All Her Secrets

Chapter 796 A Similar Feeling Catherine hung up the phone and returned. She found Carlo and Francis looking incredibly odd. They stole glances at her and communicated only through eye contact. They didn't dare to speak.

Catherine scanned the two of them with a cold eye before seating herself nearby. "Don't worry. I straightened things out with Branden. It's not on you."

As soon as she said that, their tense expressions relaxed. Carlo let out a long sigh of relief. He looked at Catherine with gratitude. "Miss Swann, thank you."

"No need," Catherine said coldly and shut down further conversation. She was about to leave when Francis's phone rang. She paused and planned to wait until Francis's call ended to inquire about the situation before leaving.

"Damn it! They're so cunning!" Francis cursed after ending the call. Seeing his disturbed state, Carlo signaled to remind Francis that Catherine was still there.

Francis realized this and quickly apologized to Catherine, "Sorry, Miss Swann. I lost my cool earlier."

Catherine shrugged it off. She'd seen worse from Zobber and the others while they were with her. Profanity was nothing new. What concerned her more was who called and what was said during the conversation. "Was it about the investigation?"

Francis didn't deny it. Catherine's status exempted her from secrets. "

Miss Swann, it's an update from the field. Our team arrived at the scene per Mr. Branden's orders but found it empty. It's been cleaned out completely without a trace left."

They were incredibly swift. The reason for Francis's anger was evident. Both he and Carlo had gotten injured from investigating this, and now the other side not only evaded confrontation but also cleaned up everything and left no leads. Without valuable leads, their injuries were for nothing.

"Give me the coordinates," Catherine said.

"Miss Swann, are you planning to go yourself?" Carlo asked with surprise.

Catherine didn't respond, but her silence spoke volumes.

Carlo and Francis exchanged glances and finally came to a decision. Carlo offered to accompany Catherine. "Miss Swann, I've been there before. I'm more familiar. It's better if I go with you."

Catherine glanced at the injury on Carlo's hand. Carlo caught on and said, "Miss Swann, it's fine. This won't slow me down."

Catherine wasn't worried about him hindering the mission. Catherine wasn't fussy, and Carlo's injury wasn't a big deal in her eyes. Since he seemed okay with it, Catherine agreed and said, "Let's go together and see what's there.

Carlo led Catherine to a hideout they had discovered earlier. After Carlo and Francis had escaped, the place had been thoroughly cleaned out, leaving no traces. Their team had arrived promptly, yet the other party acted faster.

Catherine inspected the site and found it impeccably clean, just like last time. The other party's efficiency indicated a professional and experienced team in this kind of operation.

Carlo checked himself, but he looked disappointed. His findings were as fruitless as their team's. There was no progress. "Miss Swann, why do you think these people fear us finding clues? If they're powerful, why not confront us directly instead of hiding?" Carlo voiced his perplexity.

In normal circumstances, if the other party had substantial power, it wouldn't make sense for them to swiftly abandon such a valuable hideout and flee in panic.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

"You've hit the mark!" Catherine focused on Carlo. "Perhaps they're hiding a secret they don't want us to uncover, which is why they avoid facing us directly. Wait here. I'll check upstairs," Catherine said and turned to head upstairs.

The second floor consisted of a few empty rooms. Nobody knew their previous use, but Catherine sensed there was more to these seemingly ordinary rooms. As she ventured in amidst the strong smell of disinfectant, she caught a whiff of the pungent smell of blood.

Catherine trailed her fingers along the walls and moved from room to room. When she reached the last one, she halted. In a corner, she noticed a discreetly carved, peculiar symbol. Though it was small and seemingly ordinary, Catherine smiled slightly. After swiftly turning, she gestured for Carlo to follow and left.

The sudden departure left Carlo momentarily bewildered. He trailed behind Catherine with confusion and hurried to catch up. "Miss Swann, are we just leaving like this?"

Catherine turned to glance at him. "No leads, right?" Since staying wouldn't serve any purpose, they didn't need to linger. It was better to leave and get some rest than to remain in a futile situation.

Carlo nodded and found Catherine's words sensible. Then he left the scene with her.

"Miss Swann, where to?" Carlo sat in the driver's seat and glanced through the rearview mirror to ask Catherine behind him.

"To the school," Catherine replied. Then she leaned back in the rear seat and closed her eyes.

Seeing her resting, Carlo drove cautiously. He adjusted the rear seat's air conditioning per Branden's instructions for Catherine's comfort. Paxton had emphasized that Catherine was Branden's favorite and no one should upset her. Carlo was extra careful. He drove at a significantly reduced speed, delaying their arrival at the school.

After parking the car, Carlo hesitated to wake Catherine in the back seat. The next moment, Catherine opened her eyes Carló immediately got out of the car and headed toward the back door, but before he could say anything, Catherine pushed the door open and got out of the car herself.

"I'm going back to school. You can leave now," Catherine said before striding away. Carlo only breathed a sigh of relief once she was out of sight.

It wasn't that Catherine was difficult to deal with. Though Catherine was reserved and carried an imposing aura, she hardly made any demands and wasn't unreasonably harsh.

Standing beside Catherine, Carlo always felt an indescribable pressure, which urged him to be extremely cautious and made him afraid of offending her.

He had experienced a similar feeling when he first worked under Branden. Over time, the weight of that pressure had diminished, but it surged instantly if Branden was displeased.

Now, Carlo began to understand why Branden, who he thought would remain single forever, had chosen Gatherine. Perhaps it was their similar auras.