Return of the Crowned Heiress novel Chapter 161

Based on the logic, it meant Abbie must have stumbled upon Stephan's suited jacket by chance, which led to a misunderstanding. But even so, it remains unclear who was actually in Stephan's room that night.

Stephan let out a dry, humorless laugh and shot his subordinate a chilly glance. "So, you've gone around in circles for nothing?"

His subordinate was embarrassed. "My apologies, Mr. Russell. Without any cameras at Pristine Hall, it's tough to gather evidence. But one thing's certain, Ms. Finch was indeed with Laurence that night.

"According to him, he didn't leave until the next morning. When he did, Ms. Finch was still asleep. I checked the time. Laurence left roughly half an hour before we found Ms. Finch, which means she couldn't have been the woman who was in your room that night."

That being said, Stephan's expression didn't lighten up. Whether it was Abbie or not that night, he had still crossed a line, and that was what bothered him most.

His subordinate said cautiously, "Mr. Russell, how's this? Would you like to meet with Ms. Finch? If she's bold enough to claim she was there, we could confront her directly or have her face Laurence to settle the truth."

Stephan's gaze remained fixed on the faint lights down below. With an even tone, he said. "That's not the main point. The real question is whether I can confirm another suspicion of mine."

"A suspicion, sir? What is it?" asked his subordinate. His mind raced so fast it felt like he was going to have a short circuit. Then, the answer struck him.

Stephan seemed to be talking to himself. He looked down at the glinting lights and muttered, "It's all right. I'll ask her myself."

The answer was there somewhere. It wasn't going to just disappear.

But Felicia certainly knew how to keep her distance.

His tall, lean figure disappeared into the shadows, leaving his men with a single parting order. "You shall stay here. No need to follow me."

…

Meanwhile, the search party at the base of the mountain had grown massive. The locals from Alverton knew the terrain inside and out, and nearly everyone was out searching. The vice principal had the specially trained students organized in pairs to ensure the students wouldn't get lost. There were nearly 30 people in total in the search effort.

With such a large search party, Felicia felt more at ease. Now, the one who should be feeling the pressure… was Shawn.

If he had taken Lucas, he must have hidden him somewhere. If Shawn didn't make a move soon, it wouldn't take long till someone found Lucas.

Sure enough, Felicia caught a glimpse of Shawn wiping the sweat from his brow, trying hard to keep up his calm facade. Finally, when most of the group had dispersed, Shawn slapped his forehead as if suddenly remembering something. "I just remembered! When I saw Lucas this afternoon, he was heading toward the back mountain. Maybe we should check there?"

The fact that he hadn't mentioned this earlier, waiting until now to suggest it, was clearly a setup to lure Felicia to where he'd prepared a trap.

Felicia played along and replied, "Lead the way."