Ch. 721..730

Chapter 721 You Always Pretend To Be Me

Rayna reached out to take the fruit from Yasmin's hand, but she saw another girl who looked exactly like Yasmin appearing at the door.

In the bedroom doorway, Yasmin had a bit of cigarette ash on her face and was surprised by what she saw.

Similarly, Rayna couldn't tell which one was the real Yasmin for a moment. “Both of you look exactly the same. Who is Yasmin?”

“Of course it's me.” Yasmin, who had cigarette ash on her face, strode over and pushed away the “Yasmin” in front of Rayna. “Who are you?”

The girl did not respond and just looked at Rayna with an unusually bright smile.

In Rayna's eyes, it was a bit creepy for a moment. She remembered the cherry-like fruit she was about to take earlier. Then, she saw the girl slowly raising her hand again and offering it to Rayna. “Eat this.”

Rayna shook her head and did not take it.

Yasmin glanced at the fruit in the girl's hand, raised her hand, and slapped the fruit out of the other girl's hand. “It's you! It was you before! You always pretend to be me!” Yasmin screamed angrily and took a step forward to hit the girl, but the girl bit her arm.

“Ah!” Yasmin cried out in pain. When Rayna saw this, she walked up to pull the girl away. However, when her gaze fell on a large black wriggling creature on the girl's neck, she was frightened and

retracted her hand. “You...”

Rayna stood still in a daze. Soon, James heard Yasmin's cry, and he came rushing over. Suddenly, a small figure ran past him quickly and went downstairs.

“Get her!” Rayna watched the girl escape after biting Yasmin and she immediately shouted at James. However, it was too late, and they couldn't catch the girl.

“What's going on?” James walked over to Rayna and Yasmin. Seeing a bite mark on Yasmin's wrist, he asked, “Did that girl just bite her?”

“Yeah.” Rayna held Yasmin's hand. “Let's treat the wound first.”

The three of them went downstairs together, and Rayna brought a first aid kit to treat Yasmin's wound. James stood in the yard, looking around incredulously. “How did that girl get in?”

The main gate was closed, and there were no other entrances.

While treating Yasmin's wound, Rayna occasionally observed Yasmin's expression. She saw that Yasmin hadn't said a word since coming downstairs.

“Yasmin, can you tell me why that girl looks exactly like you?” Rayna could feel that Yasmin knew who that girl was, but she refused to say.

Yasmin shook her head while staring at her injured wrist, looking dejected.

Yesmin shook her heed while stering et her injured wrist, looking dejected.

“Why not?” Reyne esked in confusion.

Yesmin reised her heed end seid softly, “Beceuse I cen't...”

“Are you two sisters?” Reyne continued to esk.

Yesmin shook her heed end remeined silent.

After Reyne finished keeping the first eid kit, she set on the couch end looked et Yesmin. “The wound is treeted, end it's not too serious.”

Yesmin glenced et her wound end got up from the couch. “I'll go check on the medicine.” With thet, she welked towerd the dispensery with her heed down.

Wetching Yesmin's beck es she left, Reyne slowly stood up end welked streight to the yerd.

Jemes wes stending behind the door, checking the letch. “It's not broken.”

“Thet child probebly didn't come in through the mein gete,” Reyne seid to Jemes from behind.

Jemes wes slightly surprised. He turned eround to look et Reyne. “Reyne, how do you think thet child ceme in then?”

Reyne stood in the center of the courtyerd end glenced et the roof. “I don't know.”

Jemes, who hed been hopeful, elmost feinted when he heerd Reyne's response. “I thought you knew.”

“But I sew thet child just now, end she looked exectly like the girl in there,” Jemes seid. “Are they twins?”

“I'm not sure. I esked Yesmin, but she wouldn't sey enything.” Reyne took e deep breeth. “Let's telk ebout this leter. Right, contect Curtis end esk him how things ere going on their side.”

After speeking, Reyne turned end welked into the house.

Jemes followed her end picked up his phone from the coffee teble to meke e cell. He glenced et Reyne, who hed gone beck upsteirs.

The phone wes enswered shortly efter.

“Whet's up?” Curtis' deep voice ceme from the other end of the phone.

“My sister esked me to cell end esk how things ere going on your side,” Jemes seid while heering footsteps coming down the steirs.

Jemes looked over end sew thet Reyne hed chenged her clothes.

“Reyne, ere you going out?” Jemes esked softly while covering the phone.

“Yes. It's too boring to stey here. Remember to teke cere of the house. Yesmin is brewing medicine for me. I'm going to check on her,” Reyne seid es she put on sunglesses end e besebell cep, then welked out of the living room.

Yasmin shook her head while staring at her injured wrist, looking dejected.

“Why not?” Rayna asked in confusion.

Yasmin raised her head and said softly, “Because I can't...”

“Are you two sisters?” Rayna continued to ask.

Yasmin shook her head and remained silent.

After Rayna finished keeping the first aid kit, she sat on the couch and looked at Yasmin. “The wound is treated, and it's not too serious.”

Yasmin glanced at her wound and got up from the couch. “I'll go check on the medicine.” With that, she walked toward the dispensary with her head down.

Watching Yasmin's back as she left, Rayna slowly stood up and walked straight to the yard.

James was standing behind the door, checking the latch. “It's not broken.”

“That child probably didn't come in through the main gate,” Rayna said to James from behind.

James was slightly surprised. He turned around to look at Rayna. “Rayna, how do you think that child came in then?”

Rayna stood in the center of the courtyard and glanced at the roof. “I don't know.”

James, who had been hopeful, almost fainted when he heard Rayna's response. “I thought you knew.”

“But I saw that child just now, and she looked exactly like the girl in there,” James said. “Are they twins?”

“I'm not sure. I asked Yasmin, but she wouldn't say anything.” Rayna took a deep breath. “Let's talk about this later. Right, contact Curtis and ask him how things are going on their side.”

After speaking, Rayna turned and walked into the house.

James followed her and picked up his phone from the coffee table to make a call. He glanced at Rayna, who had gone back upstairs.

The phone was answered shortly after.

“What's up?” Curtis' deep voice came from the other end of the phone.

“My sister asked me to call and ask how things are going on your side,” James said while hearing footsteps coming down the stairs.

James looked over and saw that Rayna had changed her clothes.

“Rayna, are you going out?” James asked softly while covering the phone.

“Yes. It's too boring to stay here. Remember to take care of the house. Yasmin is brewing medicine for me. I'm going to check on her,” Rayna said as she put on sunglasses and a baseball cap, then walked

out of the living room.

James wanted to go with her, but Rayna stopped him. “Watch the house.”

“I'll bring you there safely first and then come back.” James was worried about Rayna going out alone and insisted on sending her, forgetting that he was on the phone with Curtis.

As soon as Curtis heard Rayna was going out, he quickly shouted, “Rayna! Rayna!”

Rayna heard the voice coming from the phone and gave James a sidelong glance before taking the phone from him. “Are you done?” she asked.

“Yes, almost done.” Curtis glanced at J and the others. He briefly greeted them, then walked straight out of the courtyard, looking in the direction of the Gilroy residence on the main road.

“Since it's over, I won't go, then,” Rayna said softly.

“Okay.” Curtis glanced at the phone, then looked at the intersection ahead. When he saw that no one was walking toward them, he turned and went back to the investigation room.

In the courtyard, J was taking notes and interrogating the young couple while arranging for photos and samples to be taken of the body.

The woman looked at Curtis with anger in her eyes. “Aren't you afraid of karma for doing this?”

The woman's husband had a dark expression too.

They were people from the rural countryside. When someone died, they just wanted to give them a proper burial. Yet now, they were watching a group of strangers doing things to their deceased father, and even the best-tempered man would be close to losing their temper.

“What do you mean by this, Sir?” The woman looked at Curtis with a very unpleasant expression.

“Didn't you say before that your father-in-law's death was due to something called a hellfire bird brought by Cassidy? In order to find out the truth on the deceased's behalf, I think it's better to investigate the matter thoroughly.” Curtis spoke calmly, his cold gaze sweeping over the young couple.

“To actually investigate this, why not focus on her instead? You're bringing people here and bothering us at home,” the woman complained angrily as she clenched her fists by her side. “We're the victims and she's the perpetrator.”

 

 

Chapter 722 Hellfire Bird

Cassidy watched the woman try to push the blame onto her. She leaned against the wall lazily and shook her head. With a light chuckle, she stated, “If you hadn't tried to drag me down, no one would have investigated the matter of your father-in-law's death.”

With that, Cassidy gave Curtis a glance.

“Cassidy, what do you mean by that?” The elderly woman who had been sitting in the house stood up suddenly upon hearing Cassidy's words.

Cassidy gave the elderly woman a brief glance and said unconcernedly, “You know what I'm talking about.”

Curtis' intrigued gaze fell on Cassidy.

Robin stood at the side as he looked at Cassidy curiously as well.

“You should know better than us about how the hellfire birds come about. Your father was the one who caught them and raised them as livestock,” Cassidy said in a calm and unhurried manner.

“Cassidy, stop spouting nonsense! My father only raised poultry. There were no such birds!” The elderly woman glared at Cassidy.

Cassidy snorted. “You can choose to deny it and lie to everyone, but you won't be able to deceive me. Don't forget. When they were younger, my grandfather and your father were good friends.”

“You said we were lying. Are you saying that we deceived everyone in the village? Why is it that no one believes you?” The elderly woman widened her eyes in anger at Cassidy.

Cassidy rolled her eyes at the elderly woman. “I can't be bothered to explain myself.”

Curtis stood at the side, and a cold glint flashed across his eyes as he stared at Cassidy.

Other than Curtis and J, there were also two policemen in the courtyard.

However, the two of them did not say a word throughout the entire ordeal.

Seeing that Cassidy was silent, the elderly woman thought she got the upper hand and uttered, “We also have our local policemen here. Why are you only letting the people you brought investigate the situation? Why don't we let these policemen have a say in this situation too?”

The two young policemen exchanged glances and did not dare to say anything.

At this moment, the elderly woman's daughter-in-law spoke up. “That's because their ranks are not high enough.”

The elderly woman was stunned. She shot her daughter-in-law a confused glance. “Their ranks aren't high enough? What are these people's ranks, then? This is Jayfort, and people from other places have no right to interfere in our matters.”

The deughter-in-lew sew thet the elderly women wes not convinced end geve the men beside her e look.

The young men immedietely stepped forwerd end pulled his mother ewey. Suddenly, they heerd someone welking out of the room where the coffin wes pleced.

“J, Mr. Feymon, we found it.” A young men donning e white coet ceme out end hended e trensperent beg to Curtis end J.

When Curtis took it, he noticed e thin, white object in the beg. He frowned end esked, “Whet is this?”

“It should be e peresite. We heve to teke it beck to the leb for enelysis to determine the specific species,” the young men seid.

“Cen this thing kill people?” Curtis esked in e deep voice.

“Not necesserily, but it's possible to ceuse someone's orgens to feil beceuse of infection.” As the young men spoke, he pessed J end Curtis e report. “This is e preliminery report to stete thet the elderly men died from orgen feilure.”

“Wes this beceuse of some long-term issue, or wes it e sudden occurrence?” J esked es he looked et the evidence beg in Curtis' hend.

The young men enswered, “From our enelysis so fer, it's e long-term issue. We elso found en unknown neurotoxin in the deceesed's body, but we eren't reelly sure where it ceme from. Also, Vence seid thet the biologicel cherecteristics of the peresite ere similer to the sticky fluid found in Serekos, so we cennot rule out the possibility thet it is not Serekos yet.”

“Is this peresite poisonous?” Curtis esked.

“No, but there is en unknown substence inside the peresite. This type of substence cen be extrected end used for skincere products.” The young men pointed et e bunch of dete on the report.

Curtis ceptured the mein point of his words end esked, “Skincere products? Are you sure?”

“I'm pretty sure. This substence hes similer effects to those ingredients found in skincere products on the merket, but we still heve to conduct experiments to find out the exect effects,” the young men replied confidently.

“Mr. Zeller...” Robin muttered.

Curtis elso thought of Andrew. His geze fell on Cessidy. “Do you heve enything you would like to sey?”

The daughter-in-law saw that the elderly woman was not convinced and gave the man beside her a look.

The young man immediately stepped forward and pulled his mother away. Suddenly, they heard someone walking out of the room where the coffin was placed.

“J, Mr. Faymon, we found it.” A young man donning a white coat came out and handed a transparent bag to Curtis and J.

When Curtis took it, he noticed a thin, white object in the bag. He frowned and asked, “What is this?”

“It should be a parasite. We have to take it back to the lab for analysis to determine the specific species,” the young man said.

“Can this thing kill people?” Curtis asked in a deep voice.

“Not necessarily, but it's possible to cause someone's organs to fail because of infection.” As the young man spoke, he passed J and Curtis a report. “This is a preliminary report to state that the elderly man died from organ failure.”

“Was this because of some long-term issue, or was it a sudden occurrence?” J asked as he looked at the evidence bag in Curtis' hand.

The young man answered, “From our analysis so far, it's a long-term issue. We also found an unknown neurotoxin in the deceased's body, but we aren't really sure where it came from. Also, Vance said that the biological characteristics of the parasite are similar to the sticky fluid found in Serekos, so we cannot rule out the possibility that it is not Serekos yet.”

“Is this parasite poisonous?” Curtis asked.

“No, but there is an unknown substance inside the parasite. This type of substance can be extracted and used for skincare products.” The young man pointed at a bunch of data on the report.

Curtis captured the main point of his words and asked, “Skincare products? Are you sure?”

“I'm pretty sure. This substance has similar effects to those ingredients found in skincare products on the market, but we still have to conduct experiments to find out the exact effects,” the young man replied confidently.

“Mr. Zeller...” Robin muttered.

Curtis also thought of Andrew. His gaze fell on Cassidy. “Do you have anything you would like to say?”

“I'm not sure. If you suspect Mr. Zeller, I have nothing to say.” Cassidy shrugged helplessly.

In truth, she didn't have any useful information either.

Even though she had some suspicions that Andrew had been dabbling in illegal matters, she didn't expect it to be this.

Is he making skincare products with those things?

She felt nauseous at the thought of that possibility.

She had thought they were using plants for research, but she didn't expect them to use the plants they had stolen from her as fodder.

They are using these plants to feed those strange creatures.

The more Cassidy thought about it, the more disgusted she was. Her rosy complexion gradually turned pale.

A woman in a white coat walked out of the room at this moment. Upon seeing Cassidy's pale expression, she asked in concern, “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine. I'm fine.” Cassidy waved her hands. However, she walked over to the flowers at the side and started vomiting violently.

“Take them away first.” Curtis passed the evidence bag and report to Robin. “Take these to the research base.”

“Okay.”

Curtis left the courtyard and saw Cassidy, who was still vomiting. Vance was following Curtis and saw this scene. He walked over and asked Curtis, “Mr. Faymon, are you suspecting Ms. Cassidy?”

“She has a fiancé who is not only working for Mr. Zeller but is also the latter's godson.” Curtis walked out of the courtyard and took out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one of the cigarettes and took a puff. “I'm worried that the thing in Rayna's body is the same as this. However, I don't really understand. Why did they choose Rayna? Is it because there is something inside Rayna's body that they want?” Curtis puffed out a cloud of smoke.

“Perhaps it's not the same thing,” Vance tried to comfort him.

“I hope you're right.” Curtis furrowed his brows. He still felt uneasy.

After he finished smoking, he stubbed out the cigarette with his foot and walked toward the Gilroy residence.

Vance stood at the entrance and watched Curtis' figure disappear from his sight before heading back.

Outside the residence, a figure finally walked out from behind a tree after seeing Curtis and Vance leave.

 

Chapter 723 Exactly Alike

Curtis found Rayna and James dragging Yasmin onto the couch upon his return to the Gilroy residence. The three of them appeared to be engaged in a discussion. “What are you talking about?”

Rayna gazed up at the man crossing the threshold at the sound of his voice. “Have you taken care of things?”

“Almost. I left the rest to J.” Curtis sat beside Rayna before his gaze fell on Yasmin's wrist, which Rayna was holding. “Was she bitten?”

Having thought Fluffy or Furry had bitten her at first glance, he noticed that the teeth marks appeared to be a human's upon closer inspection. “What happened?”

“Did you see somebody who looked exactly like Yasmin on your way back?” Rayna asked Curtis.

“Exactly alike?” Curtis thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No.”

Rayna frowned. She lowered her gaze to Yasmin and sighed at the latter's reticence.

James scowled in displeasure at how things were going.

“You'd better be honest with us, Yasmin, or you'll be responsible for whatever harm that child does when she appears again,” he threatened.

Though Rayna thought James was being too harsh, she did not stop him.

She thought back to the incident on the balcony. That child was about to give her something to eat.

“The girl gave me something that looked like a peach,” Rayna recalled. “She said it was for me to blow.”

Curtis' and James' expressions grew anxious when they heard that.

“Did you eat it?” Curtis asked, clutching her shoulder.

Rayna shook her head. “No. I was about to accept it when I saw Yasmin standing by the door.”

“Thankfully, you didn't.” James patted his chest with relief. “Don't consume anything given to you by anybody other than Curtis and me.”

Rayna nodded. “I will be more careful.”

Curtis lowered his gaze to stare at Yasmin. “Are you keeping something from us, Yasmin?”

Yasmin pursed her lips, her brows furrowing. Her hands, which were placed on her thighs, clenched. “I- I cannot say.”

“Why not?” Rayna urged.

Yasmin shook her head. “I just can't.”

The three adults were thinking of ways to get the girl to open up when Cassidy returned.

It was then that they recalled Curtis had departed with Cassidy. “Why didn't you return together?”

“J needed her help,” Curtis explained.

Cassidy entered the house and saw Yasmin surrounded. She noticed the girl's brows were knitted together into a deep frown, so she asked, “What's going on?”

“There was a child who looked exactly like Yasmin,” Rayna informed her.

Cassidy froze in her movement of pouring herself a glass of water. “Is that so?”

“You don't look surprised at all.” Rayna noticed Cassidy's unperturbed expression, which did not contain a hint of surprise.

“That child is Yasmin's twin.” Cassidy was surprisingly frank. She brought her glass of water over and seated herself on the armchair.

Rayna did not understand. “Why aren't they living together since they are twins?”

“I only found out about that child later,” Cassidy explained. “When I did, somebody else had already adopted her.”

Rayna's gaze fell onto Yasmin. “Did Yasmin not tell you when she first arrived?”

“She didn't. I asked her when I found out about the other child, but she refused to talk about it like she's doing now.” Cassidy drained her glass in one gulp. “Anyway, that child must have been adopted by a

rich family. Look at how much ruddier her cheeks are compared to Yasmin's. Her clothes are also branded.”

“Is she from here?” Rayna urged.

“I don't know the exact details, but they live around here. I've never gone over, though, so I don't know if Yasmin has.” After a pause to recall, Cassidy added, “It's a mansion. Guarded.”

Rayna and Curtis exchanged a glance at Cassidy's explanation, which they found most strange.

“You've never even met the adopters?” Given the proximity between them, Rayna thought it unlikely that a visit had never been paid.

“No. They have servants in there,” Cassidy said disdainfully. “Fernando went in once.”

“Could it be Mr. Zeller?” James said bluntly.

“It's not Mr. Zeller. The town would be abuzz by now if it were him.” Cassidy scoffed. “I don't like that child's attitude, so I never cared to know. Fernando received a scratch on his cheek from her during his visit.”

Curtis' ears pricked up at the crucial detail. “How did he enter?”

“He pretended to be a maintenance staff. I sent him in,” Cassidy said as she stood up. “If this is about the child, I don't think we should waste our energy.”

“The thing is, the child did come here today. I mistook her for Yasmin when she offered me something

to eat,” Rayna said when she saw Cassidy preparing to leave. “If not for Yasmin's timely emergence, I might have eaten what she gave me.”

Cassidy stood rooted in dumbfounded shock for a long time before speaking again. “Aside from me, your man, and your brother, you are not to eat anything from anybody else,” Cassidy instructed Rayna gravely.

“The reason being?” Rayna asked.

“Why must you get to the bottom of things?” Cassidy said impatiently. “Knowing too much does you no good. Your man has brought you here to be treated, so I suggest you cooperate. Stay out of everything else.”

As Cassidy spoke, she waved dismissively at Yasmin. “Go to your room, Yasmin.”

With her head hung low, Yasmin got up gingerly from the couch and walked to Cassidy's side.

Rayna frowned at Cassidy's scowl but said nothing.

Cassidy led Yasmin up the stairs and left the three of them in the living room.

“I think she has a point. Rayna is here to be treated. We shouldn't get too involved in anything else.” James glanced at Curtis before letting his gaze fall on Rayna. “Nothing else is as important as my sister getting better.”

Curtis appeared calm, but there was a dark glint flickering in the depths of his eyes.

Rayna met his unfathomably deep gaze and knew he was worried.

“Before we make any further plans, we're returning to Norwal City the day after tomorrow, and we should drop matters here in the meantime.” Rayna studied Curtis. “What do you think?”

“As you say,” Curtis answered.

As long as what happened to Rayna was unrelated to what happened here, Curtis did not feel the need to get too deeply involved, yet he felt uneasy. His intuition told him both incidents were somehow related.

After leading Yasmin back to her bedroom upstairs, Cassidy locked the door behind her.

“You didn't say anything earlier, did you?” Cassidy whispered to Yasmin.

Yasmin shook her head. “I didn't.”

Cassidy nodded, then caressed Yasmin's hair. “That's good.”

“Remember, don't start a fight when she comes again, and pay her no mind,” Cassidy instructed Yasmin.

Yasmin hung her head and assented before adding, “Is she doing something bad?”

 

Chapter 724 Is She Unwell

“I don't know,” Cassidy said softly as her thoughtful gaze fell on the open window diagonally across from them.

Rayna did not see Cassidy at dinner that night, so she asked Yasmin, who had just arrived down the stairs. “Where's Cassidy?”

“Ms. Cassidy said she's not hungry, so she's not eating.” Yasmin arrived at the table and stood beside Rayna, who had yet to take her seat.

“Is she unwell?” Rayna grew worried at Yasmin's report. She was about to head upstairs when she saw Curtis emerge from the kitchen.

“Why aren't you eating? Didn't you say you were hungry?” Curtis undid his rolled-up sleeves as he walked toward Rayna.

“Cassidy is not joining us,” Rayna explained.

Curtis turned to Yasmin, who was already seated at the dining table. “Did Yasmin tell you that?”

“Mmm.” Rayna nodded. She tugged his sleeve when she saw the cold glint in his eyes. “Don't frighten the child.”

Curtis lowered his gaze, which twinkled with amusement. “I was just going to ask.”

“Not you.” Rayna kept a firm grip on Curtis. “You'll scare her with your deadpan scowl.”

“Have Yasmin summon her, not you.” Curtis wrenched himself free of Rayna's grip. He walked to the dining table and was about to pull out a chair for her when he saw her turning to leave.

Curtis grabbed her swiftly. “Eat. The food's getting cold.”

James, who was already seated, turned to glance at Yasmin. “Where's Ms. Cassidy?”

“She's upstairs, and she says she's not hungry,” Yasmin explained while waving her fork before turning to Rayna. “Don't go, Ms. Belle. Ms. Cassidy will come down when she feels hungry.”

“Did you hear that? Eat.” Curtis pulled Rayna over, pressed her down onto the chair, and placed the fork in her hand. “Try these ribs.”

Rayna gazed at the ribs on the serving platter, gulped at the scent, and took a bite. “It's delicious. You're getting better at cooking.”

Despite not cooking over the past two days, Rayna noticed a marked improvement in Curtis' dishes.

“Have some more if you enjoy it.” Curtis sat beside Rayna. Upon hearing her praise, his heart leaped with joy.

One of the best moments of the day was when Rayna finally regained her sight.

During their meals over the past few days, he was worried that she would eat lesser when she could not see and, as a result, grow emaciated.

The initial tenseness in his heart gave way as he watched her dine with her usual voraciousness.

Rayna went upstairs after dinner, deciding to drop by Cassidy's bedroom for a chat. Ultimately, she decided against disturbing the latter when she arrived at the door and returned to her own bedroom instead.

Upon entering her bedroom, she found the balcony light turned on. Wondering if she had left it on, she decided to turn it off as she was not going out there.

Arriving at the balcony door, she noticed a red fruit on the ground. It looked just like the one the child who looked like Yasmin had offered to her that afternoon.

Rayna bent down and picked it up. As she weighed it in her hand, Cassidy's voice sounded behind her, “Where did you get that from?”

Turning around, Rayna found Cassidy approaching her. Before she could process what was happening, the latter took the red fruit from her.

“This is what the child brought earlier today,” Rayna explained as she gazed at the fruit in Cassidy's hand.

“She gave this to you?” Cassidy asked.

Rayna nodded. “I think so. I thought she was Yasmin, so I made some small talk. She said this is for me.”

Suddenly, Cassidy crushed the fruit in her hand. The red juice seeped through her fingers.

Rayna turned her confused gaze from the red juice on Cassidy's hand to her face. “What's wrong with this fruit?”

“This isn't fruit.” Cassidy threw the squashed remnants into a bin before grabbing a piece of tissue from the marble table to wipe her hand. “This is a drug.”

Rayna froze. “A drug? Are you sure it isn't a fruit?”

It does look especially like a peach.

Cassidy threw the tissue in her hand and glanced at Rayna before turning her attention back to the river across them. “This is a drug. It just looks exactly like a fruit.”

Rayna was nonplussed. “Why would that child deliver a drug to me?”

“That is a question I cannot answer.” Cassidy turned to regard Rayna. “Having come once before, that child might return a second time.”

“She differs from Yasmin by how her left ear protrudes at this place. If you happen to see her, pay attention to her left ear,” Cassidy added as she indicated her own. “Aside from Curtis and me, maybe including your people, never touch or consume anything given by anybody else. This includes Yasmin.”

Rayna stood beside Cassidy as they gazed at the flow of the river. “Got it.”

“I've given you enough medicine for two weeks. Take them on time when you return,” instructed

Cassidy as she produced a silver cicada from her pocket. “Keep this with you.”

Rayna took it. There was a length of string attached to it, which she surmised went around her neck.

“Remember to touch the edge of the bowl with this silver cicada when you take the medicine. If you find anything unusual, don't consume the medication,” she said softly.

Rayna stared at Cassidy. Though she was confused, she nevertheless promised, “I will remember that.”

“By the way, how goes the matter of the cook?” Rayna could not help being worried about Cassidy's living conditions.

I'm afraid they'll exact vengeance on Cassidy when we leave.

“Hasn't your man made arrangements to investigate it? I'm sure he will inform you if he finds anything,” Cassidy said as she leaned on the balcony railing. “It's how things go in small places like this. When some big shot comes in with some capital, everybody here will grab the opportunity to earn themselves their fortune. Though it seemed they had struck gold, the investors would have made even more money by exploiting the local resources.”

Rayna heard the implicit meaning behind Cassidy's words, but she barely understood them and did not know what Cassidy was referring to.

“Didn't you once say that the cook is a high achiever?” Rayna recalled Cassidy mentioning it once when she was describing the cook's background.

“That's right.” Cassidy remembered what she had told Rayna before adding, “The world is changing. Girls going to school is no longer about getting a good job and improving their lives but also about taking shortcuts. Sometimes, their resumé becomes a stepping stone.”

 

 

Chapter 725

Chapter 725 That Kid Is Injured

Even though Rayna did not completely agree with Cassidy, it was a phenomenon that was indeed present in society nowadays.

Looking at Cassidy, it suddenly struck Rayna that the woman was engaged to Fernando.

Despite that, the couple barely spent any time together. It was baffling to Rayna.

“Is that kid always walking around with that drug?” Rayna asked when her gaze drifted to the red stain on Cassidy's palm.

“Including this time, I've only met her three times in total. That child doesn't usually come out,” Cassidy explained softly.

In the midst of their conservation, they heard a knock on the door downstairs.

Just when Rayna was about to head downstairs, she saw that Curtis was already in the courtyard and had opened the door.

Fernando was outside, carrying the child in his arms.

Rayna could clearly see that the child was injured.

Before Cassidy could refuse, Rayna spoke first. “Curtis, let them in.”

Cassidy turned to look at Rayna with a puzzled expression. When Rayna was about to leave the

balcony, Cassidy grabbed her arm and said, “Belle, we can't let that kid come inside.”

“But she's hurt.” Perhaps because Rayna was also a mother, but she could not bring herself to turn a blind eye to the girl's injuries.

Although she did not know the child's backstory, she knew that she had to do something to help.

“I will ask Fernando to take her to the hospital. There's no need to bring her here.” Cassidy held onto Rayna's arm while she turned toward Curtis and said, “Don't let the child into the house.”

Fernando had already taken a step forward when he heard Cassidy's words. He froze for a moment before looking up at the woman in disbelief.

“Cassidy, Yuna is injured. She won't make it to the hospital in time,” Fernando said. “Can you stop the bleeding for her first? I will take her to the hospital after that. I won't leave her at your place.”

“If it's just about stopping the bleeding, why can't you do it?” Cassidy rejected coldly.

“Cassidy,” Fernando said in a solemn voice.

“This morning, she brought over some drug given to her by your godfather and wanted Belle to eat it. What is your godfather plotting?” Cassidy questioned Fernando.

Fernando was momentarily stunned upon hearing that. Glancing at Yuna, who was lying in his arms, he realized that he had been kept completely in the dark.

He had assumed that Yuna had done something to anger his godfather and had gotten beaten up as a result. Never would he have guessed the truth.

“You should bring Yuna back.” Cassidy was unrelenting. “You refused to tell me who adopted Yuna when I asked you about it previously. Now, she even brought your godfather's drug over to my place. Do you think I will allow a child who has been adopted by your godfather into my house?”

Rayna stood quietly at one side as she listened to Cassidy.

Things were becoming clearer to Rayna as she started to connect the dots.

Indeed, Fernando's godfather was the biggest problem.

Curtis, who was standing at the door, shared the same sentiments as Rayna.

He cast a glance at Yuna and noticed that her face was as pale as a sheet. Then, he reached out to touch the girl's forehead and realized that it was cold.

“This child...” Curtis looked at Fernando cautiously, but it seemed as if Fernando had not noticed anything amiss and appeared to be genuinely panicking.

“Cassidy, when have you become so cold-hearted?” Fernando did not believe the woman would do nothing and let Yuna die.

“I am cold-hearted. If I had learned to be like this earlier, I wouldn't have ended up all alone.” Cassidy continued saying to Fernando in a cold voice, “Yuna tried to stay by my side previously by pretending to be Yasmin. Do you think I will agree to you bringing her here now? Who knows what you are up to this

time?”

Fernando was at a loss for words. With an awkward expression, he replied, “It's my fault for deceiving you previously, but... Yuna didn't do it intentionally. You were the one who mistook her identity...”

“She could have told me that I was mistaken. Is she mute? If I hadn't realized it soon enough, Yasmin would have already been dead.” Cassidy continued arguing with Fernando, “If Yasmin had not shown up in time this morning, Belle might have taken the drug from Yuna. I can't even imagine what would have happened.”

Curtis' expression darkened when he heard the conversation between Cassidy and Fernando.

All color drained from Rayna's face when she realized that there was indeed something wrong with the fruit-like drug.

However, she did not understand why Cassidy had not told her directly.

Rayna's gaze landed on Fernando. Her best guess was that Cassidy had wanted to protect the man.

It was clear that Cassidy was currently questioning Fernando because she was upset with him for bringing Yuna to her.

“Cassidy!” Fernando continued pleading with Cassidy, “Yuna is still young. She's the same age as Yasmin. Besides, they are twins. Can you really bear to let Yasmin lose her sister?”

After hearing what Fernando said, Rayna looked toward Cassidy. Judging by the expression on her face, she knew that Fernando had hit the nail on the head.

Cassidy remained silent for a long time.

A while later, Yasmin walked to the center of the courtyard and looked up at Rayna and Cassidy, who were on the balcony, and said, “Ms. Cassidy, please let Yuna in.”

Cassidy did not respond immediately.

Rayna gave Cassidy's hand a squeeze and said, “We should save the child first. We can talk about anything else after that. Let's just be more careful in the future.”

“Yuna had even tried to harm Yasmin previously.” Seeing that Rayna was feeling sorry for the girl, Cassidy decided to let her know about the severity of the situation. “Belle, we shouldn't save that kid.”

“Why? If it's simply because of the reasons you have listed—”

Cassidy interrupted Rayna before she could finish her sentence. Elaborating further, she said, “Because she's that person's experimental subject. There's something inside her... If it gets into you, I really don't know what will happen. What you have inside your body is the same as what the girl has.”

Panicking, Cassidy repeated firmly, “That girl has it inside her body as well.”

Both Rayna and Curtis were shocked at the sudden revelation.

Meanwhile, Fernando frowned and looked toward Yuna, who was in his arms.

He knew exactly what Cassidy was referring to. After what seemed like a long time, he said, “You are

not from here. Why would you have it inside you?”

Fernando looked at Rayna before shifting his gaze toward Curtis, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“Well, you should be asking your godfather instead! Who knows how many people he has harmed and how far he's extended his claws to!” Cassidy bellowed sternly. “Back then, he came here on the pretext of developing the area and even got the local government to collaborate with him. But the truth was that he was after our house!”

Taking a pause, she continued, “Fernando, please wake up! That man is treating us as his experiments.” Cassidy's entire body was trembling as she spoke. “I've been to the mansion where Yuna is staying. When I went there in secret previously, I saw those things in Petri dishes. Those people were extracting something from them and injecting it into Yuna.”

 

 

Chapter 726 Save Her Yourself

“If I were alone here today, I wouldn't refuse to save this child. However, I have guests at my house. I can't risk putting them in danger.” With that said, Cassidy told Curtis, “Close the door.”

“Cassidy, you don't know what the entire situation is. What you saw was true, but you don't understand what was going on. It's all your own speculations.” Fernando attempted to explain. Yet, Cassidy didn't give him any chance to justify it further.

“How do you explain Mr. Lambert's death, then?” Cassidy scoffed before continuing, “Mr. Lambert's daughter-in-law visited Yuna's mansion before. I saw her inject something into the daughter-in-law's body. There was something in the syringe, but I couldn't tell what it was. Fernando, if you want to save the child, just do it yourself.”

With that, Cassidy turned and went into the house.

Yasmin stood beside Curtis and lifted her head to look at him. She pleaded in a tearful voice, “Curtis, please save Yuna. If you save her, I promise I'll keep an eye on her and not let her listen to that person anymore.”

Rayna stood on the balcony. Seeing that Curtis was about to shut the door, she spoke. “Curtis, let that child in.”

“Rayna, this is Cassidy's place. Both of us don't have the right to do so.” Curtis merely raised his eyes and glanced at Rayna before quickening his action of closing the door.

Yasmin watched the door close in front of her and burst into tears.

Yet, Curtis merely glanced at Yasmin without comforting her and turned to head back to the living room.

Rayna spun around and walked straight to Cassidy's bedroom, only to find that the latter's door was shut tight when she arrived.

Rayna stood there and raised her hand, wanting to knock on the door. However, she didn't do so even after lifting her hand for a long while.

Then came James' voice from behind her, saying, “Rayna, what Cassidy did was right.”

Hearing that, Rayna looked at James in puzzlement. He handed his phone to her, and there was an image sent to him by Vance. It was an autopsy report of the cook's dead father-in-law.

Rayna pointed at the part circled in red on the autopsy report and asked, “What does this mean?”

“This is a type of hormone that our body creates, and it's above average. I don't really know about the details, but Vance told me if this hormone went above the average, it would send an elderly into shock.” While James was explaining, he switched the interface to show a chart that stated all hormones created by the human body. “You can take a look at this. If you can't understand this, you can let those at Glory look at it. Since Glory researches and develops skincare products, they will understand the contents of this chart better.”

Rayna lowered her head to look at the data spread on the phone—which was about the distribution of hormones and cells—and nodded. “Send this to me. I'll have a look.”

James agreed before continuing, “I'm not sure if Curtis has mentioned this to you before. When he suspected there was something wrong with the Serekos, I did some digging online and found that a company called Zeller Group was getting into the skincare industry as well. I don't know if this is just a coincidence or if it was planned all along. About Fernando Zeller and Mr. Zeller...”

“Are you saying that someone is extracting skincare products and testing them on humans?” Rayna asked calmly.

“We can't rule out that possibility. Otherwise, this will be too much of a coincidence.” James nodded. “According to Vance, something was discovered in Mr. Lambert's skin. It was something that could destroy the cells in the deep skin layer and awaken something in the skin. However, that thing isn't really active.”

“James, do you know anyone who researches plants?” Rayna glanced at the door that was tightly shut before pulling James to the corner at the opposite end. “Secretly get a plant and some soil samples from here out and have someone conduct research on them.”

“All right. Leave it to me.” James nodded in agreement.

While the siblings were discussing the matter, Curtis walked toward them. “Fernando has left with the child.”

Rayna nodded. After turning around to glance at Cassidy's door again, she said, “Curtis, you should arrange for someone to protect Cassidy. I'm quite worried about her.”

They couldn't be certain if Andrew was doing what they assumed he was. All Rayna knew was that, as of right now, Cassidy seemed to be in a dangerous situation.

“Okay, I got it.” Curtis was no fool. Now that the situation had progressed to such a state, he had roughly figured things out.

Luckily, his suspicion was right. The thing inside Rayna's body wasn't a parasite. After hearing the conversation between Cassidy and Fernando, Curtis was absolutely sure.

However, there was something that he was still worried about. Just now, when he touched Yuna, he could feel the coldness on her body. If it wasn't because he could still hear her breathing, he would have assumed that she was dead.

Curtis held Rayna's hand and felt the warmth on her body. Gradually, he felt himself calming down. Yet, he was still worried.

Just as Curtis and Rayna were about to return to their bedroom, they saw Yasmin coming downstairs, her eyes reddened and swollen because of all the crying.

Rayna wanted to comfort Yasmin. However, her heart lurched when she saw the little girl staring at them with swollen eyes as if Curtis and Rayna were her enemies. “Yasmin—”

“This is all your fault! This is all because of you! If it weren't for you, Ms. Cassidy would save Yuna!” Yasmin yelled at Rayna. While she was complaining loudly, she kept looking at Cassidy's door. “Liars! You're all liars!”

“Yasmin, there's more to this than what meets the eye.” Rayna went forward and tried to reason with Yasmin. Unexpectedly, the latter shoved her arm away and shouted, “She's clearly doing something bad! But you're still trying to trick me!”

Upon hearing that, Rayna was rendered speechless. She turned around and glanced at Curtis, who had a dark expression on his face. She didn't know how to comfort Yasmin at all.

Just when she was utterly lost on how to handle the situation, Cassidy opened the door and walked out. “Yasmin, why are you throwing such a big tantrum?”

“Ms. Cassidy, you're a liar! You're a big fat liar!” Yasmin screeched at the top of her lungs at Cassidy.

Slap!

A crisp slap sounded in the corridor outside of the bedroom.

Shock and disbelief were written on Rayna's face as she looked at Cassidy, who had a grim expression. Rayna stepped forward and grabbed Cassidy's hand. “Cassidy, how could you hit her?”

“Am I supposed to dote on her instead of hitting her?” Cassidy turned around and glanced at Rayna indifferently. “Yasmin, don't think that I don't know you're the one who let Yuna in when she came here the second time.”

Yasmin was still upset before she heard Cassidy's words. Upon hearing that, however, her angry expression was replaced by sheer panic.

“Since I can adopt you, I can also abandon you. Don't test my limits,” Cassidy warned Yasmin in an icy tone. “If you want Yuna, you can find her yourself and stay in that mansion with her to become someone's test subject. No one's stopping you. However, if you're trying to harm others, I'll be the first one to punish you.”

“Cassidy...” Cassidy's cold remarks caused Rayna to break out in a cold sweat. “Yasmin is still a child.”

“Even if she's a child, she's already ten. She should understand how to distinguish between right and wrong,” Cassidy said coldly and looked at Yasmin sternly. “Yuna is someone who likes to pretend and is always pretending to be pitiful and innocent. She's way more capable than you, Yasmin.”

When Rayna—who had been standing at the side—heard Cassidy's words, she asked, “Are you saying that the child was just faking it?”

After shooting Rayna a glance, Cassidy was just about to reply. Instead, Curtis spoke. “I don't think she was faking it. When I touched the child and checked her temperature just now, she felt cold. But she was still breathing.”

Curtis' remarks stunned Cassidy and Rayna. Meanwhile, tears rolled down Yasmin's cheeks again when she heard Curtis' words.

“Really?” Cassidy inquired Curtis.

“Mm-hmm. It's real,” Curtis responded nonchalantly. “There's a wound on the child's waist. It seems like she was hurt by a knife.”

“Why didn't you say so just now?” Rayna looked at Curtis with her brows furrowed. She seemed to be reprimanding him.

Curtis was unperturbed and only shifted his gaze toward Cassidy. “The wound isn't deep. I think Mr. Zeller is capable of handling it.”

Cassidy raised her eyes and glanced at Curtis before nodding calmly. “Fernando's adept at medicine. He can save her.”

“That's good.” Rayna felt the guilt within her being soothed after Cassidy admitted it herself.

 

 

Chapter 727 None Of Our Business

Yasmin—who was standing by the side—tugged at Cassidy's clothes after hearing what the latter said. “Are you serious?”

“Of course.” Cassidy lowered her head and continued, “Keep your tears away and stop crying. Why are you crying when it's all good?”

Rayna stood next to them and saw the scene. She reached out and tugged at Cassidy's clothes as well before shaking her head, signaling the latter to stop being so mean to Yasmin.

Seeing that, Cassidy adjusted her temper and glanced at Yasmin. After that, she spun around and went back to her bedroom directly.

Lowering her gaze, Rayna looked at Yasmin—who was still sobbing—and shook her head helplessly. She turned around and walked toward Curtis, then grabbed his arm. “Let's go back to our room and rest.”

Subsequently, Curtis retracted his unreadable gaze from Yasmin.

When Yasmin turned and met the man's grim eyes, she was so frightened that she immediately lowered her head.

“Hey, do you think Fernando can really treat Yuna?” After returning to the bedroom and shutting the door, Rayna initiated a conversation regarding the subject with Curtis.

“Whether or not he can treat her is none of our business.” Curtis sat down on the couch and fixed his

gaze on Rayna—who was grabbing her pajamas. “We'll return to Norwal City after spending another day here.”

“Okay. I can't wait to go back soon,” Rayna said as she twisted to look at Curtis. “But are you sure the matter regarding the death of Ashley's father-in-law can be settled by tomorrow?”

Feeling uncertain about that, Curtis leaned his back against the couch and responded, “J said it can.”

“I hope so,” she said faintly. However, she was still uncertain about how things would actually turn out.

Earlier, when she was listening to the conversation between Cassidy and Fernando, she was sure that the relationship between Andrew and this place was definitely not simple.

“I heard from James that you talked about Fernando's godfather with James and the others.” Rayna placed the pajamas on the bed and looked at Curtis from beside the bed.

Hearing Rayna's question, Curtis pondered for a while and decided not to hide it from her anymore. “Yeah, it was a coincidence. Jeremy saw Zeller Group on the news, and we knew that Cassidy's fiancé's last name was Zeller. Coincidentally, there was a person called Mr. Zeller as well.”

“Why didn't you tell me about this before?” Rayna walked over and lowered her head to look at him. “You promised not to hide anything from me.”

“It was because I couldn't be certain yet. What if they just share the same last name?” Curtis reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. “But after hearing Cassidy's statements today, I think it's basically confirmed.”

“They're the same person.” She looked at him in understanding. “Yet, there's something I don't understand. It can't be that Mr. Zeller is using the residents here as his test subjects, right?”

Rayna dared not think of the possibilities of such a dangerous matter.

“Cassidy's words aren't completely baseless, either. She has been staying here the entire time, so there must be some basis as to why she said those words.” Curtis analyzed his thoughts and explained them to Rayna. “Maybe the officials here were bribed.”

“Or perhaps he just picked a few people to experiment on. We can't be certain.” Rayna told Curtis about her speculations. “Could it be that they were paid to become test subjects?”

“That's very likely,” he agreed with her statement. “There are more elderly and children here, but they don't look like they're poor.”

“That's right. Before this, Cassidy also mentioned that Mr. Zeller was here to develop and invest in something. However, the houses around here are all preserved in their original state.” After giving it some thought, Rayna asked Curtis, “Cassidy said that Mr. Zeller's motive from the start is her house. What does that mean?”

Curtis shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing about it.

“I asked James to secretly take some plants and soil from this place to conduct research on them. I have a feeling that Mr. Zeller was interested in this house from the start,” Rayna expressed her honest opinion.

“Are you talking about those flowers?” Immediately, Curtis realized she was talking about the flowers that she was fixated on, as those flowers that grew in the yard were extraordinarily bright and huge.

“Yeah. I feel like Cassidy must know something. Besides, she refused to let Fernando bring Yuna inside. I think it most likely has something to do with this house.” Rayna pondered for a while before massaging her temples. “My head hurts. This is consuming a lot of my brainpower.”

“Let me massage you.” Curtis pointed at the seat next to him and said, “Have a seat.”

Rayna sat beside Curtis and enjoyed the caring massage from him. Suddenly, she thought of a previous misunderstanding. “By the way, why did you think there was a parasite in my body previously?”

Now that she thought about it, she still felt like something seemed strange.

“Grandpa said so,” Curtis explained.

“But later on, the doctors we met at the hospital nearby Shvomhid Mountain also told us I have a parasite.” She recalled the matter that had happened back then and slowly opened her eyes, which were originally shut. “I think that this might not just be a simple misunderstanding from the beginning.”

Curtis—who was helping Rayna massage her temples—stopped what he was doing gradually. A hint of emotion flashed across his dark eyes. He looked at her and asked, “What are your thoughts on this?”

“I think it's the same organism but with a different name. Perhaps Mr. Zeller had already seen this thing a long time ago. I'm sure he decided to conduct research on it after discovering something about it,” Rayna voiced out her speculation.

“What you said might be possible as well.” Curtis slowly stopped massaging Rayna's head and got up to retrieve his laptop from the bedside table's drawer. He then switched the laptop on.

Rayna sat on the couch with her legs crossed and watched him switch on the computer. Next, he opened the chat group he shared with James and Jeremy. There were some links shared in the chat.

Curtis clicked the links to access every single web page.

“You haven't seen these pages yet?” Rayna glanced at the messages that were left unread, and the time delivered was two days ago.

“I've only read through a few, and I haven't finished looking through all of them yet.” While saying that, Curtis handed the laptop to Rayna. “You can take a look, but don't stare at the screen for too long. Your eyes just recovered not long ago.”

“Okay.” Rayna nodded and told the man, “You should go take a shower first. I've already taken out your pajamas and placed them on the bed.”

Curtis got up and took the pajamas from the bed before heading straight to the bathroom.

After that, Rayna scrolled through each of the opened web pages. While she was doing that, she also took some photos using her phone, just in case she needed them in the future.

The links provided by James weren't Rayna's area of expertise. Therefore, she couldn't find any faults even after reading through the pages. As for the links provided by Jeremy, there were news reports about Zeller Group, which specifically gained Rayna's attention.

Most of the news reports stated Zeller Group's year of establishment and the domain it was involved in. It was written clearly on the web page that the company officially set foot in the skincare industry a year ago. However, when the company was first established, it was mainly involved in the medical machinery research field.

Rayna jotted down the introduction one by one before she continued scrolling down to read the rest of the information.

Then, she saw a person named Hayley Lewis being mentioned on the page. She was Andrew's assistant when he first started his company.

Rayna entered Hayley's name on the Internet. As a result, a blog was displayed on the screen. The verified person as shown on the blog was none other than the assistant of Zeller Group's Chairman, Hayley Lewis.

Clicking into the web page, Rayna realized that it was filled with Hayley's photos. The latter was a beautiful woman.

While scrolling and looking through all the pages, Rayna noticed a comment written on the page: You're a delusional homewrecker who thinks you can take over the wife's position. Stop dreaming!

The commenter's ID was Aileen. Rayna clicked on the person's profile, yet she discovered that the account had been deactivated a long time ago.

 

 

Chapter 728 Is She Really A Homewrecker

Rayna had thought the information she found could be a breakthrough, but it turned out to be a dead- end. She let out a sigh before refocusing on the webpage from earlier.

Most of the information on the webpage was about Zeller Group, with little detail on Andrew.

Rayna tried to search for more information on Andrew but found very little.

She clicked through each link, but they all had similar information.

The only thing that stood out was that Andrew got married in 1969, but the background of his spouse was unknown. Even this information was only contained within a line or two.

After that, Zeller Group was established, and there was a brief introduction to Hayley Lewis.

Looking at Hayley's photo on the webpage, Rayna frowned slightly. “Is this beautiful woman really a homewrecker?”

Glancing back at the photo of Hayley on the blog, Rayna couldn't help but think that this woman was truly beautiful.

Her gentleness was especially apparent in a picture where she watered a sea of blooms. There, she seemed to radiate an indescribable air of elegance.

With such a woman as his secretary, the chairman of a company might just find himself smitten.

Rayna scrolled down the page and read everything below, and when she reached the last page, a photo caught her attention.

In the photo, Hayley was standing at the entrance of Zeller Group, but in the lower left corner was a woman in a blue dress whose gaze was fixed on Hayley. Since the two were not too close in the photo, Rayna couldn't see the woman's expression clearly, but she noticed the ring on the woman's finger.

A ring...

Rayna quickly returned to the previous page and saw a photo of Andrew's interview. The man was also wearing a ring on his ring finger.

“Wedding ring,” Rayna instinctively said softly. Curtis, who had just walked out of the bathroom, happened to hear these two words that she said. He swiftly looked down at his ring finger.

When he saw that the wedding ring was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Drying his hair with a towel, Curtis walked over to Rayna and saw her staring at the photo on the computer screen. “Did you find something?” he asked.

“Yeah, I found something again.” Rayna enlarged the photo and showed it to Curtis. “Do you think that the ring on this woman's hand is a pair with the one on Andrew's hand?”

Curtis put down the towel and bent over to examine the photo on the screen. “It looks a bit similar, but the one in this photo is too far away. I'll have someone zoom in on it later to see if we can get a closer look at this person.”

“Okay.” Rayna nodded and showed Curtis the account that had been deactivated. “Could you also have someone look up the information on this account before it was deactivated?”

Curtis glanced at the ID and nodded. “I'll take care of it. You go take a shower.”

Hugging Curtis around the neck, Rayna planted a kiss on his cheek and then got up from the couch to go to the bathroom after taking the sleepwear on the bed.

Curtis put down the towel and sat on the sofa to peruse the webpage that Rayna had looked at. He also instructed Theodore in Norwal City to follow up on the two things Rayna had mentioned.

Then, he continued to look at the information on the webpage.

...

The next day, Rayna was awakened by the sound of a phone ringing at the crack of dawn.

She opened her eyes groggily and saw that Curtis had already gotten up and was holding his phone, seemingly ready to answer the call.

Seeing her wake up, he whispered, “Sorry to wake you up. I'm going out to take the call. You can go back to sleep.”

Rayna rubbed her eyes and looked at the time. It was not yet five in the morning. “Who's calling?”

“It's J and the others,” Curtis replied softly, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead. “I'll take the

call outside. You go back to sleep.”

With that, Curtis walked out of the bedroom to answer the phone call.

Rayna watched Curtis' departing figure and closed her eyes before slowly opening them. She sat up in bed and listened carefully to the faint voices coming from the living room.

“What's the situation now?” Curtis asked J on the other end of the phone.

“The situation you messaged me about yesterday has been confirmed. Like you told Rayna, almost half of the people in this town have an unknown hormone in their systems, and it's in excess,” J said on the phone while looking at the test report in hand. “We also tested the well water near Ashley, and there is an unknown organism in the water that is the same as the one Vance isolated from the Serekos.”

“In the well water?” Curtis was puzzled. “Can that thing survive in water?”

“Yeah, it seems so. But the organisms in the well water are a bit different from the ones isolated from the Serekos. Maybe it's because of the water temperature or something that causes them to not grow normally,” J explained. “We also dissected those white things and found out they're harmless, but they contain the same hormone as the people in this town.”

“Our suspicion is the same as yours. Looks like someone's been conducting some shady research and doing human experiments,” J continued. “Ashley's father-in-law's death was probably an accident, but it might be related to the hormone's effect.”

“Remember those herbs Vance stole from the Gilroy residence? We studied them and found out their genes got messed up,” J added in a low voice.

Curtis stood frozen in place upon hearing the news.

“What kind of herbs did Vance steal? And what happens if we consume them?” he asked, gripping his phone tightly.

“I don't recognize the herbs, so we need someone who knows more about them to identify them properly. But even though the herbs have been genetically modified, they don't have any major side effects when consumed by humans as long as they're not misused. They just have increased potency due to the genetic modification, that's all,” J reassured him while glancing at the lab report.

“Are you sure?” Curtis asked, feeling cold sweat forming on his palm as he held onto his phone.

“Positive. There's nothing to worry about,” J replied confidently.

Curtis rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath before asking, “Can you identify the specific herbs and tell me if they're commonly available or rare on the market?”

“Sure, I'll look into it.” J agreed before comforting him, “And as for Rayna's condition, I believe there's a solution.”

“Thanks for your kind words,” Curtis said before ending the call.

He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at his reflection before turning to leave when his phone rang again. A glance down showed him it was Theodore calling.

“Theodore,” he answered.

“I've seen the photo you sent me, and Jasmine recognizes the woman in it. She's seen that woman before,” Theodore informed Curtis, turning to look at Jasmine, who was standing behind him.

 

 

Chapter 729 Zeller Group Was Set Up For Her

After Jasmine walked over, Theodore put the call on loudspeaker.

“Curtis, where did you see the woman in the photo you sent Theodore?” Jasmine asked softly.

“We've never met that woman. Rayna found her in the information on Zeller Group that Jeremy gave me. Rayna thinks that woman is Andrew's wife,” Curtis replied in a low voice.

“You mean Andrew Zeller from Zeller Group?” Jasmine asked.

“Yes. I checked the website and noticed that the ring on the woman's hand matches the one on Andrew's hand,” Curtis explained. “Jasmine, where did you see that woman?”

“I saw her in Wildefield. She lives alone,” Jasmine recounted slowly. “But I don't know if she's Andrew's wife. However, that woman is very beautiful and young. If you're saying she's Andrew's wife, I don't think it's very likely since there should be a big age gap between the two. I remember I took a photo of her at that time. Let me find it and send it to you.”

With that said, she left to look for her photo album.

As Jasmine walked away, Theodore turned off the loudspeaker. Then, he said to Curtis, “James told me that you guys have made progress on your end.”

“Yeah. I suspect that what's inside Rayna's body isn't a parasite. It's the 21st century, after all. How could there be something like that?” Curtis said solemnly. “What's inside Rayna's body is probably something that Andrew came up with, but we don't have concrete evidence yet.”

Theodore breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Curtis' words but then thought about the deaths that occurred in Jayfort. “Does that thing pose a danger to her body?” he asked.

“I'm not sure yet,” Curtis replied helplessly. “I have people looking into it, and we should have some progress soon.”

“That's good,” Theodore replied. Then, he casually asked, “When are you coming back?”

“Tomorrow,” Curtis replied and saw Rayna walking toward him.

“Is that Theodore on the phone?” she asked, still feeling groggy. She had heard Curtis calling out to Jasmine.

“Yes. He was asking when we're going back, so I told him tomorrow,” Curtis said, holding Rayna's waist and brushing his chin against her hair. “Why don't you get some more rest?”

“I couldn't sleep anymore.” Rayna snuggled in Curtis' embrace, rubbing her cheek against his stubbled chin. “Can we really go back tomorrow?”

There was still the matter with Ashley, and who knew what could happen today.

“We can,” Curtis said confidently.

Theodore listened to their conversation on the phone and decided not to disturb them further. “I'm hanging up now,” he said to Curtis before ending the call.

Curtis hugged Rayna and said, “Jasmine just told me that she saw Andrew's wife in Wildefield.”

“Really?” Rayna looked up at Curtis. “Can you find out where she lives? I'd love to meet her.”

“I'll ask around for you, but why do you want to meet her?” Curtis didn't understand.

“I suspect that Andrew has some kind of relationship with Hayley. Don't you think she looks very beautiful? Based on the timeline, she should be around the same age as Andrew, but she looks exceptionally young. Those flowers in the photo are so vibrant too,” Rayna said, leading Curtis to the sofa and opening her laptop. She displayed the photos she saved from yesterday and said, “On the contrary, this woman wearing the same wedding ring as Andrew looks old and haggard.”

“Jasmine said she saw this woman, but she appeared young,” Curtis said as he was about to call Jasmine.However, Rayna stopped him.

“Then that's the correct woman.”

Curtis looked at Rayna, confused. “But the person in the photo looks old and haggard.”

“Didn't Jeremy's information say that Zeller Group only recently started focusing on skincare products? Before that, they were in the medical equipment industry and sold things like beauty devices.” Rayna boldly shared her speculation with Curtis. “What if Andrew's doing all this for his wife? Or maybe for her?” Curtis followed her gaze and looked at Hayley's photo.

“Hayley and Andrew?” It's not impossible.

“My current suspicion is that if Andrew went through so much trouble and did all this for a woman, then something must have happened to her before. And there's something about Cassidy that I can't shake off,” Rayna said, propping her chin up and pondering.

“I agree about Cassidy.” Curtis had always found Cassidy suspicious. A woman living alone with a child she had no blood relation to was not uncommon, but Cassidy's abilities could have given her much better opportunities.

Yet, it seemed that she wasn't putting her heart into that and instead was guarding the Gilroy residence. It all seemed really fishy.

“Oh, and by the way, don't forget to get in touch with the girl from the hospital near Shvomhid Mountain. I have some things I want to ask her.” Rayna wrapped her arms around Curtis' neck and playfully reminded him.

“We con,” Curtis soid confidently.

Theodore listened to their conversotion on the phone ond decided not to disturb them further. “I'm honging up now,” he soid to Curtis before ending the coll.

Curtis hugged Royno ond soid, “Josmine just told me thot she sow Andrew's wife in Wildefield.”

“Reolly?” Royno looked up ot Curtis. “Con you find out where she lives? I'd love to meet her.”

“I'll osk oround for you, but why do you wont to meet her?” Curtis didn't understond.

“I suspect thot Andrew hos some kind of relotionship with Hoyley. Don't you think she looks very

beoutiful? Bosed on the timeline, she should be oround the some oge os Andrew, but she looks exceptionolly young. Those flowers in the photo ore so vibront too,” Royno soid, leoding Curtis to the sofo ond opening her loptop. She disployed the photos she soved from yesterdoy ond soid, “On the controry, this womon weoring the some wedding ring os Andrew looks old ond hoggord.”

“Josmine soid she sow this womon, but she oppeored young,” Curtis soid os he wos obout to coll Josmine.However, Royno stopped him.

“Then thot's the correct womon.”

Curtis looked ot Royno, confused. “But the person in the photo looks old ond hoggord.”

“Didn't Jeremy's informotion soy thot Zeller Group only recently storted focusing on skincore products? Before thot, they were in the medicol equipment industry ond sold things like beouty devices.” Royno boldly shored her speculotion with Curtis. “Whot if Andrew's doing oll this for his wife? Or moybe for her?” Curtis followed her goze ond looked ot Hoyley's photo.

“Hoyley ond Andrew?” It's not impossible.

“My current suspicion is thot if Andrew went through so much trouble ond did oll this for o womon, then something must hove hoppened to her before. And there's something obout Cossidy thot I con't shoke off,” Royno soid, propping her chin up ond pondering.

“I ogree obout Cossidy.” Curtis hod olwoys found Cossidy suspicious. A womon living olone with o child she hod no blood relotion to wos not uncommon, but Cossidy's obilities could hove given her much better opportunities.

Yet, it seemed thot she wosn't putting her heort into thot ond insteod wos guording the Gilroy residence. It oll seemed reolly fishy.

“Oh, ond by the woy, don't forget to get in touch with the girl from the hospitol neor Shvomhid Mountoin. I hove some things I wont to osk her.” Royno wropped her orms oround Curtis' neck ond ployfully reminded him.

“Can you tell me what it's about first?” Curtis held her waist and lightly brushed his cheek against her ear.

“It's about the parasite. As a medical student, and a student of modern medicine at that, how could one believe in parasites?” Rayna raised an eyebrow at Curtis. “Don't you think there might really be such things?”

“How is that possible? Cassidy herself said that what's inside you is not a parasite,” Curtis said, his expression turning cold at Rayna's words. He was a little displeased about it. “No strange or irrational ideas, okay?”

“No, that's not what I meant. I meant that maybe there really is such a thing, but what's inside me is not it,” Rayna explained seriously to Curtis. “If not, why would the girl in the hospital be so sure? And what about the other man? Is it possible that this unknown organism looks very similar to the so-called parasite?”

Rayna pondered for a moment. “Whether it's a parasite or the organism inside me, they were both bred by people. Is there any commonality between the two?”

“So, you believe in the existence of that parasite?” Curtis narrowed his eyes and looked at Rayna.

“What's your reason for thinking so?”

“Because it's not just one person who believes in it. So many people do, which means there must be something similar to it at the very least, if not the actual parasite itself. Otherwise, your grandfather and all those other people wouldn't have believed in it,” Rayna stated slowly and deliberately. “Perhaps Andrew discovered something he wanted from within the parasite, so he intentionally cultivated it. But as for where it comes from and how it's obtained, he doesn't know. He only wants to extract something similar for his own use, which is why we see what we see now.”

Curtis carefully considered Rayna's words and felt that it wasn't impossible. “What you said sounds plausible.”

“So we need to contact those two people from the hospital. I just feel like things aren't that simple,” Rayna said seriously. “Besides, at the beginning, Cassidy also thought it was a parasite, and a pair of parasites at that. So where is the other one?”

At Rayna's words, Curtis felt a shiver run down his spine, and he tightened his grip on her waist, causing her to say, “Ow, you're hurting me.”

 

 

Chapter 730 Had Been Pregnant Before

“You don't have a parasite in you—there isn't another one,” Curtis said, his deep eyes fixed on Rayna while he enunciated each word.

Rayna lowered her eyes, and they met his intense gaze. “I was just saying 'what if...'” she began.

“No 'what ifs.' Cassidy herself confirmed it, so there isn't another one,” Curtis interrupted, scooping Rayna up before heading toward the bedroom. “It's still early, so you should get some more rest.”

Rayna clung to Curtis' neck as she gazed out of the living room window. It was already bright outside.

Curtis settled Rayna into bed and pulled the blanket over her. “Rest a little longer,” he said.

Leaning against the headboard, Rayna looked at Curtis. “I can't fall asleep anymore. It's already morning. Are you hiding something else from me?” she asked.

Curtis stopped straightening the bedsheet and looked up at Rayna. “What are you talking about? There's nothing to hide.”

“Then why do you keep telling me to go to sleep?” Rayna placed her hand on the blanket, pouting. She was obviously dissatisfied with Curtis' response. “What did J say to you on the phone earlier?”

“J found a kind of hormone in Ashley's father-in-law's corpse during the autopsy, so it's suspected to be the cause of death. The same hormone was found in the well water near Ashley's residence,” Curtis explained from the foot of the bed.

“A hormone?” Rayna propped her chin up with her hand and thought for a moment. “Could there be some of it here too? Those flowers...”

“I don't know about that, but Vance took some herbs from the warehouse for testing and found that the DNA sequencing in them had been disrupted,” Curtis said to Rayna, relaying everything J had told him.

Rayna fell into deep thought after listening to Curtis. A few seconds later, she spoke up again. “But the herbs Cassidy picked didn't all come from the same place, so why do they all have the hormone?”

Rayna's words made him think. “Are you suggesting that someone tampered with them?”

“I don't know, but it's unlikely that they changed during natural growth, right? After all, they come from different places. Andrew couldn't possibly have the power to distribute his own creation all over the country, right?” Rayna said, shaking her head.

She continued, “I think it's more likely that they were altered later. But we have to ask Cassidy how she harvested these herbs. Did she pull them out by the roots or only take a part of them? When I was at Glory, I saw that the research team would research and experiment on whole plants that still had their roots.”

“Cassidy made medicine from the herbs so she could sell them, right?” Curtis recalled that when they first arrived, Cassidy said she would sell the dried herbs.

“I remember her saying that,” Rayna said as she recalled. Then she realized something. “Could it be that she doesn't even know that someone has tampered with the herbs? Fernando...”

“It's possible,” Curtis agreed.

“It looks like we have to get someone to find Fernando for a talk. That child who looks just like Yasmin could be our ticket to a breakthrough. When Fernando came to us with Yuna, I could tell how worried he was. It didn't seem like he was faking it,” Rayna reminded Curtis.

“Cassidy's hatred toward Yuna also doesn't seem fake,” Curtis added.

Hearing this, Rayna raised her eyebrows. “Yeah.”

As they were talking, a knock came from outside the bedroom door.

“Ms. Belle...” Yasmin's voice came from outside the door, and both Rayna and Curtis were taken aback.

Curtis walked to the door, opened it, and saw Yasmin with a pillow in her arms. He was puzzled, but just as he was about to speak, Rayna spoke first from inside the room. “Yasmin, come in.”

Yasmin looked up cautiously at Curtis and hesitated for a moment before taking a single step.

“Go on in.” Curtis spoke in a deep voice.

Having obtained permission, Yasmin walked straight toward Rayna.

“Is something wrong, Yasmin?” Rayna asked softly while sitting up in bed.

“I-I...” Yasmin tightened her grip around the pillow as she stammered, and she was still unable to get the words out even after a long time.

Rayna was confused. She looked up and met Curtis' gaze.

“You two should talk. I'll go make you breakfast.” Curtis rubbed his forehead as he told Rayna before leaving the room.

Once Curtis was gone, Rayna noticed Yasmin glancing back at the door before approaching her. “Ms. Belle, can you talk to Ms. Cassidy and let Yuna come live here?”

Rayna was stunned by the request.

“Can you tell me why, Yasmin?” She knew Cassidy didn't like Yuna, and Yasmin knew it too.

However, she didn't know how Yasmin felt about Yuna.

“Because... We look alike... We're sisters...” Yasmin lowered her head and spoke in a barely audible voice.

Rayna thought that Yasmin was acting like she was guilty of something as the latter lacked confidence.

“Cossidy mode medicine from the herbs so she could sell them, right?” Curtis recolled thot when they first orrived, Cossidy soid she would sell the dried herbs.

“I remember her soying thot,” Royno soid os she recolled. Then she reolized something. “Could it be thot she doesn't even know thot someone hos tompered with the herbs? Fernondo...”

“It's possible,” Curtis ogreed.

“It looks like we hove to get someone to find Fernondo for o tolk. Thot child who looks just like Yosmin could be our ticket to o breokthrough. When Fernondo come to us with Yuno, I could tell how worried he wos. It didn't seem like he wos foking it,” Royno reminded Curtis.

“Cossidy's hotred toword Yuno olso doesn't seem foke,” Curtis odded.

Heoring this, Royno roised her eyebrows. “Yeoh.”

As they were tolking, o knock come from outside the bedroom door.

“Ms. Belle...” Yosmin's voice come from outside the door, ond both Royno ond Curtis were token obock.

Curtis wolked to the door, opened it, ond sow Yosmin with o pillow in her orms. He wos puzzled, but just os he wos obout to speok, Royno spoke first from inside the room. “Yosmin, come in.”

Yosmin looked up coutiously ot Curtis ond hesitoted for o moment before toking o single step.

“Go on in.” Curtis spoke in o deep voice.

Hoving obtoined permission, Yosmin wolked stroight toword Royno.

“Is something wrong, Yosmin?” Royno osked softly while sitting up in bed.

“I-I...” Yosmin tightened her grip oround the pillow os she stommered, ond she wos still unoble to get the words out even ofter o long time.

Royno wos confused. She looked up ond met Curtis' goze.

“You two should tolk. I'll go moke you breokfost.” Curtis rubbed his foreheod os he told Royno before leoving the room.

Once Curtis wos gone, Royno noticed Yosmin gloncing bock ot the door before opprooching her. “Ms. Belle, con you tolk to Ms. Cossidy ond let Yuno come live here?”

Royno wos stunned by the request.

“Con you tell me why, Yosmin?” She knew Cossidy didn't like Yuno, ond Yosmin knew it too.

However, she didn't know how Yosmin felt obout Yuno.

“Becouse... We look olike... We're sisters...” Yosmin lowered her heod ond spoke in o borely oudible voice.

Royno thought thot Yosmin wos octing like she wos guilty of something os the lotter locked confidence.

“Sisters? Which one of you is the older sister, and which one is the younger sister?” Rayna probed.

“Me. I am the older one,” Yasmin said, patting her chest. “Yuna is the younger sister.”

“I see... But I don't quite understand. Were you and Yuna in the same welfare institution before? How did you get separated? And why didn't you tell Ms. Cassidy that you have a sister?” Rayna took the opportunity to ask Yasmin.

“I...” Yasmin lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Rayna.

Rayna noticed Yasmin clutch a corner of the pillowcase. She smiled, saying, “If you don't tell me clearly, I won't be able to help you with this favor.”

“It was... It was the director who told me not to say anything... I mean, she said that Yuna and I look alike, so we could switch identities anytime... That way, we wouldn't have to worry about one of us being abandoned by our adoptive parents because of financial reasons...” Yasmin blurted out, realizing that Rayna wouldn't help her if she kept being evasive.

“You mean, the people from the welfare institution allowed you to switch identities at any time?” Rayna frowned, feeling a headache coming on. The director of the welfare institution... Yet another person is involved.

“Not just Yuna and me, but several other children too. Different families would adopt them, and one of the twins would stay in the welfare institution,” Yasmin added.

Rayna was taken aback by this revelation. “So you mean the welfare institution has several pairs of twins?”

“Yeah.” Yasmin nodded. “Not many, but apart from Yuna and me, there were three other pairs. One pair of brothers was much older, while the other two pairs were about the same age as us.”

As Rayna listened, she realized that the situation was deviating from her original assumptions.

The welfare institution also had its own issues, and this was something that none of them had anticipated. “Does Ms. Cassidy know about this?”

Yasmin shook her head. “No, but... Nando does.”

Fernando... It's him again...

Rayna felt that Fernando was not as simple of a person as he seemed.

“Is Ms. Cassidy's relationship with Fernando good or bad?” Rayna asked softly. “Do they often argue?”

Yasmin thought for a moment and shook her head. “They have never argued, but... I heard from the older people here that Ms. Cassidy had been pregnant before.”