Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Ella Bailey finally relaxed her tense body, standing faster than Sophia. "You're back at last. I need to talk to you," she said firmly. "Tina, come play with me!" Sophia cried out as she threw herself at Tina, clutching her leg and whining in a sweet, childish voice.

Jared, who had trailed in behind them, was completely ignored. It wasn't until Marie, the housekeeper preparing dinner, addressed him that anyone acknowledged his presence. "Why are you all standing around? Jared, you too. Your wife works so hard outside, and you let her stand here chatting with Ella? Can't you even notice that?"

"Tina, come sit down," Marie added with a gesture.

Jared sighed inwardly. She might as well not have greeted me at all.

"Mom, we have something to discuss. We'll head upstairs for a bit," Jared explained.

Tina was used to this treatment. Smiling, she replied to Marie, "It's fine. Thank you, Marie." She then crouched down to Sophia's level and said gently, "Sophia, I'll play with you later. I have something to take care of right now."

Tina, Jared, and Ella Bailey then made their way to the elevator and went up to Jared's study in the Farrell Manor.

Unlike the old-fashioned, antique-filled study of the elder Mr. Farrell, Jared's study was starkly modern and eerily empty. However, it was the best soundproofed room in the entire villa.

No one knew what the three of them discussed inside.

What was clear was that, upon returning from the Farrell family estate, Ella Bailey stormed into Luke Gill's laboratory. "Tina's agreed. The trial's been pushed back three days. If you've got any plans, now's the time to act. Don't say I didn't warn you," she said sharply.

"Just three days?" Luke Gill responded without lifting his eyes from the microscope he was peering into. His brow furrowed slightly. "I thought you'd at least get me a week."

His tone carried a hint of sarcasm, with seven parts disappointment, and it was like a spark igniting a firecracker in Ella Bailey's mind.

Her voice rose a few decibels. "You should be grateful I even got three days! A week? Why don't you go negotiate with Tina yourself?!"

"I had to resort to begging, crying, and even moral blackmail to get her to agree to this! Instead of thanking me, you're complaining? Next time, go do it yourself! I bet if you manage to get even a single day, I'll do whatever you want!" Luke Gill ignored her rant, his tone calm and detached. "There won't be a next time. This time, I'll make sure to crush Jared and Tina completely beneath my feet."

Ella Bailey's fingers twitched as she sneered. "The sun hasn't even set, and you're already daydreaming? You think you can take down Jared? You couldn't even handle someone like Victor without groveling! What makes you think you're capable of going up against Jared? You think life's just a game where everything goes your way?"

Luke Gill paused for a moment before adjusting the microscope. He raised his head, his eyes scrutinizing Ella Bailey's expression. His face was hidden behind a mask, but his gaze was sharp.

"You seem to hold Jared in high regard. Why? You spent two days with the Farrell family, and now you think you know him so well? Enough to believe he's more capable than Victor?"Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

Ella Bailey's expression didn't falter. "What's it to you? I just think the Farrell family is stronger than the Bailey family, and Jared is better than Victor. Got a problem with that?" "No problem."

Luke Gill seemed to accept her words, turning his attention back to his work. "You can think whatever you want. After all, you're my wife."

His voice carried an inexplicably cheerful lilt.

Ella Bailey shivered slightly and instinctively moved closer to Woods, who was standing nearby. "Stop disgusting me! Now tell me-where's my mother?"

Luke Gill dropped a solution into a colorful, bubbling liquid. When the mixture fizzled out, he clicked his tongue in frustration and set the beaker aside. "Why are you in such a hurry? Once everything is over, I'll tell you. Right now, it's not the time."

"You're lying to me!" Ella Bailey snapped.

"I'm not." Luke Gill denied it immediately. "I never said I'd tell you as soon as you delayed the trial."

Ella Bailey's anger flared, a fire burning uncontrollably in her chest. She clenched her teeth, glaring at Luke Gill. She had suspected from the start that he didn't know where her mother was. But seeing the smug, self-assured look on his face, sh couldn't suppress her rage.

Dog of a man!

He thought he was so clever.

She let out a cold laugh. "Luke Gill, you'd better pray you never fall into my hands. If you do, I'll make sure you pay dearly!" With that, she stormed out, leaving her threat hanging in the air.

Luke Gill didn't move until her figure disappeared from sight. He stared in the direction she had gone, his expression unreadable.

But inwardly, he found himself enjoying the look she had just given him-fierce, angry, yet utterly unable to do anything to him.

His lips curved into a faint, ambiguous smile.

Unfortunately, the laboratory was filled with men. And even if they had been present, none of them would have been charmed by a man's smile.

In fact, when a group of assistants entered after dinner and saw Luke Gill smiling like that, they shuddered involuntarily. They glanced behind them, half-expecting to see a ghost.

"Mr. Gill..." one of Victor's men stammered, assigned to assist Luke Gill. "What... what are you looking at?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, Luke Gill turned back to them. He didn't hide the fact that Ella Bailey had been there. Instead, he bolstered his image as a devoted husband. "Nothing. My wife was here earlier, just while you were eating. She left not long ago. Didn't you run into her?"

Luke Gill's wife-Bailey's daughter?!

Everyone knew a bit about Luke Gill's background, and their surprise outweighed any curiosity.

"I... I didn't realize you and Miss Bailey were so close," one of them managed to say, his voice tinged with astonishment. "I thought marriages like yours were just..."

Luke Gill pretended not to notice the probing tone. Smiling contentedly, he replied, "Feelings grow over time. Ella is a very lovely girl."

Satisfied that he had established his image, Luke Gill shook the vial in his hand. "This experiment failed again. I've identified the problem. Take a look, and we'll start the next round soon."

In truth, without anyone from the Bailey family present, Luke Gill held the most authority in the lab.

Seeing that he wasn't in the mood to discuss personal matters further, the group quickly fell in line, responding to his instructions and focusing on the next experiment. Meanwhile...

At the Farrell family estate, Tina and Jared had rested briefly before heading to the courthouse. They were now seated with Elsa at the plaintiff's table.

After a day and night of public speculation, online sentiment had largely shifted in their favor. Phil Walker's anxiety had reached new heights.

Knowing Victor wouldn't help him only made things worse. He couldn't sleep, pacing restlessly like a man on the edge.

Though it had only been a few days, Elsa thought he looked like a completely different person. Not that she cared.

Someone like Phil Walker deserved every misfortune the world could throw at him. It was only fair, after all the suffering he had caused her in-laws over the years. "All rise!" the bailiff announced, signaling the start of the trial.