Chapter 320
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Talisha just couldn't believe what her son had told her.
Both she and Diane had originally been expecting around the same time, but when her sister had miscarried her child, she'd eventually become cold and withdrawn, shying away from contact.
Her bright and kind sister had disappeared in the short span of a few months, leaving behind a person that was a shell of her former self.
Even the birth of Travis hadn't helped her any – it just reminded her of the loss of her child.
She even turned away from her husband, whom Talisha later found out had cheated on her after she miscarried her child.
Talisha had been filled with righteous fury at that – and if her sister's husband had a little… unfortunate accident, then it was just that. An accident.
Diane had eventually recovered a little with Talisha's unwavering support. While she still treated Travis coldly at the start, she eventually warmed up to him.
That just filled Talisha with so much relief that she hadn't bothered to check on her sister's mental state before that to make sure that she was really alright and not just faking it.
But… her sister wasn't like this! Not like what Travis had described, at least.
She didn't believe that her sister would go so low as to partake in human trafficking that was so abhorred.
But… if what Travis said was true, then what was she going to do?
She hesitated a little before she accepted reality. Regardless of whether or not it was the truth, they now needed to investigate. Otherwise, the doubt would always linger in their minds like a slow-acting poison.
More than that, if Diane really did want to cause harm to her son, then Talisha would take action. Sister or not, that was her son!
"Okay," Talisha said with determination. "Tomorrow, I'll make sure that there's a huge celebration for Travis' return. Travis and I will make sure to keep Talisha occupied, as well as preventing any suspicion on ourselves."
Alec just smiled at Talisha, which reassured her a little knowing that her son had a gentle friend like this.
Travis' mother was being a lot more helpful than he expected. Alec half expected to go around her instead of being able to work with her. He hadn't really believed Travis' reassurances, but this was better.
More so since the rest of the clan would be suitably distracted while they broke in.
-
Under the cover of darkness, Blanche and Alec broke into Diane Ross' house, where she lived alone.
The house was modest and well-equipped, but there were little in the way of personal effects, which was a little surprising. It was like she had nothing to live for. Nothing to look forward to.
It was pretty much bare. There were no photos, not paintings. Nothing except for the basic necessities.
Alec's brows furrowed a little.
Blanche sauntered into the woman's bedroom while Alec headed towards the other rooms.
He made sure to leave no traces behind as he checked behind each door. Luckily, Alec's standard attire was wearing his half-palm black gloves for his runes which helped whenever he had prevent leaving behind evidence.
He sorely doubted that the information they were looking for would be out in the open air. It never was.
Unless, of course, it was a trap, or the person was an utter fool.
Judging from how Diane had been able to fool both her sister and her nephew over the years, he doubted that she was one of such fools.
He disabled the various traps that he found in the office, knowing that he would have enough time to reset them.
For all that there were various lethal traps, they were relatively easy for him to disable since they were all using a mixture of seals and arrays.
He still checked the 'obvious' spots like the bookshelves and the drawers, but as expected, he didn't find anything inside those other than normal paperwork.
…He couldn't say much for the woman's reading choice, really. It was all dry, boring texts that contained little useful information. She also harboured three of each book.
He didn't quite know what he was looking for, really, or what would point her out as someone more deeply involved than she seemed. Perhaps she was just a 'seller' who knew the right contacts, but his gut instinct said otherwise.
For all that Travis and seemingly Talisha had accepted that Diane had been about to sell Travis off, they didn't seem to think that she had anything deeper than that.
Since there was nothing wrong with the desk, and the floorboard were all accounted for, then if anything was hidden, it should be in the bookshelf.
Taking a closer look at the bookshelf, Alec paid close attention to the floor and wall surrounding it.
It was very faint, but there were slight scuff marks on the floor that couldn't be covered up due to how often it had been used. It was the wear and tear that usage would eventually cause.
He also looked at the places where the bookshelf met with the wall, and he blinked.
Jackpot.
He could see what appeared to be hinges on the top and bottom of one side of the bookshelf.
Now, how to activate it?
Sliding his gloved hands around, Alec didn't feel any sort of latch, and it probably wouldn't be something that needed brute strength to do since that would cause noise.
Suddenly, Alec's eyes narrowed, and he pulled a book in the bookshelf, tugging it firmly. The book tilted backwards, but it never left the bookshelf completely.
Alec's lips twitched. He always thought these were a myth.
Just this one book was more worn than the others while the others only showed faint signs of yellowing from the oil that humans naturally carried on their fingertips.
This one book, however legitimate it looked, didn't match the rest.
There was a clank that wouldn't have been heard to normal human ears, but Alec heard it.
Something unlatched, and the inside was hollow.
Alec stepped back and tugged at the bookshelf. It slid forward easily without any sound, and he went around it.
The inside of the place was a lot more lived-in compared to the outside house and didn't that say a lot for the owner of this place?
Just how much was she hiding that she considered the secrets she was hiding her true self instead of her life outside?
How much of it was fake and real?
Alec shrugged it off. It wasn't like he was going to have anything to do with the Ross Clan after this. They could handle their own situation without his help.
He took everything inside the room, rummaging about messily and overall leaving a mess in the place.
He left behind all the notes about what she had to do with slave traders, as well as the various suspicious disappearances that had gone on in their city and basically everything about Travis.
Originally, Blanche and Alec were not going to leave any trace behind, but the things that he read inside here made his temper flare.
With a smile that didn't show how pissed he was, Alec called out to Blanche. "Big sister, let's go after I blast this bookshelf down."
Blanche appeared behind him, raising a brow but nodding gracefully. "The rest of the house is practically untouched. The only place that's frequently used is the bathroom and the bedroom. The rest are just there for decoration. There isn't any evidence there either."
Alec smiled. "I got it all."
The System turned around, blasting down the bookshelf without any fanfare. He overturned a few things, and Blanche turned around to move a few things elsewhere as well.
Then, Alec kicked half the front door down, making an earth-shattering bang in the middle of the celebratory feast.
Judging by the sound of the feet thundering across the ground, the people of the Ross Clan should be here at any moment.
Blanche grabbed Alec and quickly moved out from the clan compounds, and rather than returning back to the inn where Travis had checked in, it would be better for them to just leave the city instead.
No doubt their actions would cause a great upheaval and sudden investigation into the clan's members.
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Talisha just couldn't believe what her son had told her.
Both she and Diane had originally been expecting around the same time, but when her sister had miscarried her child, she'd eventually become cold and withdrawn, shying away from contact.
Her bright and kind sister had disappeared in the short span of a few months, leaving behind a person that was a shell of her former self.
Even the birth of Travis hadn't helped her any – it just reminded her of the loss of her child.
She even turned away from her husband, whom Talisha later found out had cheated on her after she miscarried her child.
Talisha had been filled with righteous fury at that – and if her sister's husband had a little… unfortunate accident, then it was just that. An accident.
Diane had eventually recovered a little with Talisha's unwavering support. While she still treated Travis coldly at the start, she eventually warmed up to him.
That just filled Talisha with so much relief that she hadn't bothered to check on her sister's mental state before that to make sure that she was really alright and not just faking it.
But… her sister wasn't like this! Not like what Travis had described, at least.
She didn't believe that her sister would go so low as to partake in human trafficking that was so abhorred.
But… if what Travis said was true, then what was she going to do?
She hesitated a little before she accepted reality. Regardless of whether or not it was the truth, they now needed to investigate. Otherwise, the doubt would always linger in their minds like a slow-acting poison.
More than that, if Diane really did want to cause harm to her son, then Talisha would take action. Sister or not, that was her son!
"Okay," Talisha said with determination. "Tomorrow, I'll make sure that there's a huge celebration for Travis' return. Travis and I will make sure to keep Talisha occupied, as well as preventing any suspicion on ourselves."
Alec just smiled at Talisha, which reassured her a little knowing that her son had a gentle friend like this.
Travis' mother was being a lot more helpful than he expected. Alec half expected to go around her instead of being able to work with her. He hadn't really believed Travis' reassurances, but this was better.
More so since the rest of the clan would be suitably distracted while they broke in.
-
Under the cover of darkness, Blanche and Alec broke into Diane Ross' house, where she lived alone.
The house was modest and well-equipped, but there were little in the way of personal effects, which was a little surprising. It was like she had nothing to live for. Nothing to look forward to.
It was pretty much bare. There were no photos, not paintings. Nothing except for the basic necessities.
Alec's brows furrowed a little.
Blanche sauntered into the woman's bedroom while Alec headed towards the other rooms.
He made sure to leave no traces behind as he checked behind each door. Luckily, Alec's standard attire was wearing his half-palm black gloves for his runes which helped whenever he had prevent leaving behind evidence.
He sorely doubted that the information they were looking for would be out in the open air. It never was.
Unless, of course, it was a trap, or the person was an utter fool.
Judging from how Diane had been able to fool both her sister and her nephew over the years, he doubted that she was one of such fools.
He disabled the various traps that he found in the office, knowing that he would have enough time to reset them.
For all that there were various lethal traps, they were relatively easy for him to disable since they were all using a mixture of seals and arrays.
He still checked the 'obvious' spots like the bookshelves and the drawers, but as expected, he didn't find anything inside those other than normal paperwork.
…He couldn't say much for the woman's reading choice, really. It was all dry, boring texts that contained little useful information. She also harboured three of each book.
He didn't quite know what he was looking for, really, or what would point her out as someone more deeply involved than she seemed. Perhaps she was just a 'seller' who knew the right contacts, but his gut instinct said otherwise.
For all that Travis and seemingly Talisha had accepted that Diane had been about to sell Travis off, they didn't seem to think that she had anything deeper than that.
Since there was nothing wrong with the desk, and the floorboard were all accounted for, then if anything was hidden, it should be in the bookshelf.
Taking a closer look at the bookshelf, Alec paid close attention to the floor and wall surrounding it.
It was very faint, but there were slight scuff marks on the floor that couldn't be covered up due to how often it had been used. It was the wear and tear that usage would eventually cause.
He also looked at the places where the bookshelf met with the wall, and he blinked.
Jackpot.
He could see what appeared to be hinges on the top and bottom of one side of the bookshelf.
Now, how to activate it?
Sliding his gloved hands around, Alec didn't feel any sort of latch, and it probably wouldn't be something that needed brute strength to do since that would cause noise.
Suddenly, Alec's eyes narrowed, and he pulled a book in the bookshelf, tugging it firmly. The book tilted backwards, but it never left the bookshelf completely.
Alec's lips twitched. He always thought these were a myth.
Just this one book was more worn than the others while the others only showed faint signs of yellowing from the oil that humans naturally carried on their fingertips.
This one book, however legitimate it looked, didn't match the rest.
There was a clank that wouldn't have been heard to normal human ears, but Alec heard it.
Something unlatched, and the inside was hollow.
Alec stepped back and tugged at the bookshelf. It slid forward easily without any sound, and he went around it.
The inside of the place was a lot more lived-in compared to the outside house and didn't that say a lot for the owner of this place?
Just how much was she hiding that she considered the secrets she was hiding her true self instead of her life outside?
How much of it was fake and real?
Alec shrugged it off. It wasn't like he was going to have anything to do with the Ross Clan after this. They could handle their own situation without his help.
He took everything inside the room, rummaging about messily and overall leaving a mess in the place.
He left behind all the notes about what she had to do with slave traders, as well as the various suspicious disappearances that had gone on in their city and basically everything about Travis.
Originally, Blanche and Alec were not going to leave any trace behind, but the things that he read inside here made his temper flare.
With a smile that didn't show how pissed he was, Alec called out to Blanche. "Big sister, let's go after I blast this bookshelf down."
Blanche appeared behind him, raising a brow but nodding gracefully. "The rest of the house is practically untouched. The only place that's frequently used is the bathroom and the bedroom. The rest are just there for decoration. There isn't any evidence there either."
Alec smiled. "I got it all."
The System turned around, blasting down the bookshelf without any fanfare. He overturned a few things, and Blanche turned around to move a few things elsewhere as well.
Then, Alec kicked half the front door down, making an earth-shattering bang in the middle of the celebratory feast.
Judging by the sound of the feet thundering across the ground, the people of the Ross Clan should be here at any moment.
Blanche grabbed Alec and quickly moved out from the clan compounds, and rather than returning back to the inn where Travis had checked in, it would be better for them to just leave the city instead.
No doubt their actions would cause a great upheaval and sudden investigation into the clan's members.
Talisha just couldn't believe what her son had told her.Both she and Diane had originally been expecting around the same time, but when her sister had miscarried her child, she'd eventually become cold and withdrawn, shying away from contact.Her bright and kind sister had disappeared in the short span of a few months, leaving behind a person that was a shell of her former self.Even the birth of Travis hadn't helped her any it just reminded her of the loss of her child.She even turned away from her husband, whom Talisha later found out had cheated on her after she miscarried her child.Talisha had been filled with righteous fury at that and if her sister's husband had a little unfortunate accident, then it was just that. An accident.Diane had eventually recovered a little with Talisha's unwavering support. While she still treated Travis coldly at the start, she eventually warmed up to him.That just filled Talisha with so much relief that she hadn't bothered to check on her sister's mental state before that to make sure that she was really alright and not just faking it.But her sister wasn't like this! Not like what Travis had described, at least.She didn't believe that her sister would go so low as to partake in human trafficking that was so abhorred.But if what Travis said was true, then what was she going to do?She hesitated a little before she accepted reality. Regardless of whether or not it was the truth, they now needed to investigate. Otherwise, the doubt would always linger in their minds like a slow-acting poison.More than that, if Diane really did want to cause harm to her son, then Talisha would take action. Sister or not, that was her son!"Okay," Talisha said with determination. "Tomorrow, I'll make sure that there's a huge celebration for Travis' return. Travis and I will make sure to keep Talisha occupied, as well as preventing any suspicion on ourselves."Alec just smiled at Talisha, which reassured her a little knowing that her son had a gentle friend like this.Travis' mother was being a lot more helpful than he expected. Alec half expected to go around her instead of being able to work with her. He hadn't really believed Travis' reassurances, but this was better.More so since the rest of the clan would be suitably distracted while they broke in.-Under the cover of darkness, Blanche and Alec broke into Diane Ross' house, where she lived alone.The house was modest and well-equipped, but there were little in the way of personal effects, which was a little surprising. It was like she had nothing to live for. Nothing to look forward to.It was pretty much bare. There were no photos, not paintings. Nothing except for the basic necessities.Alec's brows furrowed a little.Blanche sauntered into the woman's bedroom while Alec headed towards the other rooms.He made sure to leave no traces behind as he checked behind each door. Luckily, Alec's standard attire was wearing his half-palm black gloves for his runes which helped whenever he had prevent leaving behind evidence.He sorely doubted that the information they were looking for would be out in the open air. It never was.Unless, of course, it was a trap, or the person was an utter fool.Judging from how Diane had been able to fool both her sister and her nephew over the years, he doubted that she was one of such fools.He disabled the various traps that he found in the office, knowing that he would have enough time to reset them.For all that there were various lethal traps, they were relatively easy for him to disable since they were all using a mixture of seals and arrays.He still checked the 'obvious' spots like the bookshelves and the drawers, but as expected, he didn't find anything inside those other than normal paperwork.He couldn't say much for the woman's reading choice, really. It was all dry, boring texts that contained little useful information. She also harboured three of each book.He didn't quite know what he was looking for, really, or what would point her out as someone more deeply involved than she seemed. Perhaps she was just a 'seller' who knew the right contacts, but his gut instinct said otherwise.For all that Travis and seemingly Talisha had accepted that Diane had been about to sell Travis off, they didn't seem to think that she had anything deeper than that.Since there was nothing wrong with the desk, and the floorboard were all accounted for, then if anything was hidden, it should be in the bookshelf.Taking a closer look at the bookshelf, Alec paid close attention to the floor and wall surrounding it.It was very faint, but there were slight scuff marks on the floor that couldn't be covered up due to how often it had been used. It was the wear and tear that usage would eventually cause.He also looked at the places where the bookshelf met with the wall, and he blinked.Jackpot.He could see what appeared to be hinges on the top and bottom of one side of the bookshelf.Now, how to activate it?Sliding his gloved hands around, Alec didn't feel any sort of latch, and it probably wouldn't be something that needed brute strength to do since that would cause noise.Suddenly, Alec's eyes narrowed, and he pulled a book in the bookshelf, tugging it firmly. The book tilted backwards, but it never left the bookshelf completely.Alec's lips twitched. He always thought these were a myth.Just this one book was more worn than the others while the others only showed faint signs of yellowing from the oil that humans naturally carried on their fingertips.This one book, however legitimate it looked, didn't match the rest.There was a clank that wouldn't have been heard to normal human ears, but Alec heard it.Something unlatched, and the inside was hollow.Alec stepped back and tugged at the bookshelf. It slid forward easily without any sound, and he went around it.The inside of the place was a lot more lived-in compared to the outside house and didn't that say a lot for the owner of this place?Just how much was she hiding that she considered the secrets she was hiding her true self instead of her life outside?How much of it was fake and real?Alec shrugged it off. It wasn't like he was going to have anything to do with the Ross Clan after this. They could handle their own situation without his help.He took everything inside the room, rummaging about messily and overall leaving a mess in the place.He left behind all the notes about what she had to do with slave traders, as well as the various suspicious disappearances that had gone on in their city and basically everything about Travis.Originally, Blanche and Alec were not going to leave any trace behind, but the things that he read inside here made his temper flare.With a smile that didn't show how pissed he was, Alec called out to Blanche. "Big sister, let's go after I blast this bookshelf down."Blanche appeared behind him, raising a brow but nodding gracefully. "The rest of the house is practically untouched. The only place that's frequently used is the bathroom and the bedroom. The rest are just there for decoration. There isn't any evidence there either."Alec smiled. "I got it all."The System turned around, blasting down the bookshelf without any fanfare. He overturned a few things, and Blanche turned around to move a few things elsewhere as well.Then, Alec kicked half the front door down, making an earth-shattering bang in the middle of the celebratory feast.Judging by the sound of the feet thundering across the ground, the people of the Ross Clan should be here at any moment.Blanche grabbed Alec and quickly moved out from the clan compounds, and rather than returning back to the inn where Travis had checked in, it would be better for them to just leave the city instead.No doubt their actions would cause a great upheaval and sudden investigation into the clan's members.
