth. She took her time cleaning it thoroughly.After she finished, she placed it back in the cabinet and took one last look at the kitchen before walking toward her small bedroom. Hannah’s bedroom in the basement was very dark and quiet, but she was used to this environment. She sat in a corner where a small amount of sunlight was available. The sunlight shone on a small area close to her toes. She could feel the warmth of the sun if she just stretched her feet, but instead, she chose to sit with her knees bent and her toes curled together. She was so close to the sun yet did not dare reach out for it. Her arms were around her knees, hugging them as one of her hands played with the distorted ring she had. Hannah had found her ring, even though it was not how it used to be. Nothing truly belonged to her in this world, not anything or anyone. She shoul