The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1003

Neera felt as if she had been immersed in a jar of honey, where all her bitterness and fatigue were enveloped by the sweetness of the honey, transforming into delight. “I get it. With you by my side, I feel at ease. I always feel like I have endless energy. You are my greatest motivation!”

Jean raised an eyebrow, suddenly leaned in, and whispered in her ear, “If you have energy to spare, feel free to share some with me. I'd be more than happy to do something meaningful with you.”

Grasping what he was implying, Neera blushed instantly, pushing him away. “Y-You're acting like a hooligan under broad daylight!”

He gracefully reclined, lounging lazily against the couch, his eyes brimming with laughter. “This is the first time someone's called me a hooligan, but rest assured. I only behave like this around you.”

Neera simply couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she covered his mouth with her hand. “Would you just shut up!”

Her cheeks, as fair as snow, were tinged with rosy blushes. Her starry eyes sparkled with a hint of annoyance, shimmering like ripples on water, giving her an appearance that was both adorable and alluring.

Jean couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart as he watched, and he couldn't resist giving her palm a gentle kiss.

Neera, as if scalded, quickly withdrew her hand.

Jean wouldn't let her run away. He grabbed her hand and laughed, saying, “Where do you think you're going? What I mean is, as long as I'm with you, everything we do becomes meaningful.”

After he finished speaking, he knew when to stop. He took her hand and helped her to her feet. “Let's go. It's time to eat. Don't we still have a lot of work to do? We should make the most of the daytime. Remember, no working past eleven at night.”

Neera pouted. “Understood.”

After having breakfast, she headed straight to the research center.

The condition of Franklin remained the same as yesterday. He still hadn't woken up.

After reminding the medical staff to take extra care of him, she went into the office and began to sift through a vast amount of information, trying to glean useful insights.

Isabella also made a visit.

Seeing her grandfather's condition, she couldn't help but shed tears. Sorrow and resentment churned within her. “Grandpa used to be so full of life, but now he's been reduced to this state by those scumbags... They truly have no conscience! If only I could have been more vigilant, maybe this wouldn't have happened.”

Neera handed her a tissue. “This isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. They've had ill intentions for a long time, and they'll stop at nothing for their own gain. Even if you were on guard, you couldn't have stopped them.”

“I know, but seeing Grandpa like this is heartbreaking...”

Understanding her state, Neera poured her a cup of warm water. She waited for her emotions to settle before asking, “How's your progress? Have you found anything?”

Isabella sniffed, speaking in a muffled voice. “There's been some progress. Apart from my uncle Harris's assistant, we've also identified two additional suspects. You're right. One of them is the person you mentioned before, the one from the pharmacy. The other one is Alvin's assistant.”

Whenever Alvin was mentioned, Isabella's tone would be tinged with anger. “These past few years, Alvin has been constantly scheming behind my back. The management team has been infiltrated to some extent. Out of familial consideration, I've turned a blind eye. Little did I know, I was actually fostering evil!”

Neera had known from the start that Alvin was not one to stay put, so this situation did not surprise her.

“When can we secure the evidence?”

“It's unclear. It could take a few days at the earliest. They are very cautious in their actions. Waiting for them to slip up is not an easy task.”

Seeing her in low spirits, Neera took her hand, comforting her with a gentle voice, “No worries. We'll take it slow. No matter what, we won't let them succeed.”

Isabella felt somewhat touched. “Okay.”

At two in the afternoon, Isabella left.

Neera was about to continue her research when she suddenly received a call from an unknown number.

She picked up the phone with a puzzled expression. “Hello, may I ask who's calling?”

A somewhat familiar voice came through. “Baby girl, is that you? Why haven't you come home yet? Are you still working overtime?”

Neera immediately recalled the old lady she met a few days ago. The caller was Mariah. I didn't expect this old lady to still be thinking about me.

She was a bit surprised, but she still patiently coaxed her, “Yes. I'm still busy, you—”

Upon hearing those words, Mariah suddenly became emotional. “No, baby girl. You're lying to me! You haven't come home for so many days. You never planned to return, did you? You don't want to see me. You're still blaming me.”

Taken aback, Neera quickly denied, “No, I'm not lying to you. I swear. If you don't believe me, we can video call.”

As she spoke, she faintly heard the angry cursing of an unfamiliar man on the other end of the line. “Are you blind? You old hag! You bumped into someone and can't even apologize... Such bad luck!”

Not only that, but she also heard the sound of cars passing by.

Neera sensed something was amiss, a bad premonition rising in her heart. “Aren't you at home? Where are you now? Who's with you?”

Mariah was already sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm alone. I want to find you. You haven't come back. It's been so long, so I want to bring you home.”

Neera's heart sank. Why is she running around on her own?

She quickly asked, “How long have you been out?”

Mariah continued to cry like a helpless child. “So, so long. Once lunch was over, I noticed that you still hadn't returned, so I decided to look for you... to bring you home for a meal together, but I've walked so far and still can't find you. Baby girl, where are you? Please, come home with me. I miss you so much...”