Chapter Twenty-Five: School and David’s Romantic Fortune

"Maria!"

A little girl with long golden hair and a confident demeanor ran over from behind, watching Louis with a wary gaze.

"Madison, I'm fine."

"Who are you?" The girl named Madison ignored Maria and asked, staring at Louis.

Quite vigilant, aren't you? But I’m so young, and you look only a year or two older than me; what are you afraid of?

"I'm Louis. I’m here on vacation, and I accidentally bumped into her just now."

Madison nodded, putting on a mature air. "Maria, did he apologize to you?"

Maria nodded timidly. Madison’s expression softened.

"Sorry, Maria is easily bullied. I thought you were..."

Through their conversation, Louis learned that the girl, Maria, was six years old. Her father was a plastic surgeon, her mother was a housewife, and they were here for a family trip.

They weren't originally supposed to be at this campsite, but at a site further north. For some reason, her parents had heard something and changed their plans at the last minute to come here instead.

Madison was her neighbor, and the two families were traveling together.

Louis nodded in understanding. In America, doctors had always been a representative profession of the middle class, especially plastic surgeons, given the exorbitant profits in the medical aesthetics industry. This meant her family was quite well-off.

However, Louis also noticed that the girl had a cowardly personality and seemed fearful of her father. This suggested that there might be some issues with her upbringing, and the way her companion, Madison, acted and spoke only reinforced this. Of course, this had nothing to do with Louis; he was simply in the habit of gathering information.

As for the northern campsite and the sudden change of plans, Louis didn't pay much mind. After all, she was just an ordinary little girl, not like those geniuses such as Emma. It was well known that children were easily misled by information and that what they said was often distorted.

Louis handed her a few candies. She thanked him politely, though Madison, standing next to her, didn't receive the same treatment and could only watch with longing.

The two chatted for a while longer.

Just then—

"Ahh!!!"

A shrill, terrifying scream drew everyone's attention. Since they weren't far away, Louis and the two girls headed toward the sound.

When they arrived, they found a crowd of people looking on in horror. In the center, a busty woman was impaled straight through on a steel pole used for setting up a tent, looking like a piece of meat on a barbecue skewer. A large amount of blood had already stained the ground.

She wasn't dead yet; her body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes darted wildly, as if she were looking at everyone and desperately pleading for help.

A chill ran through everyone who saw it.

Maria began to shake violently. Louis covered her eyes with his hand, frowning at the gruesome sight as his mind raced. A serial killer? A supernatural event? Or just an ordinary murder?

In a world where various horror films already existed, Louis immediately dismissed the possibility of an ordinary murder. It was much more likely to be a serial killer or something supernatural.

Someone quickly called the police. Because the town was nearby, the local sheriff personally led a team to the scene.

When they arrived, they immediately cordoned off the area. However, the sheriff’s expression was grave, betraying a hint of nervousness and fear. "Is this the only victim?"

???

Louis, who was being ushered away, caught this and was immediately surprised. Something about the sheriff’s words was off.

Unfortunately, he couldn't hear the rest.

Because of this incident, although many people didn't care and continued camping, others no longer wanted to stay and wished to return to town. The sheriff refused, citing the need to cooperate with the investigation.

But in America, the word "freedom" carries weight, especially when the sheriff’s reasoning was insufficient. Eventually, the sheriff compromised and relocated these people to a nearby girls' church school, some distance away from the campsite.

Louis and his group were among them. However, it wasn't Louis who suggested leaving; it was David. David had looked solemn and had insisted on taking the three of them away, though he didn't say why.

Intuition told Louis that the sheriff was hiding something, and so was David.

...

The girls' church school.

America is actually a religious country—a bit ironic, but true. Thus, there were many schools established after the restructuring of churches, particularly girls' schools, which evolved from the old aristocratic custom of sending daughters to church to be cultivated as nuns.

In the afternoon.

In the stairwell of the school dormitory.

"Angela, that person... she was the one I went on a date with yesterday..."

David looked grave as he spoke to Angela. Angela felt a bit speechless.

"Brother, she has nothing to do with you. You just slept with her once on a date. So what if she’s dead? What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know why, but I just feel a heaviness in my chest. I feel like something is wrong, like someone is watching me. I don't know if it’s because I didn't sleep well."

"I think you just didn't get it out of your system last night. By the way, how did today go? Did you see anyone you liked?"

David shook his head, wondering if he had just been pent up for too long.

"Forget it. You handle it yourself. Anyway, those are the only people I can introduce to you."

David sighed and walked toward his room.

At the top of the stairs, a small head poked out, with strands of dark hair falling down.

Esther’s lips curled into a faint smile. She looked at the smudge of bright red blood beneath her fingernails with an indifferent gaze, then fixed her eyes on David.

She followed silently, like an assassin with maxed-out stealth skills.

Just then, David, having reached his door, was stunned to see a familiar face.

Opposite him, Yulenka, who was bringing her mother along to take care of some things, was also startled, seemingly not expecting to see David here. "Hi, Uncle, we meet again."

Seeing the beautiful woman who made his heart race once more, David felt a stir. Perhaps he could try to pursue her?

"Young lady, I forgot to ask you last time—what’s your name? I’m David..."

"Uncle David, I’m Yulenka, and this is my mother, Jenny."

"Jenny. Oh, that’s a beautiful name, like a princess..."

The woman began to engage with him as well. The two hit it off, and the woman named Jenny seemed quite experienced, already leaning in close.

Wearing a white dress, her fair arms brushed against his sleeve, and her eyes, clear and innocent, looked straight at him, adding a touch of unique temptation.

Yulenka smiled and ran off, leaving them plenty of space.

Only...

At the stairwell, a pair of eyes was watching them intently.