Leonard sent a message to the person who had originally inspected the car. The reply came quickly: they hadn''t found anything. They had only checked for


    bloodstains and missed other details.


    "Check again," Leonard instructed.


    Lysander chuckled, "We had such difficulty finding anyone useful before. It''s suspicious."


    Leonard was taken aback, "Weren''t we supposed to stop looking?"


    After all, this was likely a trap set by Rnd. Searching further would only waste time, and the people they had sent out were just aimlessly wandering.


    "Keep searching. I need to know what role she ys in this setup. Miranda doesn''t have the guts to hide someone on her own."


    With a smirk, Lysander nced in the direction of the upstairs, his voiceced with indifference, "Assign someone else to this task. You stay here and keep an eye on thedy. If she disappears, you can say goodbye to your position."


    "...Understood."


    ...


    M turned the room inside out, but she couldn''t find a single trace of a phone.


    She then fiddled with the door lock.


    She had barely started when she heard footsteps outside. She paused, waiting, but no one came in.


    It wasn''t like Lysander''s usual behavior.


    Testing the waters, she called out, "Leonard?"


    A soft voice came from outside, "Yes, it''s me."


    Hearing his voice, she connected it to the man who had covered her mouth and nose in the car earlier. She mmed her fist against the door, "Leonard, open this door!"


    Leonard stood outside, unmoving.


    Listening to the sounds from within, his usuallyposed demeanor faltered. He was transported back to that night seven years ago.


    The same winter, the same scenario.


    Separated by a door, M''s voice then had been tinged with a softer, clearer tone, crying and banging on the door. It was heart-wrenching.


    Back then, her pleas weren''t much different from now.


    ["Leonard, please, let me out. I''m scared, please..."]


    "Leonard, open the door!"


    The cries from seven years ago echoed through time, ovepping with the familiar, yet now furious, voice behind the door.


    Both were intense, deafening.


    Even someone as cold-hearted as Leonard felt a momentarypse, stepping back from the door. A sudden urge to smoke overwhelmed him, but when he reached for his pocket, it was empty. His usually steady hands, ustomed to holding a gun, trembled slightly.


    Indeed, seven years ago, Mr. Montgomery had banned smoking across the entire family. Over time, Leonard had quit too.


    "I can''t open it, ma''am," Leonard finally spoke, his voice hoarse, yet his decision unchanged from seven years ago.


    Silence followed from inside the room.


    Standing behind the door, M heard Leonard''s words and stopped banging, her eyes distant.


    Such a strong resemnce.


    Familiar memories surfaced, making her heart race.


    Suppressing the unwanted memories, she mmed the door once more, her eyes icy, but her voice softened.


    "Leonard, please. Just give me a phone, any phone. I need to exin to my family and friends. You know I won''t run."


    Leonard was well aware of Lysander''s maniptive ways. Once someone went upstairs, they wouldn''t leave empty-handed, but he had never forbidden her from contacting the outside.


    Moreover...


    A momentter, M heard a voice from outside, "Step back a bit."


    Sheplied, stepping away from the door. A small gap opened, and Leonard''s gaze met hers briefly before he averted his eyes, handing a phone through the opening.


    Without looking at him, she snatched the phone and mmed the door shut.