Chapter 691

Where is Tiffany? Richard panicked. He searched the bedroom, then rushed downstairs. The servant on duty was dozing when she saw a tall figure rush down. Startled awake, she stood respectfully, asking, “Mr. Hampton, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Where is my wife?” Richard’s grim face looked intimidating and terrifying.

The servant was shocked. She stuttered, “Mrs. Hampton? After she returned, she stayed in her room and hasn’t come out.” Unsure if she’d answered correctly, she hesitated, adding, “Mr. Hampton, what’s wrong? Is Mrs. Hampton missing?”

Richard didn’t respond; the cold aura around him intensified. He strode from the villa. Outside, Garry and John, who were chatting, froze at his sight.

“What… what happened?”

Richard ignored them, entered his car, and drove off. The engine roared in the still night. He sped away from Royal Bay at breakneck speed. Behind him, Garry and John, recovering from their shock, quickly got into another car to follow.

Neither of them felt like joking. They were confused and concerned. Moments before, everything had seemed fine, but it had taken a sharp turn for the worse. Remembering Richard’s menacing exit, their faces grew serious. The last time they’d seen him like this was at the engagement party when Felix had hypnotized Tiffany and stabbed him. Seeing him like this again, they feared something was terribly wrong.

They floored the accelerator, but couldn't catch up.

At Luna Villa, the bright moonlight illuminated the branches. The stillness was broken by screeching tires. Richard slammed on the brakes and got out.

The villa was dark, every window shut tight, feeling like an unspoken rejection. As he stepped forward, the iron gate triggered a warning alarm, followed by the flashing lights of an electric fence. The villa was surrounded by a high-tech security system; like a heavily guarded prison, it was impenetrable, even to Richard.

He lowered his gaze. He’d installed the advanced security system himself, worried about Tiffany’s safety, fearing someone like Felix or others with special abilities might threaten her. This system was supposed to ensure no one could break in. Yet, the first person blocked was himself.

Richard leaned against his car. He looked toward Tiffany’s bedroom, but saw only tightly drawn curtains, no light peeking through, as if she were already asleep.

A few minutes later, Garry and John arrived, finding Richard waiting. They were stunned. “Richard?” “Mr. Hampton?”

They’d never seen him like this. His usually dignified figure was shrouded in darkness; the man usually above everyone else appeared alone and utterly pitiful.

Garry and John exchanged a glance and approached, ready to ring the doorbell. But Richard, without lifting his head, coldly said, “Get lost.”

A chill ran down their spines. They wanted to say much, but his cold gaze silenced them. They mumbled, “Yes,” and got into their cars to leave.

Unable to shake their concern, they stopped two miles away. After a brief discussion, they decided to call Sidney. “What should we do?”

Sidney rubbed his head, sighing after hearing the news. “You should go back. Outsiders can’t interfere with their relationship; we’ll only make things worse.” Especially since they didn’t know the full context.

Garry agreed, suppressing his worries, and headed back to Royal Bay.

Back at the scene, Richard called Tiffany repeatedly, but all calls went unanswered.

Sitting on her large bed, Tiffany had only one lamp on, casting a dim yellow glow. Despite the warm light, she felt a deep chill, as though her heart were sinking in the cold depths of the sea. Her phone vibrated again—the seventeenth call.

Tiffany took a deep breath and, just as the battery was nearly depleted, answered.

Downstairs, Richard froze, thinking this call would also go unanswered. Still, it was better than no answer at all.

Richard said, “Darling.”

His magnetic voice reached her, and her hand trembled. Yet, her voice was unnervingly calm. “Mr. Hampton, is there something you need?”

Hearing the polite, distant address, Richard frowned. His usually handsome face now carried helplessness and restraint.

After a brief silence, he spoke. “Are you not going to ask me anything? Are you just sentencing me without knowing the truth?”

Tiffany laughed sarcastically. Back at Kajus’s castle, she’d asked him once after hearing Cecelia’s words, but his response had been denial and avoidance. She’d gotten the answer from the Treasure Box. There was no point in asking further.

With a bitter laugh, Tiffany said, “Let it be.”

She was about to hang up when Richard interrupted. “I want to know why you’re angry, why you won’t see me, why you left me.”

“Do you want to know?” Tiffany took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration. “Then let me ask you one question first. Who is Jennie Vallgren?”

Her fingers turned white as she gripped the phone. She was waiting for the answer that would humiliate her further.

Richard fell silent. Seconds stretched. Finally, he said hoarsely, “Let me explain. She…”

Before he could finish, the call was abruptly cut off. When he tried again, it went unanswered. Richard stared toward Luna Villa’s second floor and frowned. Tiffany’s phone had powered off automatically.

Tiffany exhaled, perhaps relieved the phone had shut off, sparing her from hearing things she didn’t want to know, preventing her from losing her last shred of dignity. She tossed the phone aside and lay down.

As she closed her eyes, memories of her time with Richard flooded her mind. She’d once vowed to forever believe in him. She had. But after hearing what the Treasure Box had told her, she realized all his kindness had been because of another woman. All those sweet moments were now cruel mockery.

(The final "past six" and "SEND GIFT" appear to be unrelated text and have been omitted.)