Chapter 77 The Strange Small Town
Bella woke up early the next morning. Sterling had been stuck at the company for the past couple of days because of work.
But Sterling kept his word from yesterday. When Bella got up, she saw four bodyguards hanging out in the living room.
These guys were all big, muscular dudes, looking like they just stepped out of "The Matrix" with their intimidating outfits.
"Mrs. Windsor, Mr. Windsor sent us to protect you. I'm Orion Reynolds, but you can just call me Orion," said a burly guy who looked a bit like Sylvester Stallone, greeting Bella.
"Alright, Orion, and everyone else, thanks for coming along. But before we head to town, I need to pick up a friend." Bella had just finished speaking when she noticed Orion frowning a bit.
"I haven't been feeling well lately and need someone to take care of me. I hope you understand. But don't worry, my friend won't cause you any trouble," Bella said politely.
Orion hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, Mrs. Windsor, when do we leave?"
Bella was ready to leave right away, but Zoey suddenly stopped her.
"Mrs. Windsor, you haven't had breakfast yet. You're going on a long trip, and you might get carsick on an empty stomach," Zoey advised with concern.
Bella thought for a moment and agreed with Zoey's suggestion. She was pregnant and had to think about the baby too.
After finishing the breakfast Zoey prepared, Bella got into the car Sterling had arranged for them.
Sterling had set up a black business car. Bella lightly tapped on the glass, pretty sure it was bulletproof.
Bella directed Orion to drive to Anna's apartment.
Anna got into the car and was about to greet Bella when she looked up and saw four stern-faced men, making her voice drop instinctively.
"Are these the bodyguards Sterling arranged for you?" Anna asked quietly.
Bella nodded and gave a quick intro.
Orion, sitting in the front passenger seat, said bluntly, "Ms. Powell, what I'm about to say might sound a bit rude, but I hope you understand. Our mission is to protect Mrs. Windsor, so if you run into any danger, the most we can do is call the police for you."
Anna rolled her eyes, getting the hint that Orion was warning her not to wander off and cause trouble.
"Don't worry, I'm here to take care of Bella. I definitely won't wander off. If you don't believe me, you can tie my arm to hers with a rope," Anna said, holding Bella's arm tightly.
Bella smiled helplessly.
Orion seemed satisfied with Anna's response and said nothing more.
Soon, the business car was cruising down the road towards the town mentioned in the letter.
They left in the morning, and it took them five hours to reach the town.
When they got out of the car, Anna couldn't help but complain, "I feel like my body is about to turn stiff. We should have asked Sterling to arrange a helicopter; it would have been faster!"
Bella wasn't feeling great either; the five-hour journey had left her feeling sore.
"Mrs. Windsor, should we grab a bite first or go find the person you're looking for?" Orion asked.
Bella hesitated and glanced at Anna.
Anna immediately shook her head. "No way, I don't want to eat. That bumpy ride almost made me throw up."
Bella nodded in agreement; she wasn't feeling like eating either. She then looked at Orion.
"Don't worry about us, Mrs. Windsor. We're not hungry. If you don't want to eat, we can go find the person first," Orion said.
"Alright, let's go find the person first," Bella said, opening the envelope and following the address to a two-story house in the town.
"The letter says it's upstairs. Let's go up," Bella said, about to head upstairs but was stopped by Orion.
"Milo, Nico, you two go up and check things out first," Orion instructed the other two bodyguards.
The two bodyguards nodded and went upstairs, while Orion and the last bodyguard stayed on high alert.
A few minutes later, Milo's voice came from upstairs. "All clear, there's no one up here, and the door's unlocked."
Orion nodded and led Bella and Anna upstairs.
"Looks like the security here is pretty good. The owner didn't even lock the door when they went out. But is it cool for us to just walk in?" Anna asked Bella.
Bella nodded, feeling it was indeed a bit rude. If they ticked off the owner, they might not get any info.
"Orion, could you ask the neighbors for the owner's phone number or find out when they'll be back?" Bella asked Orion.
Orion nodded. "You three keep an eye on Mrs. Windsor. I'll go ask around."
Orion instructed his three subordinates and then went downstairs to ask the neighbors for information.
Bella and the others waited quietly. After a while, Orion came back upstairs.
"Mrs. Windsor, I talked to an elderly woman nearby, and she said the owner of the house passed away years ago," Orion said, causing Bella to frown.
Since the door was unlocked, Bella and the others could see inside the house from the doorway. The room was very tidy, not like a place that had been unoccupied.
"Is the elderly woman mentally sound? How could an unoccupied place be so clean?" Anna questioned. Her doubts were valid and didn't offend anyone.
"Never mind, let's go in and take a look. If someone does live here, we'll apologize or compensate them," Bella said, unable to wait any longer, and stepped inside.
Orion and the others immediately followed, staying alert.
The house was small but clean, with a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen.
The kitchen seemed unused for a long time, covered with a white cloth that had gathered some dust.
The furniture in the house was simple. Bella and the others opened cabinets and drawers, looking for clues, but most were empty. It wasn't until Bella entered the bedroom that she found a photo in a book.
Just as Bella was about to pick up the photo, a hand suddenly reached through the window and snatched it away, quickly fleeing.
The sudden appearance of the hand made Bella scream in fright.
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