Ch. 961..970
Chapter 961
"Honey... Please come back to the Quest family's house. I discovered very strange things," Xyla Quest said.
"Hmm, okay..." Stanley Batton answered without hesitation.
There were people walking past him all the time, but none of them shone brighter than him.
After making the call, Xyla turned to look at a few servants who were doing house chores. "Come here..." She said.
The servants quickly walked over to Xyla. They bowed their heads respectfully while waiting for instructions from Xyla. "You must all keep what happened at home today a secret. Nobody will say a word..." Xyla instructed earnestly. Someone very powerful might be hiding behind all this. There might also be a huge, shocking scheme.
If what happened was known to outsiders, and this person found out, it might easily cause panic...
After all, Xyla was out in the open, but that person was still hidden in the dark.
"Yes!" the servants all answered simultaneously.
"If I discover anyone spreading the news out, I will make her pay for it," Xyla warned.
This was a crucial matter. Xyla couldn't afford the slightest mistake.
The servants all took in a deep breath at the same time. "Yes!" they replied simultaneously yet again.
"Alright, you can all leave now. Without my permission, nobody can come to the living room," Xyla added. The servants quickly dispersed...
After they had all left, Xyla directly opened a box and retrieved a bottle of white, transparent liquid.
She then put on a pair of single-use gloves before opening the bottle. Holding it close to the tip of her nose, Xyla began carefully sniffing at it.
This liquid had a slightly sour scent to it, and it smelled almost like vinegar.
She suddenly recalled what her master had told her before.
Her master once spoke of something known as Soul Devouring Potion.
Back then, her master mentioned that this thing had a slightly sour scent similar to the smell of vinegar. It could be used as a supporting potion for hypnosis.
If the hypnotist were able to make the hypnotized person drink this Soul Devouring Potion, coupled with amazing hypnosis techniques, he would easily control the hypnotized person's mind.
Once this thing was used to help with hypnosis, the hypnotized person's thoughts could easily be molded like playdough.
The hypnotist would be able to turn this person into anything he wanted. If he wanted the hypnotized person to hate someone, she would hate that person. Likewise, if he wanted the hypnotized person to love someone, she would love that person.
However, Xyla had only heard her master talking about this thing known as Soul Devouring Potion. She had never personally seen it before, and she wasn't sure if this liquid was the same thing.
Back then, when Xyla mentioned she wanted to see this thing, her master told her that Soul Devouring Potions had basically already disappeared from this world.
In the present world, it couldn't be found at all.
Whether this thing was Soul Devouring Potion or not, Xyla would have to wait for her master to have a look at it before making a conclusion.
Xyla quickly put the lid back on and kept it back in the box. She then called Ron Batton on the phone to tell him everything and asked him to come to the Quest family's house.
Ron immediately agreed to it.
***
After approximately an hour, Stanley walked through the door.
As soon as he entered, he walked directly over to Xyla and sat next to her. "What is it?"
Xyla frowned slightly and told Stanley about everything she saw earlier.
After hearing all this, Stanley's facial expression turned somber as well. There was a murderous look in his eyes. "This means that there's someone behind all this. Everything Emily and May did might have been related to this person..."
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
Right then, the doorbell started to ring.
Xyla instantly stood up. "It must be Grandpa... I'll get it right away..."
With that, she quickly walked to the door.
Chapter 962
Chapter 962
Xyla Quest subconsciously glanced at the surveillance screen first.
Indeed, it was Ron Batton who stood outside the door. He was wearing a set of white martial arts outfits with a walking stick in his hand. The handle part of the walking stick was made of a huge, white jade ball. It seemed low-profile but yet had a tinge of luxury to it.
Xyla quickly opened the door and passed Ron a pair of slippers. "Grandpa, these slippers are for you."
"Thank you, Xyla..." Ron said gently before looking affectionately at Xyla and changing into the slippers.
Once he was done, he casually closed the door behind him and resumed a somber expression on his face. "Where's that Soul Devouring Potion you spoke of?"
"Here..." Xyla naturally held Ron's arm and led him over to a seat in front of the living room's coffee table.
As soon as they sat down, Xyla eagerly handed over the bottle she had checked out earlier to Ron.
Stanley Batton didn't say anything. Instead, with a grave expression on his face, he looked at Ron and waited for an answer.
Ron slowly opened the lid. After that, he carefully held the bottle close to the tip of his nose and sniffed at it gently.
As soon as he smelled it, his face turned even graver, and his frown deepened.
When Xyla saw her master's facial expression, she knew that this thing was not as simple as it seemed.
"Indeed, it is the Soul Devouring Potion. I didn't think I'd still be able to see it in this lifetime. This thing originated from Memphis' King of Poison, Sorax. It's an ultimate technique that's unique to him, and he never shared it with anyone else. Ten years ago, when Sorax died, this has supposedly disappeared from the world along with him," Ron said truthfully.
After saying that, Ron slowly closed the lid and put the bottle back on the coffee table.
Xyla and Stanley frowned simultaneously when they heard all this.
Xyla would never have thought that this thing was actually the Soul Devouring Potion.
"In that case, it's very likely that Emily and May were controlled by this 'master' who used the Soul Devouring Potion to hypnotize them.
"All those crazy things they did and their insane feelings of hatred were possibly related to this thing too.
"Now that I think about it carefully, the two of them have started going against me and harming me ever since I was a kid.
"Could this 'master' have already started controlling them since then? Could it be that someone wanted to kill me even when I was a kid?
"But, if that was the case, I couldn't have possibly lived until now, could I?" Xyla carefully analyzed things word by word.
"Or perhaps, the two of them were only controlled by that 'master' at a later stage?" Xyla's mind was full of questions.
All of this sounded too impossible.
Stanley had the same questions on his mind.
"Think about it carefully. When did Emily and May start behaving most crazily?" Stanley asked earnestly.
Xyla instantly tried hard to recall, but she felt that Emily and May had always been crazy, which only worsened over time.
They never got along with Xyla, and they were always causing her harm.
Chapter 963
Chapter 963
"It looks like... They have always been the same. Anyway, they just treated me unusually badly," Xyla Quest said.
"I think it's unlikely that the person controlled them at an early stage... Perhaps, some time down the road, they fell under this person's control. Otherwise, Xyla wouldn't have been able to stay alive until now. "But I still don't get it. This person feels to me like a very powerful person. It should be very easy for him to take your life. Why did he go around in circles like this? Wouldn't it be easier if he simply hypnotized you and made you commit suicide?" Ron Batton began to voice his concerns.
The things Stanley Batton and Ron said were also what Xyla wanted to say.
Endless question marks circled the three of their heads. All three of them felt very confused.
There were many issues from a logical standpoint.
"I'm afraid we'll only be able to understand what exactly is going on after we find that person. The problem is that he is in the dark while we are in the light. It might not be quite as easy to find him..." Ron continued speaking solemnly.
Xyla and Stanley nodded at the same time to show that they agreed.
The things they spoke of were merely their hypotheses. In the end, they still wouldn't be able to find an answer.
The only way they could find the comprehensive answer was to locate that person.
"Oh, right. There's one other thing I can't seem to understand. Why would that person give May and Emily so much Soul Devouring Potion? Could they have been planning to harm others with it but didn't manage to do so yet?" Xyla asked another question.
"You don't know this, but people who are hypnotized using the Soul Devouring Potion need to consume it once a week to remain under the hypnotized state. That's the only way the hypnosis will work effectively... Hence, they have this with them so that they could drink it.
"Moreover, the Soul Devouring Potion is addicting. After drinking it once, one would never be able to stay away... That's why they need to consume it every week.
"Whenever they don't consume it on time, their bone marrow and all the organs in their body would start to hurt. This thing is even scarier than drugs," Ron explained earnestly.
After listening to Ron's answer, Xyla thought deeply for a few seconds. "If they had been hypnotized very early on, someone should've been delivering this stuff to them while they were stuck in prison. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been in such a peaceful state," Xyla said.
"If that's the case, it must be true... Otherwise, as their family, you must have heard about the two of them being brought to the hospital due to abnormal circumstances," Stanley said with a deep frown on his face.
"I'm very curious about who this 'master' is... Why does this person hate me so much?" Xyla couldn't think of anybody for the longest time.
Ron frowned deeply. "Could it be an enemy of your family? Perhaps a business rival to your father? Or could it be bad blood from the previous generation?" he asked.
"My family doesn't have any bad blood from the previous generation... But we naturally do have many enemies in business. The business world is like a battlefield. Making enemies is inevitable if we want to secure our business," Xyla answered.
"Perhaps it might be someone your family's business offended? If this person doesn't want to kill you directly, is it possible that he wants to keep you alive to torture you slowly? What if he wants to kill you only after he's had fun torturing you?" Ron added.
His words made Xyla's hair stand from the terror she felt.
It wasn't impossible.
Stanley was equally creeped out by what Ron said. He felt terrified when he thought about all this.
"There's also another possibility... What if he's an enemy to the Batton family?" Xyla said.
"That's not impossible..." Ron said.
"Anyway, anything is possible right now," he added.
"May and Emily's deaths are definitely related to this 'master'. We can try to find out about this person's identity from the two of their bodies..." Stanley narrowed his dark eyes before lighting up a cigarette. He took a puff at it while he spoke.
Xyla gently nodded. "I must tell my father about this. To avoid alerting our enemy, we must cooperate with my father. We'll pretend not to have discovered anything and bury May and Emily."
Chapter 964
Chapter 964
"Tonight, we can quietly move their corpses to another place while nobody else is around. We'll replace their corpses with two other corpses. Those corpses will be cremated in their place tomorrow morning. "After that, we'll secretly conduct autopsies on their bodies to find out the real cause of their deaths," Xyla Quest said.
She believed there would definitely be traces of what was done before.
They would leave no stone unturned.
"Hmm," Stanley Batton murmured.
"Oh, right. I also found these things in Emily's room. Have a look. These are all weird symbols. Do you recognize them?" Xyla said before retrieving some of the Post-it notes with weird symbols written on them from the luggage next to her. She then handed the Post-it notes over to Ron Batton.
After seeing the contents of the Post-it notes, Ron and Stanley both looked confused.
Neither of them recognized what those symbols were.
"I don't recognize it... This looks like a kind of script. It looks like an ancient form of text, but it's not quite it..." Ron said.
"The wall in Emily's room was covered with these things. I felt that we might find some clues from these things too... If only we could decipher them," Xyla said.
"I'm afraid we might have to seek help from professionals..." Ron added.
"Also, the corpse of the servant who died after being jabbed by a poisonous needle is still being stored in the house. Master, I'll have to trouble you to have a look with me. We need to find out what kind of poison that servant was inflicted with. I've never seen that kind of poison..." Xyla added.
"Okay," Ron said.
"Perhaps, we might also find some clues from that servant's corpse." With that, Xyla stood up.
Ron and Stanley also stood up simultaneously.
After that, Xyla brought the both of them to a small house in the backyard.
The small shed only had a single floor, and there was only a single room inside.
This was where they kept a bunch of miscellaneous items.
The servant's corpse was placed on a tiny wooden bed in the center of the room.
A white sheet completely covered the corpse to conceal the terrifying appearance of the corpse.
When Xyla saw this corpse, her mood dipped to the bottom again.
Sometimes, life was so fragile.
Clearly, this woman was still fine in the morning. But now, she was gone.
Xyla truly regretted bringing this woman into Emily's room to sort through Emily's personal belongings.
If the servant hadn't stepped into the closet, this tragedy wouldn't have occurred.
After taking a deep breath, Xyla held her tears back and looked at Ron who was beside her. "Master, please have a look..."
After saying that, she held Ron's hand and walked up to the corpse.
Stanley took a step forward before the two of them and lifted the white sheet for them.
The next second, the completely black corpse appeared before the three of them.
The terrifying state of the corpse left both men from the Batton family frowning simultaneously, a look of shock in both of their eyes.
"Grandpa... What kind of poison is this? Why haven't I ever seen it or heard of it?" Stanley asked.
Chapter 965
Chapter 965
Ron Batton didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to frown deeply. "It's probably the Black Poison..." "Black Poison?" Xyla Quest had never heard about any such poison. Now, she felt increasingly curious.
"Yeah. This kind of poison also originated from Sorax. It's made using over ten thousand types of poisons. A single dosage the size of a sesame seed would be enough to turn someone into this..." Ron said. "Like the Soul Devouring Potion, this kind of poison should have eventually disappeared following his death..." Ron added.
Both types of poisons pointed them to Sorax.
Xyla felt that this 'master' must have been related to Sorax somehow.
After all, these two types of poison were both rare poisons of this world.
If this person wasn't related to Sorax, it must not have been easy to acquire such poisons...
"Master, honey, do you think this 'master' might be related to Sorax? Otherwise, how did he come to possess these strange poisons that should have disappeared following Sorax's death?" Xyla asked. "Could this person be Sorax's disciple or someone close to him?" she added.
Stanley Batton thought about it deeply for a moment as he scratched his chin with one hand. "That's a possibility... Or perhaps, this person might be related to someone close to Sorax."
Ron nodded gently as he pondered with a somber look on his face. "Based on what I know, Sorax has a peculiar temper, and he's a loner. He doesn't have any disciple or family member. He's always been on his own, and he came and went without a trace...
"However, this doesn't eliminate the possibility that he might be close to someone unknown to the outside world..." Ron said.
"All this requires further investigation," he added.
With that, Ron shifted his gaze to Stanley. "Stan, I'm leaving this matter to you. You are fully responsible. On top of that, you are also fully responsible for Xyla's safety. If anything happens to Xyla, you'll be the one to blame," Ron said.
Stanley instantly looked determined, and he reached for Xyla's hand. "Don't worry. Even if I lose my life, I'll make sure to protect Xyla. I'll figure everything out.
"I'll get a few of the best private inspectors I know well to investigate this matter..." Stanley said.
"Hmm, alright..." Ron patted Stanley's shoulder gently. "I won't have to worry with you in this case," Ron added.
After that, Ron quickly covered the female servant's corpse with the white sheet.
"We'll leave this corpse to Stanley too... It'll be cremated after we finish getting the evidence we need... Let's keep everything on a low-profile," Ron said before looking at Stanley again. "Alright..." Stanley replied.
"I'll make peace with her family later, and I'll make sure they are fairly compensated. On top of that, I'll pay them money to keep their mouths shut..." After Xyla finished speaking, she turned to look at the female body's servant that was covered under the white sheet. 'Don't worry... I'll give your family extra compensation. I'll look after your family for you.' Xyla thought in her heart.
Although the female servant's death was an accident, Xyla felt very guilty in her heart.
Xyla couldn't help but feel that this female servant died because of her.
That was because if Xyla hadn't brought her inside, she wouldn't have died.
In fact, Xyla didn't even know how she should speak to the female servant's parents.
"I'll get Zack to handle these things," Stanley said as he held Xyla's hand once again.
He knew what Xyla was thinking about, and he also knew Xyla would find it hard to initiate the conversation.
"No... I'll personally do all of this. After all, she died because of me." With that, Xyla gently wiped her tears away.
"Xyla, you don't have to feel too guilty. This was an accident. Nobody wanted it to happen." Ron let out a long sigh before he spoke.
"I know it was an accident. But if I hadn't asked her to go in there and pack up Emily's luggage, this accident wouldn't have happened. At the end of the day, it's still my fault." While Xyla spoke, she started sniffing again, and her eyes slowly turned red.
Both the men from the Batton family were moved by her reaction.
Ron gently rubbed her back. "Don't be sad. Things have already happened. You should think about how to compensate her family and how to talk to them about it... To be honest, this has nothing to do with you. After all, you had no idea this would happen either," Ron carefully said to Xyla.
Chapter 966
Chapter 966
"Who would've thought of finding a hidden weapon in your sister's room?" Ron Batton tried to comfort Xyla Quest.
Guilt filled Xyla's heart no matter what Ron said.
After all, the female servant was not only her servant but her family too.
Xyla lightly nodded before lifting her head to meet Ron and Stanley Batton's eyes. "I heard that she's from a low-income family. Her family has been renting a small apartment as they cannot afford to buy a house. I'm going to find a house for them in Atlantis and give them five million dollars..."
By doing so, her family did not have to suffer from financial problems anymore.
Though Xyla understood that money could never make up for the pain of losing a family member, she would do everything to help her family to get through this misery.
"Okay. We have many houses in Atlantis. You can pick one for her family," Ron offered.
He agreed with Xyla. It was a thoughtful idea.
His fondness for her was doubled at that instant.
"It's okay. I have plenty of houses here too. I'll find a suitable one and give it to them." Following that statement, Xyla took two small steps backward and bowed to the body. She could not hide the quiver in her voice as she apologized, "I'm sorry..."
Ron and Stanley immediately approached Xyla and bowed to the body simultaneously.
Subsequently, the three left the small shed and closed the door.
Making sure that the door was locked, Xyla looked at Stanley and Ron and said, "Let's split up now. Grandpa, I'll send you home first. Hubby, try to look for a private detective to dig up some information about the 'master'. I'll go back to the funeral home to inform my father about it."
"Stan will send me home. You can go to the funeral home right away. Take more bodyguards with you, okay? Don't go out alone, especially at night. You shouldn't-" Ron started nagging her.
"I know. Don't worry," Xyla interrupted.
"Let's go." As Stanley spoke, he held Xyla's hand tightly and led her out of the backyard.
His intuition warned him that the 'master' behind the whole incident was a dangerous man.
He ought to be more alert. He must protect Xyla at all costs.
What mattered most to him was Xyla's safety and happiness.
He was confident that he could take good care of Xyla.
Ron followed closely behind the two, his eyes filled with worries.
Likewise, he was still thinking about the 'master'.
Though he had no idea who he or she was, he should not turn a blind eye to what was happening. The master was up to no good.
The three of them returned to the front yard in silence. Xyla's heart grew increasingly heavier every time she thought of the maid and the secret she had just discovered.
She stopped walking and turned to Ron and Stanley. "I'd better get going. Hubby, please keep the things I found at a safe place."
She trusted Stanley the most. She believed that this man would never disappoint her.
"I will." As soon as Stanley finished his sentence, he clutched Xyla's wrist and pulled her into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Xyla struggled and pushed him away. She was embarrassed because Ron was watching them.
Nevertheless, Stanley hugged her tightly as if no one else existed on earth. "Honey, I just want to tell you that I'll protect you no matter what. Don't worry. You'll be safe as long as I'm here. I'll be your armor. I'll never let a sword come near you."
Suddenly, warmth spread in Xyla's heart, taking away all her distress.
For a split second, Xyla was frozen to the spot. She stopped struggling and allowed Stanley to hug her.
"I'm here for you, okay?" Stanley added.
"Okay."
Xyla knew that he did not say that for fun. She had found herself a knight who would protect her for the rest of her life.
Chapter 967
Chapter 967
She felt safe whenever she was with him.
In fact, she was not that worried about her safety.
Her life might be in danger, but she had him. She was not afraid of anything when he was around.
"The upright need not fear the crooked. Trust me. We'll get through this." Xyla Quest looked as determined as ever.
"Yeah." Stanley hugged her tightly again.
Ron was pleased to look at the intimacy between the lovely couple.
However, it did not ease his worries.
He feared that something terrible was going to happen to Xyla.
He was on tenterhooks because he cared about her.
Xyla got along well with everyone in the Batton family. She was the apple of their eyes. They could not bear losing her.
"Alright. I'll go find Dad first." Xyla pushed Stanley away and admonished him, "Take care of Grandpa."
"I will." Stanley smiled and gently stroked her hair.
***
Xyla headed straight to parlor No.1 once she reached the funeral home.
She was surprised to find that all her family and friends were still at the parlor.
Everyone was sitting on the sides of the parlor, praying sincerely for May Conner and Emily Quest.
On the other hand, Jeremy Quest was sitting in front of their coffins with his head down, his face all somber.
As soon as Xyla stepped into the hall, she could feel it was full of sorrow.
The air was cold and woeful as if the world was going to freeze in the very next second.
Taking a deep breath, Xyla walked up to Jeremy and knelt beside him. "Dad, can you please come with me? I have something important to tell you."
Jeremy gazed at Xyla for a few seconds before nodding weakly.
Xyla immediately helped him get up from the chair, then led her to the black Rolls Royce in the courtyard.
She got into the driver seat while Jeremy got into the car from the other side.
After scanning around the courtyard to make sure that there was no one around, Xyla recounted everything that had just happened at home to Jeremy, including her suspicions and plans. The seriousness in her tone only amplified with each word she spoke.
Jeremy nearly jumped out of his skin after listening to her story.
He could not believe his ears.
"May and Emily were most likely killed by that so-called 'master'. Is that what you mean? However, their autopsy reports clearly state that they're two suicides," Jeremy exclaimed in disbelief.
"This guy must be a powerful man. Otherwise, he couldn't have sneaked into jail and kill the two of them at once. Judging from the poison he used, I believe that faking their deaths as hemorrhage or suicide is easy-peasy to him," Xyla explained.
Jeremy nodded and took a deep breath, trying to digest the breaking news. He then quickly recollected himself and turned to Xyla. "Do what you're supposed to do. I support you."
He could not help gritting his teeth when he thought of the 'master'.
He frowned and sighed annoyedly, "I seriously can't believe that this is real... Xyla, why would someone do such things to harm you? This is unbelievable!"
This guy really was vicious!
"Dad, we've never stepped on anyone's toes, right?" Xyla's eyes were brimming with curiosity.
"No," Jeremy answered without a second thought.
"This guy might be your competitor or the Batton family's competitor in the business world. No matter who he is, I'll definitely dig him up one day," Xyla said without turning a hair.
Chapter 968
Chapter 968
The truth would be revealed one day.
Those who were on the dark side would have to pay for their misdeeds.
What went around came around. It was only a matter of time.
Jeremy Quest nodded in agreement. "You definitely will."
Jeremy could not take it anymore. It all happened so suddenly.
He was heartbroken enough to find out that her daughter committed suicide, whereas his wife died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Never in his life had he imagined that they were murdered.
Who the hell was this 'master'?
Jeremy's utter bewilderment was reflected in his eyes.
He was appalled when he recalled everything that had happened on Xyla Quest before.
He was so close to losing his favorite and most outstanding daughter.
"Xyla, I'm so grateful that you're alive and well. I thank god for taking care of you. I really am scared when I think about it." Jeremy patted Xyla's hands, mixed feelings churning inside of him. Xyla was touched hearing that.
She slid her fingers between Jeremy's and forced a smile. "To be honest, I'm scared too. I was once so close to death, wasn't I?"
There was a big boss behind May Conner and Emily Quest. This was totally out of her expectation.
She did not have the slightest idea who the big boss was. Neither did she know how long he had been controlling May and Emily to hurt her.
She thought that her life would be peaceful again after sending May and Emily to jail.
Little did she know that everything had just begun...
"Thank you, god. Thank you so much," Jeremy wiped his tears while mumbling, "Do you think the 'master' has been controlling your aunt and sister since a long time ago? Let's say he started controlling May when we got married. Then, he started controlling Emily when she was getting more mature.
"Maybe their hatred for you came from the 'master' too. He must have brainwashed them," Jeremy continued.
"I've spoken about this with Stanley and Grandpa, too, but we all agree that it's impossible," Xyla said.
"Yeah, true... I guess I'm just overthinking," Jeremy lamented.
"Alright, let's go back inside." Xyla added, "By the way, Dad, this is a secret. Don't let the cat out of the bag."
Nodding helplessly, Jeremy let out a deep sigh and got out of the car.
Xyla immediately got out of the car from the other side.
Her black hat fell a little forward as she lowered her head, the net veil on the brim perfectly covering her unreadable expression. Later, Xyla wrapped her arms around Jeremy's elbow and walked him to the funeral home.
***
Around ten o'clock at night, Jeremy dismissed the people inside the parlor.
Stanley Batton brought some people with him to switch the bodies an hour later. May's and Emily's bodies were then transferred to the funeral home's freezer.
The fake bodies were placed into their coffins.
Their mission was completed in a blink of an eye.
After switching the bodies, Xyla, Jeremy, and Stanley settled down at the parlor and acted as though nothing had happened.
Chapter 969
Chapter 969
The fake bodies they found replaced Emily Quest and May Conner's corpses to be cremated at eight o'clock the following day.
At noon, countless guests had arrived at the funeral home to watch the burial ceremony. Tears and silent anguish accompanied the substitutes' ashes into the grave. After the burial, the crowd placed bouquets around the graves and started a prayer with Jeremy Quest taking the lead.
The funeral ceremony officially ended a few minutes later.
Jeremy, Xyla Quest, and Stanley Batton took the guests to a fancy hotel downtown for lunch.
They finished the meal at around third o'clock in the afternoon.
After sending off the guests, Xyla and Stanley drove Jeremy back to the Quest family's house.
Jeremy drowned in raw agony and sorrow even after he went home. His face was as pale as chalk.
Xyla and Stanley carefully helped him to the couch in the living room.
Jeremy could not stop sighing as he sank onto the couch. He grabbed the cigarette box on the coffee table, pulled out a cigarette, and then placed it between his lips.
However, before he could even light the cigarette, Xyla took away the cigarette and admonished him, "Smoking is bad for health. You should stop smoking."
Xyla had lost count of how many times he had smoked yesterday.
She was not going to let him smoke anymore.
Jeremy nodded obediently instead of rebuking her. He leaned against the couch exhaustedly, questioning Stanley with his eyes closed, "Stan, where did you find those two bodies?"
"They're two unclaimed bodies at the funeral home," Stanley answered truthfully. "I've found an experienced detective, Carson Ritzer, to investigate Aunt May and Emily's death. I believe that we'll find out who that 'master' is real soon."
Xyla and Jeremy were surprised to hear the detective's name.
Carson was the world's No.1 detective. He had solved countless bizarre cases.
No one else on earth could defeat him.
Many of the world's most sensational murder cases were solved, thanks to him.
Xyla felt like they were closer to the truth after hearing his name.
Never in her life had she expected Stanley to hire Carson to investigate May's and Emily's deaths.
As far as she knew, Carson had already retired due to old age.
He had stopped taking cases long ago.
The president even went to his house to plead him, hoping that he could help him to solve more cases. Sadly, he rejected the president.
"Why would he agree to help us? How did you do it?" Xyla asked Stanley curiously, a glint of anticipation in her eyes.
"He's Grandpa's old friend," Stanley answered.
"Oh, okay. Did you show him the symbols I found in Emily's room?" Xyla asked again.
"Yes, I did, but he has no idea what they are. Grandpa has also found a couple of experts to work on the symbols but to no avail. None of them has seen those symbols before. As far as they're concerned, there have been no such symbols on earth for the past few thousand years," Stanley explained.
Xyla was extremely shocked to hear that.
She thought these symbols would be deciphered real soon as many language experts or historians in Atlantis. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
"Carson suspects that it is a tool of communication used by some mysterious organizations. They've invented their language and symbols that nobody else understands," Stanley added. "I quite agree with him. Grandpa has looked for many well-known experts, but none of them has seen these fonts before. I believe that there's indeed no such thing in the world."
"I guess it's impossible to solve the symbols now." Xyla shrugged disappointedly before letting out a deep sigh.
"Yeah. We can only start investigating the case from Aunt May and Emily's death. This guy is tricky. It'll take some time to track him down," said Stanley. Xyla nodded in response.
Chapter 970
Chapter 970
"By the way, the investigation will be carried out in secret. I've warned Carson Ritzer, Zack Cassidy, and all my bodyguards to keep their mouths shut. You guys don't have to worry about it.
"We won't tell anyone about the mastermind behind their deaths. I've taken care of everything," Stanley Batton reassured Xyla Quest and Jeremy Quest.
Xyla and Jeremy felt much more relieved after hearing that.
Jeremy patted Stanley's shoulder and complimented him, "I know I can always rely on you. Stan, you're my best son-in-law."
Once again, Stanley had proved his strong sense of responsibility and accountability to Jeremy.
Jeremy was grateful to have a son-in-law like him.
"It's the least I can do, Dad," Stanley replied humbly.
Upon hearing their conversation, Xyla's soft lips subconsciously stretched into a beautiful smile.
She did not have to worry about anything when she was with him. All she had to do was to sit there and enjoy her life.
He would settle everything for her, perfectly and wonderfully.
"Alright, you guys should go back now. I need some time to myself." Jeremy closed his eyes.
"You can go back to your room to take a nap. We'll stay here," Xyla said.
Warmth spread in Jeremy's heart. "Why? Are you afraid that I'll do something silly?"
"Nah, I just want to stay with you." Xyla knew that her father was a strong-willed man.
However, even so, she wanted to keep him company during such a difficult time.
Too many things had happened in these two days. Xyla was worried that her father might take them too personally.
Jeremy casually waved at them as he got up from the couch. "Fine. Go ahead and do your stuff. I'm going back to my room."
With that, he shuffled to the staircase and went upstairs.
He looked so much older after staying up for the whole night. He must be really exhausted.
He was stooped and hunchbacked.
A few grey streaks mixed in his short, black hair.
Suddenly, Xyla's heart began to throb frantically.
She realized that her father really was old as she stared at his receding back.
Noticing the changes in Xyla's expression, Stanley instantly pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back. "Don't worry. Dad will be fine soon. Time heals everything," he comforted her. Xyla did not say a word. She nodded lightly and leaned on Stanley's chest like a baby.
She was tired after going through so many things in these past two days.
She was mentally and physically exhausted.
She finally had peace of mind now. She just wanted to stay in his warm embrace and run away from all the problems.
Stanley ran his fingers through her long hair while kissing her forehead dotingly. "Carson has already examined the maid's corpse. He has taken all the evidence needed. I've also sent the corpse to the funeral home. You can contact her family anytime now."
Xyla remained silent and nodded once more.
An air of gloom settled over her when she thought of the maid.
"I feel so sorry for her. I'm terribly sorry for her family too." Xyla closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around Stanley's waist.
She was a tough woman, but she just wanted to be a kid at this moment. She just wanted to be a little girl and hid in Stanley's arms.
Stanley carefully stroked her hair and kissed her forehead again. "No one expected this to happen. Cheer up, okay?"
He understood her sadness and guilt.
He loved her because he understood her.
"Okay." Xyla nodded obediently and sighed. "I feel more tired than ever these two days."
"Stay in my arms then, hmm?"