Jonah stepped forward and picked up the phone from the table. It was covered in a thickyer of dust. Beneath it, a folded piece of paper caught his eye.


    Lily picked it up and read it aloud. Scarlett said, "I don''t care for phones with trackers. Having a family like you is the worst luck imaginable!"


    Jonah snatched the note from her hands, crumpling it angrily in his fist.


    "Scarlett really doesn''t care about us at all! Even if the ce she''s living in is rough, couldn''t she have just told us?


    "She insists on suffering out there, waiting for us to find her. Does she seriously think we''d feel sorry for her? Ha! Hrious! I won''t feel sorry for her, not one bit!"


    Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache beginning to form. "Go upstairs and tidy up a room. We''re bringing Scarlett back."


    Jonah struggled to hold back his anger. "Jonathan, Scarlett''s the one who ran away and said all those awful things! She doesn''t even consider us family! Why should we bring her back?


    "If we bring her back, won''t it show that the Quinn family actually cares about her? I can''t stand that self-righteous, scheming girl!"


    Jonathan sighed. Though they were wrong for putting a tracker on her phone, she shouldn''t have said such harsh words.


    Scarlett had picked up all sorts of rough habits from the countryside. She could casually say the most vile and unpleasant things.


    Indeed, they couldn''t let her think the Quinn family was desperate for her.


    That would only give her more confidence, and who knew what other hurtful things she might say in the future to harm them?


    "Then let her stay out there a little longer. But we need to prepare a proper room for her. When shees back and apologizes, she can''t be allowed to live in such a terrible ce again."


    When Scarlett left, she''dined about the storage room she was staying in, saying it was dirty and messy, but they hadn''t taken herints seriously.


    This was the Quinn residence, home to the wealthiest family in Yendale, covering several thousand square meters in the heart of the city, wherend was incredibly expensive.


    Even the dirtiest, most cluttered storage room would be a thousand times better than the small, cramped space she used to live in.


    But who could have guessed that this storage room wasn''t just dirty and messy? It was also dark and cramped...


    "Jonah, make sure to check on Scarlett more at school. Don''t let her get bullied too much."


    If their sister was bullied too severely, it would be a disgrace to the Quinn family. Jonah nodded.


    Jonathan added, "Some important figures are expected toe to Yendale soon, so keep a low profile."


    The Quinn family had only risen to prominence as the wealthiest in the region in recent years.


    It was said that decades ago, a powerful n had once called Yendale home. This family not only had ties to high-ranking government officials but also to the wealthiest individuals in the world, ever controlling the nation''s financial pulse.


    Not even ten Quinn familiesbined could rival such a colossal entity.


    Yet, for reasons unknown, this influential family had vanished overnight. Even someone as well-connected in the business world as Jonathan knew very little about what had happened.


    Jonah asked curiously, "Is something going on in Yendaletely? I haven''t heard anything about a national conference being held here!"


    "It''s not a national conference. Yendale hasn''t hosted one in decades, and it''s not going to anytime soon."


    "That''s strange," Jonah said, thinking aloud. "Yendale''s doing really well. Cities less developed than ours have hosted national conferences several times.


    "Why does Yendale always get overlooked? I can''t shake the feeling the government is wary of something, but that can''t be it!"


    "It''s probably because of that powerful family that disappeared decades ago. I don''t know the full details, but it seems like anyone who tried to dig into it was silenced. The government is still a bit cautious."


    Jonah''s eyes widened in shock. "They''re still wary after all these years? That


    family must have been incredibly influential back then!"


    "Hmm." After a brief pause, he continued, "The key figuresing to Yendale this time seem to have some connection to that family haven''t fully figured out what''s going on in Yendale that''s drawing them here."


    BUMS


    "Drawing them here?" Jonah''s expression darkened. "You don''t think they''re nning to take over Yendale and snatch our top spot, do you?"


    Jonathan gave Jonah a light tap on the head, irritated. "Those big shots are the wealthiest in their own provinces and cities. Why would they care about our title in Yendale?


    "Just remember... if you run into anyone with thest names Stroud, Gaztrict, or Lancaster... stay clear. There are families we simply can''t afford to mess with."


    Jonah rubbed his head, unease settling in.