?Chapter 808:


    Just then, Professor Ritchie’s cell phone vibrated sharply on the console. His focus shattered. Annoyed, he reached for it—but the moment he saw the caller ID, his entire body froze. His eyes went wide with shock.


    Luca’s chest tightened as he watched through the ss. Professor Ritchie’s face drained of color. His hand trembled as he answered the call, lips pressed into a thin line. From where he stood, Luca couldn’t hear the words. But he could see the fear—the disbelief—etched into Professor Ritchie’s expression.


    “What’s wrong?” Luca called, panic rising in his throat.


    The film was so close to being developed. Yet one phone call had rattled Professor Ritchie to his very core. Who could be on the other end of that line?


    Inside the room, Professor Ritchie’s body went rigid. All strength seemed to drain from him as his phone slipped from his trembling hand, hitting the cold workbench with a sharp tter.


    He turned slowly toward the ss window, eyes wide with terror as he looked at Luca. His lips quivered. “He… he’s still alive…”


    Luca’s brows knitted. Who was still alive? What did it have to do with the evidence?


    “Professor Ritchie, the most important thing right now is to finish analyzing that film and develop the photos!” Luca urged firmly.


    But Professor Ritchie didn’t seem to hear him. His raspy voice trembled as he forced the words out. “Harold… Harold Ellsworth… he called me…”


    “What?” Luca froze in disbelief. His eyes locked onto Professor Ritchie’s pale face.


    Harold Ellsworth? Curtis’ father? The man everyone believed had died years ago. Curtis himself had attended his funeral—how could this be possible?


    Luca steadied himself and asked, voice low and urgent, “What did he say to you?”


    Professor Ritchie’s eyes were ssy, still trapped in shock. He lifted a trembling finger and pointed at the erged image glowing on the screen. “He said… don’t touch the pattern on the film. Once it gets on your skin, it can’t be erased. He said he’s been hiding for more than ten years, and even now, he still can’t get rid of it.”


    “The pattern?” Luca’s expression shifted, his eyes turning razor-sharp in an instant as he snapped his gaze toward the small film canister in the operating room, every muscle in his body going rigid.<fn985a> Latest content published on Find~Novel</fn985a>


    William had mentioned that the strange symbols and letters were tied to Alonzo.


    If the caller really was Harold, and if his words were true, did that mean Harold had been hunted by Alonzo’s men all these years, forced to fake his death just to survive?


    But why appear now? Why leave such a clue?


    And how did he even know about the film in their possession?


    The mystery only deepened. Luca knew he couldn’t figure it out on his own. The only choice was to tell William everything—and wait for his instruction.


    The next evening, the Carter mansion was aglow.


    The hall bustled with dinner preparations. Ste, in a pearl-white knee-length dress, stood quietly at the edge of the room, detached from the lively scene around her.


    She held a full ss of champagne, her expression distant, already weary of the event and silently plotting an excuse to slip away early.


    Since it was a family gathering, the number of guests was small. Despite that, every minute there felt suffocating.


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