Chapter 401 The Red Box
Michael walked into the rain, looking utterly disheartened. The bodyguards quickly followed him.
Dean watched him leave, then followed with Pearl and Nolan in tow.
Nolan was dressed in a custom-made suit for kids, complete with sunglasses.
He had been unusually quiet today. Apart from begging Dean to let him attend the funeral, he hadn't said much.
Dean held the siblings' hands as they walked out of the cemetery.
The driver had already brought the car around. Dean reached out to Nolan, "Nolan, let me hold onto your sunglasses. It's raining, can you see okay?"
Nolan pretended not to hear. As he lowered his head to get into the car, Dean noticed the tears at the corner of his eyes.
Dean suddenly understood, thinking, 'Nolan's wearing sunglasses because he doesn't want anyone to see him cry. This kid, so young yet always acting so mature.'
The car headed towards Whispering Pines Estates.
Suddenly, Nolan called out, "Dean."
Dean, sitting in the front passenger seat, immediately turned around, "What's up, Nolan?"
Nolan's face was serious, "There's a car that's been following us."
The driver nodded, "I noticed it too. They've been tailing us since we left the cemetery."
Dean frowned, "Maybe they attended the funeral too and are just heading back to the city like us?"
The driver shook his head, "I took a detour on purpose, and they followed us the whole way."
Dean suggested, "Maybe the driver doesn't know the way and is just following us back to the city?"
Nolan frowned, "That car never parked in the cemetery lot. Someone's been in it the whole time, waiting for us to leave."
Dean covered his mouth, "Nolan, don't scare me! Are we being followed? Could we be kidnapped?"
Nolan gave him a look, "Call the bodyguards and have them catch up to us."
Dean pulled out his phone, "Right, I'll call them."
The bodyguards' car quickly positioned itself between them and the trailing vehicle.
The bodyguard called Dean, "Mr. Palmer, we've lost them."
Dean sighed in relief, "That's good."
He muttered to himself, "Who would follow us? And why? We're not exactly rich."
Nolan, however, was considering other possibilities. With Elizabeth out of the country, this tracking was likely aimed at him and Pearl.
At the top floor of FutureTech Robotics Group, Jennifer was on the phone in her office.
"A bunch of idiots! You lost track of a couple of kids!"
The person on the other end sounded defensive, "Ms. Johnson, there was also a blond man in the car."
Jennifer's eyebrows shot up, "You call that a man? Just treat him like a woman! You lost them, and that's that. No excuses!"
"Ms. Johnson, it was our mistake. Please give us another chance."
"If you fail again, you're fired!"
With that, Jennifer angrily hung up the phone.
The city's TV station was planning a Christmas show. Pearl had told Carter she wanted to perform a dance, and Carter had signed her up.
For the past few days, Pearl had been practicing in the TV station's dance studio.
Sometimes, Carter would accompany her. Most of the time, it was the bodyguards waiting outside.
One morning, Pearl was practicing alone in the studio when there was a knock on the door. Before she could react, a young woman walked in.
Pearl noticed the badge. The woman was a staff member at the TV station.
"Ma'am, can I help you with something?"
The young woman smiled as she approached, "Hey, Pearl. You're Mr. Thomas' daughter, right?"
Not many people knew that Pearl was Michael's daughter. Pearl was puzzled, wondering how this woman knew.
Pearl looked at her warily, "Who are you? How do you know me?"
The young woman smiled as she crouched down in front of Pearl. "Because Mr. Thomas sent me. He said he left something at your house and hopes you can return it to him."
Pearl frowned, "What is it? What could he have left at our house? Is it my mom's heart? If so, he should try to win it himself. Why trouble you to come?"
"Pearl, you're quite the joker. I'm talking about a red square box. Mr. Thomas said it's at your house. You've had it for a while, don't you think you should return it?"
Pearl's face changed at the mention of the red box. She remembered it vividly. She had indeed taken it from the Thomas family villa to Whispering Pines Estates.
She hadn't dared to tell Elizabeth, only Nolan. Nolan had buried it under the rose bush in the garden.
She stopped dancing and lifted her chin slightly, "What does he want? Why doesn't he come himself?"
The young woman knew she had guessed right. The box was indeed at Whispering Pines Estates.
"Pearl, you know your dad values his dignity. He wouldn't ask a child directly. Besides, haven't you heard what people say about him in Aurora Bay? Aren't you afraid of him? Didn't your mom tell you he's terrifying? If you anger him, he could snap a child's neck without a second thought."
Pearl was scared but still conflicted, "But he's my dad. Would he really do that to me? How could he?"
"You're his daughter, so he might not harm you. But what about the bodyguard outside? Mr. Thomas has no ties to him. Killing him would be easy."
Pearl's voice trembled, "It's just a box. Would he really go that far? Would he be that cruel?"
The young woman smiled wider, "Exactly, Pearl. It's just a box. If you give it to me to return to Mr. Thomas, nothing bad will happen. I'll put it back where it belongs, and Mr. Thomas won't hold anyone responsible."
Pearl lowered her head, biting her lip gently, "Alright. I'll go with you to find the box."
The young woman smiled triumphantly, stood up, and opened the door, "Pearl, let's not waste time. Let's go."
Pearl opened the closet, "Let me change first."
As she changed, she thought about calling Nolan. But Nolan had gone out early and wasn't home.
Should she tell Dean? Dean was busy at work. This seemed too small to bother him with.
Should she ask her mom? No, this had been kept from Elizabeth from the start. She had no idea about it.
Pearl felt a wave of despair. She had no one to turn to.
She put on her shoes, sighed softly, and followed the young woman out.
The bodyguard was surprised to see Pearl with the young woman. He grabbed Pearl and shouted at the woman, "You said you were a dance teacher! Why are you taking her away?"
The young woman threw a strange powder in the bodyguard's face. His eyes widened, and he slowly collapsed.
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