So she didn’t see Nelson retreating. “You guessed right, but that’s all I can do. Now we’re even.”
Charlotte was left empty-handed.
Entering the study, Callie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “What are you doing in the study?”
Jaquan took off his coat to cover the nearby surveillance camera and started searching the study. “I used to live with the Ellison family for a while. Once, I accidentally triggered a mechanism here and went to the basement you mentioned. I wonder if it’s the same one.”
Callie raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to help search.
Jaquan spoke softly, “How long has Regan been abused?”
“For a while now. I once introduced her to a psychologist. She said it worked well, and I thought it would make her life better. But I didn’t expect Isaac to still be hitting her.”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
Jaquan sneered, “You should have introduced that psychologist to Isaac instead.”
He tried to turn a potted plant in the corner but couldn’t move it.
“I didn’t expect him to look so refined but be such a beast in private.” Although Jaquan was known for his flirtatious nature and treating women as playthings, he never hit women.
Callie was extremely anxious; every minute of delay meant more danger for Regan.
Downstairs, the garden was still lively with singing and dancing, and conversations continued as if it were another world.
They searched for twenty minutes without finding anything. Then someone knocked on the door from outside. It was Sienna. “Jaquan, is everything done? Is there any problem? Do you need help?”
Jaquan and Callie exchanged a glance.
A minute later, Jaquan opened the study door. “Sienna, not yet. It’s a bit tricky.”
Sienna seemed to understand partially and looked inside through the gap. Callie, wearing a mask, was busy typing on the computer.
“Oh, I was just worried about you. Do you need me to get Ahmad to take a look?”
“I wouldn’t dare trouble Ahmad with this. Don’t worry, I can handle it,” Jaquan replied.
At this moment, Marilyn had changed her clothes and came downstairs. Seeing Sienna talking to Jaquan, she frowned. “Mother, what are you doing?”
Hearing this address, Callie stiffened.
“Nothing, just talking to Jaquan.”
Marilyn frowned and asked him, “What are you doing in the study?”
“Business.” The concise answer made Marilyn stop asking further questions.
The study door closed again. Callie stood up abruptly. “Do you think Sienna knows about Regan’s abuse?”
Jaquan shook his head. “Probably not. She didn’t come back when they got married, and she’s not the type to stand by idly.”
Hearing it, Callie inexplicably felt relieved.
They continued searching for the mechanism. Callie flipped through the books on the shelf and found one that wasn’t a real book. She frowned and tried to turn it, and it actually worked.
At that moment, the sides of the bookshelf opened automatically, revealing a door.
Jaquan and Callie exchanged a glance. “The basement!”
The basement was dimly lit and had thin air. It took them five minutes of walking down stairs to reach the bottom. The area was large but well-equipped with food and water. Further inside, the light was even dimmer.
Jaquan picked up a club casually and observed around.
“Regan?” Callie called out cautiously.
They heard faint breathing sounds.