Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee by KIKI

Chapter 896: The Swanson Family's Hidden Thoughts

Kaleigh Swanson's face froze, her expression darkening. Her nails dug into her palms as she hissed, "The one who humiliated me is Tina from the Pace family! And the one who disgraced River Swanson-was her too?"

"It was mostly her mother, Alina, but Tina played a part," the man replied, his eyes cold and his tone sharp. "River Swanson, that useless fool, thought Alina had no background. Turns out, she's Alina from the Brookes family. Instead of gaining the upper hand, River brought disgrace to the Swanson family."

Kaleigh scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery. "She thinks a little favor from the old man will let her do as she pleases? What a joke. Even Poppy Swanson hasn't escaped punishment, hasn't she?" She smirked maliciously.

The man raised an indifferent eyebrow. "You get the idea. She's in the first room of the last castle. Go freshen up your makeup before you go in. Don't let her outshine you."

Kaleigh instinctively touched her face, her confidence faltering. "I understand."

At the mention of the last castle, a flicker of fear passed through her eyes. It seemed River Swanson's mistake had truly enraged their father this time.

After carefully reapplying her makeup to ensure no trace of her earlier distress showed, Kaleigh finally felt ready. She approached the last castle, its walls unnaturally pristine, surrounded by pure white roses. But Kaleigh knew the beauty was a facade, a deceitful mask hiding the sinister truth.

She walked cautiously, stopping at the first room on the left. The white door looked as immaculate as the walls. She hesitated before knocking lightly. There was no reply.

Leaning closer, she called softly, "River? River, I heard you're in there. Can you answer me?"

A faint, trembling voice came from within. "I'm here. Is that you, Kaleigh?"

River Swanson's voice was shaky, punctuated by muffled sobs.

but maintained a sweet, gentle tone. "River,

out River's faint reply. "He said...

their father's punishment to be severe but hadn't anticipated it would be this harsh, even for someone as favored as

closer, her voice soft. "Can you open the door? I want to

pause,

cautiously, her gaze sweeping the room. The air was heavy and damp, the walls cracked and cobwebbed. The floor reeked of mildew, and the bed-if it could even be called that-was little more than a pile of tattered rags. Disgust churned in her stomach. No matter how

her body trembling as she turned to River in

in the corner, tears streaming down her gaunt face. Her once meticulously groomed hair was matted and tangled, her lips pale and trembling. "Don't be scared," she rasped. "Feed this to it, and it'll fall asleep." Kaleigh recoiled, her hands shaking.

The enormous creature was terrifying,

roam most of the room, barked excitedly at the sight of a stranger. Only the

leaving and trying again tomorrow-River would

River's voice, hoarse and desperate, pleaded, "Please, just throw it into its mouth. It'll stop barking. Otherwise, I'll

eyes internally. Scared? As if she

to throw it straight into its mouth. This dog is too sharp-it won't eat anything that falls to the ground. If they hadn't sent

a small stone. She hurled it near the dog, which

Kaleigh

of her courage, she quickly retreated to the doorway, her face

ankles chafed red from her chains, shuffled forward slightly. "It's okay now. The pill dissolves instantly in its mouth. Even if it tries, it

as it stumbled back, its movements sluggish before