Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 900

Manley let out a yell, hastily reaching for the car door, ready to jump out. But he froze the moment his hand touched the handle. Turns out, Estelle had come to Kulha Mountain. What was she doing here all by herself?

If he charged out now and hailed her, he'd spook her for sure, and she'd give him the slip again!

Manley quickly racked his brain, sat tight, and kept his eyes on the bus pulling up in front of him.

Estelle boarded the bus, which was already occupied by a handful of locals. The curious gazes were sizing her up.

She paid her fare and settled into a window seat.

The bus hadn't pulled away yet when a young couple rushed on board. As they spotted Estelle, the girl swiftly turned her head, and the boy didn't dare strike up a conversation with Estelle.

As the bus started to move, Estelle pulled her baseball cap down a bit, staring out of the window.

Only after the rickety bus had driven away did Manley step out of his car. He remembered seeing Estelle coming out of a nearby inn.

He started making his way towards the inn.

The innkeeper was busy weaving baskets. She looked up as Manley entered, greeting him warmly, "Hello, are you looking for a room?"

Manley scanned the place, taking out a wad of money and placing it on the table. He asked, "The girl who just left on the bus, does she stay here?" "Which girl?" The innkeeper's eyes lit up at the sight of the money, not quite catching what Manley had asked.

"The beautiful one in a dark green T-shirt!"

"Oh, you're talking about her. Yes, she's been staying here for several days."

"Where's she going?"

The innkeeper finally took a good look at Manley, "And who might you be?"

Manley put down another stack of bills, "Where's she gone?"

The innkeeper's eyes sparkled, blurting out, "Tinct Village. She's gone to Tinct Village."

"What's she doing there?"

"I really couldn't say!"

Manley nodded, turning to leave. He got back in his car, looking worried.

The village was a bit of a mess, with lots of outsiders causing trouble and running scams. They targeted pretty, inexperienced young girls.

Could Estelle have been lured in? She might know some self-defense skills, but she was still just a student. She wouldn't know the first thing about the harsh realities of the world! Where the heck was Jonathan? Why wasn't he with Estelle?

Manley became more anxious the more he thought about it. He got back out of the car to ask for directions to Tinct Village, intended to follow her there.

Just as he started the car, his phone rang, "Who's this?"

"Mr. Scott, the boss has time now, you can bring the contract over!"

Manley frowned, but quickly made a decision, "Tell him to wait, I've got something more important to deal with!"

"Mr. Scott, what could possibly be so important? We've been waiting for so long, and the boss finally agreed to meet. How do you have something else come up all of a sudden?" Manley hung up the phone impatiently.

At this point, Manley seemed to have calmed down a bit. He got out of the car and returned to the inn again.

Seeing him return, the innkeeper stood up excitedly, "What else do you want to ask?"

Manley inquired: "Where can I buy a stun baton?"

The car slowly pulled away from Kulha Mountain, heading south along the winding mountain road.