The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1286

Alas, Adriana couldn't quite grasp the man's point. "Why are you speaking so ambiguously? Oh, forget it... As long as they're safe and sound, nothing else matters."

With that, she glanced at the time and hastily headed upstairs.

"I have a video conference coming up shortly. You'll have to entertain yourself for a while."

Chad looked up to see her disappear around the stairwell corner before smiling and walking to the balcony. The next second, his smile faded, and he suddenly spoke up. "Come out."

In an instant, Charles and Zephyr appeared beside him, completely silent and stealthy like phantoms.

"Mr. Gordon, are you sure you don't need us to follow Ms. Garcia?" Zephyr asked worriedly.

Chad glanced at him. "I know you're worried about her, but there's really no need. She has someone else protecting her."

"Mr. Beauvort is alone and has limited strength, though," Zephyr replied with furrowed brows. "If he encounters a large group of people, it will be difficult to ensure Ms. Garcia's safety."

A faint smile tugged at Chad's lips. "He's not the only one."

Zephyr, however, was still confused. "What?"

Instead of answering, Chad turned to Charles. "Have you found anything out? How did Jean get into Phison?"

Charles, who had long been waiting to share his report, instantly replied, "Yes, I've looked into it. Mr. Beauvort didn't just arrive in Phison recently. In fact, he had already left Kingsview more than half a month ago. It was said that he took a private plane, but his destination was unknown. At the same time, a private plane landed at an airport on the west coast of Phison, except it wasn't registered in the system, and there were no records of anyone entering or leaving, either. As for Mr. Beauvort's claim that he took advantage of the Gordon family's power and influence, I couldn't find any evidence to substantiate it. I've carefully investigated all entrances and exits, including the small docks, but there's no record of Mr. Beauvort's movements anywhere."

Upon hearing that, Zephyr froze.

"How is that possible... Phison has stringent security measures, so no matter who it is, their movements will be recorded in the state's system. How can he possibly be an exception?"

Charles nodded. "It's absolutely true."

"Well, this is interesting..." Chad murmured, his mind whirring with ideas. "There's no way he can appear out of thin air, nor can he come and go like a ghost. The only plausible explanation is that someone is covering his tracks for him."

"Someone, huh?" Zephyr replied while giving it some thought. "Are you suggesting that Mr. Beauvort has connections with the people of Phison?"

"I suppose so. If he truly has connections here, then his status in Phison is definitely beyond the reach of the common folk. After all, there aren't many people in Phison who can reach into the system controlled by the neutral faction."

Zephyr finally understood the situation and widened his eyes in astonishment.

"So, are you saying that someone from Phison has been secretly protecting Mr. Beauvort? Who could that person be, though? And why hasn't Mr. Beauvort ever mentioned this?" he asked, keenly grasping the crux of what Charles said. "Moreover, if we speculate that Mr. Beauvort left Kingsview by private jet and came here, wouldn't that mean he arrived just two days after Ms. Garcia? In that case, why didn't he go to her directly? Why did he choose to hide for such a long time before appearing? This doesn't make sense."

"This isn't the only thing that doesn't make sense," Chad quipped before sitting on the lounge chair and leaning against the backrest.

As he casually rested his arms on the armrest, his fingers tapped away rhythmically from time to time, and it was clear to see he was deep in thought.

"The relationship between Lordsworth Estate and Bartitsu Guild has always been tense, with both sides seeing each other as adversaries. Neera's appearance, however, managed to stir up trouble between these two powers that had never interacted with each other before. Judging by how the Gordon family also benefited from this, it's evident that this is what Lordsworth Estate's lord had intended," Chad reasoned. "That said, there's something I can't quite wrap my mind around. Even if Neera had saved Jean's life, is there a need for him to go to such lengths? He was willing to destroy barriers, abandon his principles, and assist a force under Bartitsu Guild just for her... Let's not forget that District 21 to District 25 have always been hotly contested. Lordsworth Estate has been coveting them for many years and has never given up on their pursuit. This time, they marched into the mountains with great fanfare, and all the prominent families were there to protect Neera. They even willingly handed the most crucial white flag to her. Even if it's to repay a favor, don't you think the price is overly steep? Can you believe someone would go to such extreme lengths for another person they've hardly ever interacted with?"

Unable to fully understand what Chad had meant, Zephyr and Charles exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

Chad, on the other hand, still had many questions, which he threw out all at once.

"Judging by this lord's actions, it seems he holds our Neera in high regard, to the point where she's almost his top priority. What's puzzling, though, is why he hasn't appeared before her since she has been here for a while. If he truly wanted to express his gratitude, wouldn't it be more sincere to do it in person? Even if he wanted to maintain an air of mystery, he could've sent someone to invite Neera over and thank her privately. However, he didn't. Even Neera herself is in the dark about the lord's true identity. Why has he done so much yet missed this crucial step?"

Charles immediately understood what Chad was insinuating. "Mr. Gordon, do you think this lord is avoiding Ms. Garcia intentionally?"

Chad nodded. "That's right. He's determined to help Neera, yet he refuses to show himself to her. The only plausible explanation is that he doesn't want to see her," he said before pondering for a moment. "Or... Maybe it's not that he doesn't want to see, but rather... He can't see her."