The Gray Hall

They swept their gazes over Maria with a hint of hostility.

Maria frowned slightly, but said nothing.

"Leontuso?"

Seeing the child arrive, the girl's heart softened a little. She walked over, but waited a while in front of those dangerous people.

Only after they nodded did she step into the circle of people and take the child's hand.

"In that case, goodbye, big sister."

After nodding to Maria, the little girl slowly left.

She clearly had something she wanted to tell Maria.

Unfortunately, by then the people had already arrived, and she couldn't possibly admonish Maria in front of them.

He could only give the other person a worried look before slowly leaving.

Maria, too, narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Family members..."

Only after these people had gone far away did Maria lower her head slightly.

The conversation between the girl and her just now actually revealed a lot of information.

For example, Maria is currently heading towards Siracusa...

Judging from the size of the city from a distance, this must be Siracusa after the chaos Maria caused.

The estimated time interval is not short.

The family still exists in Siracusa, but they are now much more subdued... This doesn't mean they've become law-abiding, but simply that they've learned to restrain themselves.

When Maria first arrived in Siracusa, she found it in complete chaos.

But now, these family members have also learned to express themselves calmly...

This piqued Maria's curiosity.

Has the family truly improved... or has someone else led them to do so?

"Madam Sicily..."

Suddenly, Maria remembered the noblewoman from her memories.

When they parted ways, the other party also mentioned that they wanted to establish a new order in Siracusa.

Maria initially thought the other party wanted to destroy all the families.

But now...

"The family still exists."

"Is it that it wasn't done? Or that it wasn't done at all?"

Maria hesitated for a moment.

After thinking for a long time, she slowly took out a necklace from her pocket.

That was a keepsake given to her by Madam Sicily when they parted.

Maria always remembered it, but never knew what to do with it.

Because she was long past the age of pursuing charm, the only purpose of these pretty decorations was to pick them up and admire them.

As for wearing it on one's own body...

After hesitating for a few moments, Maria gently stroked the tiny emerald green gemstone on the necklace, then lightly hung it around her neck.

Perhaps, having this when we meet again will help us get to know each other more quickly.

Lost in thought, Maria waited quietly.

The mobile platform has just experienced a crash, and its operating speed has noticeably decreased.

By the time it finally arrived in Siracusa, it was already completely dark.

Many family members were getting impatient waiting there.

But upon seeing their loved ones arrive, they couldn't help but cheer.

Maria walked quietly among the crowd.

Among the crowd, Maria could clearly see the little girl and the little boy she had chatted with earlier being led away by a group of men in suits.

"Is that girl... also a member of the family?"

Maria was silent for a moment... but soon, she noticed something was amiss.

She clearly saw that the family members who remained there had their mouths covered by another group of people.

The bustling, massive crowd obscured their figures, and those people were quickly dragged into a dark corner.

Just a moment later... they came out.

There were still faint traces of blood on his hands...

"So... Siracusa isn't much different now than it used to be?"

Maria remained silent for a few moments, hesitated for a while, and then quietly left the crowd.

Although she didn't have much contact with the girl, she couldn't just stand by and watch a premeditated murder occur.

Moreover... she didn't have many pleasant memories of her family in Siracusa...

"I'll be home soon... My father will be so happy to see you!"

Inside the car, the young child excitedly tugged at the girl, expressing his excitement.

Although the two are not related by blood or even by kinship, their long-term interaction has fostered a close bond between him and this older woman.

It was for this reason that he specifically invited the other party to meet his father.

After all, for ordinary people, meeting the head of a family is, in a sense, a significant leap in social class.

Although the child doesn't understand these things yet, he already knows that his father is very capable and can help his sister fulfill her dream!

"Um."

The girl seemed somewhat uneasy in the face of the child's enthusiasm.

She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't stop thinking about the older sister who had pulled her up on the platform earlier.

The sweet, cloying incense seemed to still linger around her, and she couldn't forget that clumsy yet sincere kindness.

For a moment, she felt her thoughts were somewhat confused.

She wanted to look at the scenery along the roadside to distract herself.

The familiar yet unfamiliar building made her hesitate.

"Um..." she turned to the driver and asked.

"This road... doesn't lead to the Bellone Manor, does it?"

Although she had only been there a few times, the girl's excellent memory allowed her to remember the scenery along the way.

At this moment, all she saw was an unfamiliar scene...

"..." The driver hesitated for a few seconds, but then quickly turned his head away with a smile.

"This is indeed not our usual route, but the original route is under renovation, so we have no choice but to take this route."

"Is that so?" The girl seemed very wary. After hesitating for a second, she noticed the dessert shop on the side of the road.

"Could we stop the car for a moment? I'd like to buy some dessert for my father..."

"I'm sorry, Miss, the head of the family has been waiting for you for a long time, I can't just stop the car..."

The man continued to reply, but it was these simple words that made one thing clear to the girl.

This guy... is definitely not from the Bellone Family!

She had just deliberately addressed the head of the Bellone family as "Father"... and clearly, the person in front of her who hadn't done his homework naturally assumed she was also the daughter of the Bellone family head.

But the girl knew... she wasn't some rich girl.

I'm an outsider...

And since this kind of person is driving...

That means...

I've been kidnapped!

Touch a day statement

That's all for today's update.

I've been rushing to revise my thesis these past few days. I thought it would be easy, but I've found that there's actually quite a lot of content to work out.

I've only slept for an hour since 3 pm yesterday.

I was hoping to finish quickly so I'd have time to write more, but it's been almost 36 hours since I had a proper rest.

My brain really can't take it anymore.

I've fallen asleep several times in the hour I've been sitting in front of the computer, and I still haven't written a hundred words.

I touched it today... I'm so sorry.

I'll make it up later when I have the chance!

Chapter 213 Gray Hall

Inside the car, everything was quiet.

The driver, who did not belong to the Bellone Family, seemed unaware that he had been discovered and continued driving quietly.

Siracusa was as somber and oppressive as ever. Although the girl thought she was pretty much used to this kind of scenery, she still couldn't help but tremble at this moment.

The little boy beside him, though young, was aware of the unusual nature of the man's behavior due to his own unusual birth.

But he clearly had no experience in dealing with such a situation. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he looked at the little girl beside him, trying to gain some reassurance from her.

Although the little girl was scared, seeing the boy's reaction made her realize that she had to be strong.

Gritting her teeth, she involuntarily straightened her back, trying to make herself appear more imposing.

"This is my order! I'm going to buy dessert! Stop the car!"

She shouted sharply, but her small voice carried little threat.

Hearing such a rebuke, the man frowned slightly, his expression turning somewhat fierce.

But when he saw the girl's expression in the rearview mirror, his expression changed instantly, and the nearly two-meter-tall burly man spoke in a high-pitched voice.

"Young Miss, please don't make things difficult for us."

Clearly, he didn't want to stop the car.

But then the little girl suddenly spoke up.

"Just a few minutes... is that not enough?"

"..."

"It won't take up much of your time, just a few minutes. You can just pick out a dessert... Thank you."

The little girl's voice was gentle, tinged with a hint of melancholy.

With that adorable face, even the man couldn't help but soften his heart.

His task, however, was to deliver the two individuals to their destination within a specified time.

But now...

After hesitating for a moment, he raised his hand again.

There's still some time left on the watch.