?Chapter 2827:


    “Thank you for your hard work.”


    This case would steal his nights as much as theirs. For Joy and Locke’s sake, she meant it sincerely.


    “Thank you. Truly,” she added, her voice low with restrained gratitude—though to Ellis, it felt distant, and it stung.


    “No thanks needed.” He shook his head.


    “Officially, this is my duty. Personally, your troubles are mine as well.”


    He gave her a long, meaningful look.


    “Take care…”


    Just then, Eric appeared from inside.


    “Ahem.” His deliberate cough broke the moment.


    Hadley turned toward him, puzzled.


    “Eric?”


    “Mr. Scott?” Ellis echoed, equally surprised.


    Eric shifted slightly, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets. This was no time for jealousy, though a faint flicker still stirred in his chest.


    “Thing is,” he said evenly, “I have a theory. I’m not sure if it holds water, though.”


    “Oh?” Ellis straightened at once.


    “Go on.”


    At this stage, anything—no matter how small—could open a door.


    “Well…” Eric half-closed his eyes, sifting through old memories.


    “I was nine, and I’d tried to escape from the Scott family so many times. I always failed. But that one time I did get out—it felt… too easy.”


    “You mean…” Ellis’ brows furrowed.


    “Someone deliberately let you escape?”


    “It’s possible, isn’t it?”


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    “Yes.” Ellis nodded gravely.


    “And one more thing…” Eric’s gaze darkened.


    “Soon after I escaped from home, I was abducted by traffickers…”


    He let the implication hang in the air.


    “Come to think of it—doesn’t that sound suspicious to you?”


    Eric’s brows furrowed as memories of the past weighed heavily on his mind.


    “I was just a boy then—too young, too blind to grasp the undercurrents within the family… But looking back now, I can’t help wondering. Was I already a thorn in someone’s side even back then? Could it be that…”


    His voice dropped into a contemtive murmur.


    “What if someone deliberately set me free… only to have me taken by human traffickerster as part of their n?”


    “You mean…” Ellis’ gaze sharpened as a name surfaced in his mind.


    “Gifford?”


    Eric gave a slow nod.


    “It’s only a suspicion.”


    “This isn’t mere suspicion,” Ellis retorted firmly.


    “It’s a logical conclusion. Considering how many times Gifford has targeted you, the likelihood is high. Mr. Scott…”


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