Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee by KIKI

Chapter 778: Miss Bailey, Your Mother Is in My Hands Elsa stared in stunned silence at the thin, yellowed sheet of paper in Tina's hand.

Neatly written on it were several formulas-sfamiliar, others completely foreign to her.

The black ink strokes, elegant and precise, resembled the type of calligraphy that seemed suited only to ancient scholars in period s. Even the paper carried a coarse texture, much like traditional stationery from centuries ago. Elsa blinked, her thoughts finally catching up. Suddenly, she understood Tina's intention. "You're saying... use these fake formulas to trade for my parents' ashes?" Tina nodded.

Courtney flipped through the formulas repeatedly, her brow furrowed. "But will this really work? Tina, what are these formulas even for?" "These cfrom Wraith," Tina replied calmly. "They're not highly toxic, and even with long-term use, they won't cause serious harm-at most, they'll just give someone an upset stomach." Tina guided Elsa back to the couch and pressed her temples, her exhaustion showing. "Victor probably won't know the formulas' authenticity. And there's no way the Langdon family patriarch would show up personally to retrieve them. Using these as bait is the perfect plan." She paused, her tone shifting slightly. "Besides..." "What?" Jared asked, sitting down beside her, his sharp gaze fixed on her expression.

"I have a backup plan," Tina said with a sly smirk.

"A backup plan?" Jared's eyes narrowed, his suspicion evident. He had never trusted anyone from the Bailey family-not even Tina's cousin.

Tina patted his hand reassuringly. "We won't know if she can be trusted until we try, right?" Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Ella Bailey's number. She quickly typed up a text message: "Your mother is in my hands. Meetin one hour." Hitting send, she closed the phone and stood up, wrapping her arm around Jared's. "Let's head back and get srest. Courtney, letknow when Ella Bailey arrives." Courtney nodded. "Got it." "I need ssleep too," Hayden muttered through a yawn, stretching as he made his way to his room. His exhaustion was infectious-Cole yawned right after, tears welling in his eyes as he rubbed at them. "Jayden, handle the people in the car." "Serena already drugged them. If they act up, just rough them up," Cole added lazily as he disappeared into his room.

The sound of doors closing echoed through the house.

Courtney, left in the living room, exchanged a confused glance with Jayden. "Are they... mining coal or something?" "Mining coal? Not really. But they might as well be," Dexter muttered, shaking his head as he recalled Hayden's earlier messages in the chat group. He decided against sharing the details, not wanting to add to Jared's irritation. Turning to leave, he ignored Courtney's questioning look. "Ask Serena later. For now, let's unload the cargo." Elsa sat stiffly on the couch, her worry written all over her face.

But the moment Tina returned, her restlessness eased. Elsa didn't fully understand why Tina trusted Ella Bailey, but she believed in Tina's calm, resolute demeanor. It was enough to make her relax, even if only slightly. She clenched the hem of her shirt, her thoughts swirling.

Tpassed slowly. Finally, an hour had gone by.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, loud and urgent.

Courtney had just taken a bite of her sandwich when the shrill sound startled her. She quickly stood, one hand instinctively reaching for the weapon tucked at her waist as she cautiously approached the door. Outside, someone was impatient.

"Tina! I'm here! What the hell does that message mean, Tina?!" The angry voice was accompanied by frantic pounding on the door, mixed with Nathan's attempts to calm the person Courtney exchanged glances with the others in the living room. Elsa was the first to react.

"It's Ella Bailey. I'll go get Tina." down.

Courtney peeked through the electronic peephole. Outside, she saw Ella Bailey and Nathan, with no one else in sight. Only then did she relax and open the door.

"You're late," she said flatly as Ella pushed past her.

"Where's Tina?! Get her out here! I want to know what the hell this message is supposed to mean!" Ella demanded, storming into the living room.

Nathan followed, closing the door behind him. "Logan held us up. He wantedto pass a message to Mr. Farrell about visiting home. We ended up chatting longer than expected." "What's going on?" he asked, motioning toward Ella, who was pacing like a madwoman.

Courtney shrugged. "Tina said she needed her help. That's all I know." Ella, blocked by Jayden and Dexter, grew increasingly agitated. "Get out of my way! Tina toldto come. Where is she?!" "Enough with the noise," Dexter grumbled. He was about to explain that Tina was asleep when her irritable voice rang out. "What's with all the yelling?" Tina descended the stairs, her hair slightly messy and her eyes heavy with sleep. She wore slippers and looked anything but pleased.

Ella didn't hesitate. She charged toward Tina, not even noticing when she stepped on something soft. She stopped only when she was face-to-face with Tina, her voice rising. "What did your message mean?!"

Tina glanced down, her gaze falling on Ozan Bailey, who lay on the floor with shoe prints on Xis face. His small eyes bulged, and his muffled cries were silenced by tape across his mouth. Tina snickered. "Pitiful." She gestured for Jayden to act. "Cover here, and you'll understand." Turning back to Ella, Tina's tone was calm but firm. "If I'm not mistaken, your mother-Simone Farrell-is the eldest daughter of the Farrell family, correct?" Ella nodded, her focus shifting to the white curtain slowly descending.

Jayden typed on his laptop, and a surveillance video played on the makeshift screen.

Tina's voice was steady as she explained. "We went to Maplewood yesterday. Originally we intended to capture the supposed victim of the Dyer family case. Instead, we stumbled upon your mother, Simone Farrell, in a remote mountain village." "A... mountain village?!" Ella's voice cracked with disbelief. "How is that possible?! She's a vegetative patient! Without advanced medical equipment, how could she survive in a place like that?!" Tina's gaze turned cold. "You'd have to ask Victor that."

She reached out and poked Ella's cheek, forcing her to look at her. "Victor never cared about Simone's well-being For years, her life has depended on poison and sheer willpower. Her condition is critical. If we hadn't found her this time, she wouldn't have lasted much longer."