Quennel called Hannah and told her that Lionel had gone to Roxa to catch Sandra, but she had managed to escape.


    Hannah wasn''t the least bit surprised.


    "I thought you''d be furious when I told you, that you''d want to chew him out. I never expected you to be so calm. It''s quite surprising," Quennel remarked, taken aback by herck of an angry outburst.


    Hannah offered a faint smile. “He went to Roxa, which means he must have already known where Sandra was staying. He probably went straight to her ce after his flightnded and might have even seen her. The only reason he didn''t catch her is because he let his guard down. He trusted her again, and she got away. I know him too well. I know what he''s like. He''ll believe anything anyone tells him."


    Lionel wouldn''t have gone to Roxa so rashly without investigating first.


    Quennel considered her analysis and found it quite usible.


    "Besides that, do you think it''s possible he was caught off guard, that he went there unprepared? Or maybe Sandra found out he wasing and fled before he arrived?"


    Hannah''s gaze lowered slightly, and she didn''t respond right away.


    After all, they had no idea what the situation was really like over there; everything was just spection.


    Perhaps he had genuinely tried to find her but was simply unlucky. Or perhaps he had just gone there for a vacation, didn''t even look for her, and made up an excuse.


    "Quennel, whether he was serious about finding her or not, it has nothing to do with us. We don''t know what happened, so there''s no point in making excuses for him. We only care about the result."


    Quennel nodded in agreement. "You''re right. I didn''t call to make excuses for him, I just wanted to let you know what happened. You know I''m on your side, not his."


    "I know that. I would never confuse you with him."


    After asking a few more questions about the recent online drama, Quennel hung up.


    After the call ended, Hannah and Samuel sat in silence, looking at each other. After about ten seconds, Samuel finally spoke.


    "Do you think we can trust what he says?"


    Hannah''s lips tightened into a thin line.


    "I used to believe every word he said. Even when Sandra imed he was the one who drugged me back then,


    I never doubted


    him. But now, now


    I''m starting to wonder if I should


    believe him at all."


    Just before Quennel''s call, they had received several photos from Sandra.


    They had already been authenticated; they were real, not photoshopped.


    They were about to discuss the meaning of the photos when Quennel called, which only made things more confusing. Could his words be trusted?  fo


    Sandra had sent several pictures.


    One showed Quennel handing her a small bottle of liquid.


    Another showed her pouring the contents of the bottle into a ss of water.


    Thest one showed her putting something into a different ss.


    The ss in the photos was one Hannah recognized instantly. It was the same one Sandra had used to give her a drink that day the very hat had made her body feel so


    strange.