Chapter 116 Isn't Daphne Shrouded in Mystery?
He collapsed onto the couch, still drowsy and freshly startled. With a grumble, he addressed Charles, "Why must you frighten people in the dead of night?""Scaring you?" Charles responded, clearly confused.Shifting the conversation, Austin yawned, "What brings you here? Surely you're not here to drown your sorrows over the impending divorce?"Charles hesitated, then handed a small playing card to Austin.Upon seeing the card, a playful smirk began to form at the corner of Austin's mouth, and he suddenly felt more alert."Mark mentioned you wanted to discuss this playing card of Daphne's that was found at your place," Charles stated, his gaze locked onto Austin with genuine curiosity.Austin nodded, his posture relaxed yet mischievous, "Indeed, that's correct.""When did she leave it?" Charles asked directly, not missing a beat."The time you came to fetch her." Austin admitted, still finding Daphne's abilities slightly unnerving.Charles raised an eyebrow.Austin didn't bother to sugarcoat his words. He handed back the playing card, rose from the couch, and began to ascend the staircase. Over his shoulder, he casually invited, "If you're curious, follow me."And Charles did just that.Austin led him through the bedroom and out onto the balcony. With his hands nonchalantly tucked into his pockets, he gestured towards a severed line, "She cut that line from below, using the very playing card you hold.""I didn't come here to waste my time," Charles retorted, refusing to believe such a tale. The idea of using a playing card with such precision to slice a line from a distance was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person.Even if Daphne had served as a bodyguard for the Murphy family, it still didn't add up."You don't believe me?" Austin's eyebrows rose in a subtle challenge.Charles shot him a skeptical glance.It was his silent way of saying, "I'd be a fool to believe that.""Very well." Austin had anticipated this resistance. He turned back towards his study, "Follow me, and you'll see."Switching on his computer, he pulled up the surveillance footage from that night. Austin started the video for Charles at the point where Daphne had taken down the bodyguard. Noticing Charles's rapt attention, he began to narrate, "Your soon-to-be ex-wife is quite the force, isn't she? She single-handedly incapacitated several of my men."Charles was utterly engrossed.Daphne's movements were deliberate and precise, far from what one would expect from an ordinary security personnel."Let's skip the part where she and I converse," Austin suggested as Daphne's beatdown session concluded. He fast-forwarded the footage, "I'll take you straight to the climax."Charles didn’t object; he allowed Austin to speed through the tape.Austin paused the video at a scene just before Daphne was about to strike. It was the moment he had provoked her: “So what if you've counted them all? You think you can get in?”In response to his taunt, a playing card whizzed across the room, slicing through a wire on the balcony."It gives me chills just watching it," Austin confessed.Suddenly, Charles interjected, "Wait.""What's the matter?" Austin asked, looking puzzled.
Without uttering another word, Charles seized control of the keyboard, swiftly rewinding the footage to the exact point where Austin had ceased speaking. His gaze remained unwaveringly fixed on Daphne's left hand, not even blinking in the process. Despite his intense scrutiny, he was unable to discern how the playing card had materialized in Daphne's hand - it was akin to an act of magic. He attempted to slow down the playback speed, but it proved futile. "What seems to be the problem?" Austin inquired, observing Charles replay the same segment repeatedly. Charles's gaze intensified as he held the small card that Daphne had utilized, "I need a copy of this surveillance footage.""You're in the process of divorcing her, why do you require this?" Austin not only refrained from complying but also proceeded to lock the computer. "Just do it.""Not a chance.""Austin," Charles was at a loss to Austin's intentions. "To acquire this footage, you must assist me in locating Daisy first." Austin's voice was tinged with frustration due to his fruitless search, "She was taken by your soon-to-be ex-wife. You owe me.""I can get Mark to investigate it if you provide me with the footage," Charles retorted dismissively, not wishing to squander any more time. "Charles," Austin swiveled in his chair to face Charles directly, "I trust you in other matters, but find her first. At least give me a city."It wasn't that Austin questioned Charles's integrity. However, something about Daphne just didn't sit well with him. If she harbored other secrets, he might never locate Daisy in his lifetime. "Gedser," Charles declared abruptly. Austin paused, "Excuse me?""Daisy is in Gedser," Charles was exasperated with the time being wasted on this. Austin's eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on Charles, "How are you privy to that information?""If you were to protect someone, where would you hide her?" Charles countered. "Ivrea City," Austin confessed. That was his domain. Keeping someone close was the safest bet. "Gedser is Daphne's territory," Charles reluctantly admitted, despite his aversion to the thought. Daphne's actions suggested she was far from ordinary. "Evan is there as well. Daisy would only go there.""She doesn't particularly like Gedser," Austin blurted out unexpectedly. "Under normal circumstances, she might select a city she has an affinity for," Charles reasoned, processing the information in his mind. "However, considering you've escorted her to the hospital twice, she would feel most secure by Daphne's side."With that simple revelation, Austin's thoughts expanded. Casting a glance at Charles filled with a myriad of emotions, Austin retrieved a flash drive from his drawer, which already contained the copied video, and handed it to him. "Thanks," Charles uttered, seizing the flash drive and making his exit. "Charles," Austin called out to him. Charles halted in his tracks, his commanding presence still palpable. "Is there something else?""Don't you find Daphne a tad too enigmatic?" Austin hinted, leaving it to Charles to connect the dots. "Someone even you, with all your intellect and abilities, can't decipher.""She's a hacker," Charles concluded succinctly. It was precisely due to her being a hacker that he hadn't delved deeper, deeming it unlikely. Austin rose from his chair, one hand tucked in his pocket. "Your average hacker can't move like she does. Those top-tier guys you dug up can barely run a mile, but Daphne..."Charles remained silent. He had thoughts, but some things he dared not contemplate. Once he began, he knew he'd turn the world upside down to find answers. And with their divorce looming, it seemed whether he knew or not didn't matter as much. "Being in shape could imply she enjoys exercising, knowing how to fight might suggest she learned to defend herself," Austin reasoned, exhibiting more insight on this issue than Charles. "But slicing through the rope on my balcony from the ground and pinning a playing card to the wall isn't something just anyone could accomplish."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
