It's Your Turn To Cry and Beg, Dear Uncle
Chapter 54: Suspicion

Chapter 54: Suspicion

After inviting Killian into the living room, Hestia immediately headed to the kitchen to prepare drinks and snacks. The elderly woman harbored no suspicions, as James had already informed her in advance. This arrangement was also to prevent Hestia from speaking directly to Creighton.

However, Hestia’s husband, the housekeeper, felt uneasy about the presence of a man he had never seen before, especially since the master of the house was not at home.

"Why did you let that man in without confirming first?" asked Harry, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

His expression was slightly grim because his wife had not informed him beforehand. Earlier, when Killian arrived, Harry had been tidying up the backyard. He was startled to see a tall stranger following his wife into the house when he returned.

Taking a deep breath, Harry continued, "Are you sure he’s the secretary the young master mentioned?"

Meanwhile, the two other servants discreetly eavesdropped, curious about the handsome and charismatic man. After all, Killian possessed a similar aura to their young master.

But before they could overhear more, the third servant, Harry and Hestia’s daughter-in-law, glared at them. She signaled for them to leave the room. Reluctantly, the two servants moved away.

Hestia then turned around and replied, "Of course. The young master had already contacted me earlier and said his secretary would be coming."

"Yes, but someone could be exploiting that excuse to enter this house, claiming to be the young master’s secretary," Harry countered.

Harry didn’t doubt his wife, but Hestia’s overly kind and trusting nature made her easy to deceive. Growing up in a small village and now living in a peaceful town with little crime, her mindset remained innocent. She didn’t fully comprehend the external threats faced by the Synders family, one of the most influential households in the country.

Harry’s family had served the Synders for generations, so he was no stranger to the devious tricks their business rivals used to bring them down. He had tried to instill this awareness in his wife since their first day of marriage, but Hestia’s inherently familial mindset made it hard for her to change her habit of being open to everyone.

Hearing her husband’s accusations, Hestia frowned. Her eyes shot in disbelief, and a moment later, she burst out laughing.

"My goodness, you’ve been watching too many dramas, old man! I told you not to obsess over TV shows. Now you’ve ended up paranoid, haven’t you? Next time you have free time, why don’t you just help me instead?"

The servant beside them, their daughter-in-law named Marry, fell silent. She had also been educated by her husband about the Synders family and what it meant to work for them.

While their lives were more than secure with luxurious facilities and fantastic salaries, their very lives were also at stake at the same time. However, they didn’t need to worry too much since the Synders family had their own security system, and all they had to do was remain loyal and vigilant.

Marry herself had previously lived in the capital. Thus, the woman had a better understanding of the Synders family’s identity as well as the extent of people’s ruthlessness at the face of power and money.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to lose their lives over something as small as a pickpocketing incident in the capital.

Therefore, Marry disagreed with Hestia’s overly friendly attitude at times. Whenever they went to the market, it wasn’t unusual for Marry to lose track of Hestia, only to find her gossiping with strangers. The problem was that almost everyone in this small town knew who they worked for.

"What Dad said is true, Mom. It’s not about watching too many movies; people these days can be terrifying, so we need to be more cautious," Marry added, siding with her father-in-law.

Hestia immediately felt cornered and guilty. She lowered her head, knowing that this wasn’t the first or second time she’d been reprimanded by her daughter-in-law and husband; even Grandma Jane had reminded her before.

In the past, she might have made excuses or been stubborn, but she began to understand after Jane had a serious talk with her.

"In that case, let’s call young master James to confirm," Hestia suggested, pulling out her phone from her dress pocket.

"You confirm while I’ll go talk to this man," Harry said as he headed straight toward the living room. But, the moment he slid the door open, he was shocked to find the room empty. Panic instantly set in, and Harry started searching the corridors for any other staff who might have seen the man.

"Willie! Did you see our guest earlier? I can’t find him in the living room!" Harry called out loudly when he spotted the family gardener.

William, who was engrossed in trimming plants in the indoor garden, was startled and nearly cut the wrong stem. Irritated, William’s tone was sharp. "Why are you yelling like that?! I almost made a mistake!"

"I don’t care! Just tell me, did you see the guest—"

Before Harry could finish his sentence, William impatiently cut him off. "If you’re looking for the guest your wife welcomed earlier, your son took him to the main building!"

Harry’s body tensed as his mind raced with dreadful scenarios, all ending in his grandson getting hurt. His heart grew uneasy.

Without responding to William, he bolted toward the main building. From the living room to the dining room, the bathroom, and the sauna—he left no room unchecked. Despite his thorough and frantic search, there was no sign of them, not even a fleeting silhouette.

He tried to think positively, assuming the guest might have returned to the front building. After all, his grandson wasn’t a fool. Harry had often reminded him to stay vigilant, and so far, Terry had adhered to it well. He never let his guard down, even around peers his age. With this in mind, Harry decided to call Marry.

"Hello, Dad? What’s wrong?"

"Marry! Please check if our guest has returned to the living room," Harry said, trying to steady his voice so it wouldn’t sound panicked. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry for the women, but a faint tremor betrayed his nervousness.

Sensing her father-in-law’s unease, Marry grew anxious herself. Without wasting time, she left the kitchen and headed toward the living room while asking, "What do you mean by returning to the living room? Where did that man go earlier?"

"Just check first. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, like your mother said," Harry deflected, though his feet and eyes continued searching for Killian and Terry in the main building.

Finally, Marry slid open the living room door, only to find it empty. Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t stop herself from exclaiming, "Dad, he’s not in the living room! What’s going on?"

Marry’s fearful voice drew Hestia’s attention as she held a tray of drinks and cookies. "Marry, what’s wrong? Why are you panicking like that?"

"Mom!" Marry turned to Hestia, pressing her for answers after hearing Harry’s explanation. "What exactly did young master James say earlier? Are you sure that’s really his secretary?"

Hestia frowned, uneasiness creeping into her chest as she saw the tears welling up in her daughter-in-law’s eyes. "Young master James didn’t pick up when I called earlier, so I sent him a message for now," she admitted.

Marry felt her strength drain at that response. The urge to blame her mother-in-law surged within her, but she suppressed it and tried to think rationally. After all, Hestia was just an elderly woman. The priority now was to find her child and that man.

Marry quickly explained what happened before she left to search. "That man isn’t in the living room, and Dad said Terry took him to the main building. But Dad has already searched there and he didn’t find them!"

The tray in Hestia’s hands almost fell, but the elderly woman steadied herself just in time. Though her heart was racing and worry threatened to cloud her thoughts, Hestia stood firm, holding onto her belief that the man truly was James’ secretary.

Her husband and daughter-in-law were just overreacting. She would personally search for her grandson and Mr. Killian. After setting down the tray, she also headed toward the main building. Slowly, she began to consider where her grandson might have taken Mr. Killian. Her grandson was smart; there was no way he would be fooled!

Her husband had said he had already checked the main building and didn’t find them. They weren’t in the front building either, and the side building was their own residence. That left only one plausible option.

Hestia paused at the corridor intersection, facing the secluded courtyards where the Synders family members’ private area was located.

Hesitant, Hestia slowly walked toward the place. "Mr. Killian?" she called out a bit louder. But there was no response.

She decided to head toward James’ room. ’Didn’t Mr. Killian mention earlier that he was here to retrieve an important file that young master James had left behind? Perhaps Terry had escorted him to James’ office.’

And she was right! As Hestia approached James’ room, her aging eyes could faintly make out her grandson standing in front of the door.

Relieved, Hestia smiled softly. "Terry!" the elderly woman called out as she walked closer, unaware that something was amiss with her grandson.

Terry didn’t move and continued staring blankly ahead. Thinking he hadn’t heard her, Hestia walked closer until she stood beside him. However, when she noticed Terry didn’t react to her presence, Hestia began to sense something strange. She crouched and gently tapped her grandson on the shoulder.

"Terry?"

Terry remained silent.

Hestia furrowed her brow. Just as she began shaking her grandson, a distinct snapping sound echoed through the corridor. Startled, she quickly turned toward the source of the noise, unaware that Killian had already closed the distance and was now standing nearby.

"Hello, ma’am," the man greeted with a smile. "Apologies for leaving the living room without informing you, but your adorable grandson offered to guide me to the young master’s room. Thanks to him, I’ve retrieved the important file."

Hestia’s eyes caught sight of a thick brown folder in Killian’s hand. "Oh, I see. But why are you coming from that direction instead of young master James’ room?"

"Ah..." Killian laughed while scratching his head. "I suddenly needed to use the restroom, but Terry advised me not to use the young master’s bathroom—said it would be impolite. Isn’t that right, Terry?"

In that instance, Hestia remembered her grandson’s odd behavior and quickly turned her gaze back to Terry. To her surprise, Terry was already facing her and nodded.

"That’s right, Grandma." Terry’s eyes no longer appeared empty. It was as if his earlier expression had been nothing more than an illusion. Hestia frowned but ultimately saw only a slightly confused look on her grandson.

Before Hestia could comment further, Marry’s voice echoed through the corridor. "Terry!"

"Mom!" Terry responded, running toward his mother and Harry.

At that moment, Hestia noticed Killian extending a hand toward her. With a warm smile, Killian offered, "Let me help you up, ma’am."

Pressing her lips together, Hestia decided to let go of the strange feeling from earlier. "Thank you," she said as she accepted his hand and stood up.

Just as she did, the phone in her pocket vibrated. Hestia quickly retrieved it and saw a message from James confirming everything, only then did her uneasiness completely melted away.

"Come along, Mr. Killian, the tea and snacks are ready in the living room. You must try them!"

Meanwhile, Killian’s grip on the brown folder tightened. As the family turned away, his smile faded, replaced by a cold, piercing stare as he followed them back to the front building.