Over the years, he had never stepped away from the Madden Group, and was always right to advise Nelson to prioritize his family.

His second son, Felix, stepped forward to greet Nelson, gesturing to a large pile of gifts on the table.

"It's been a while since we came to visit you, Mr. Madden, so we brought some health supplements and jewelry for Lizetta. My sister told me Liz went to Zion City and is working at Madden Media now. She just got back to the family, she hasn't even spent proper time with you and Mrs. Madden yet. How could you let her go so far away? It would've been much better if she joined the main Madden Group here. I could have mentored her personally and made sure no one dared to bully our Liz."

Nelson kept a warm, affectionate smile on his face as he addressed the two men.

"The child has her own ambitions. Come on, I just got my hands on some premium tea. Let's chat in the study."

Felix immediately stepped forward, lightly supporting Nelson by the arm as they walked toward the study.

Once inside, Nelson personally brewed the tea while exchanging a few words with them about the progress of the Madden Group's key projects. Soon, Felix steered the conversation back to Lizetta.

He took a sip of his tea and said,

"When it comes to the art of brewing tea, Mr. Madden, you still can't quite match Lizetta. Last time I was here, she brewed me an exquisite pot of artisan Earl Grey. It was absolutely divine, I still think about it. I've been looking forward to coming back just to have her brew another couple of pots for me..."

Hearing his granddaughter praised, Nelson naturally beamed with joy, his eyes crinkling happily as he immediately replied.

"It's a shame the child isn't home right now. Next time you come over, I'll definitely have Liz brew some for you."

Arthur chimed in, "Have you spoken to Liz these past two days, old friend? Is she adapting well to life in Zion City?"

Nelson laughed. "What's there to adapt to? She grew up there, after all. The girl is incredibly filial; she video calls me and her grandmother to chat every single day without fail..."

He took a few sips of tea and was about to continue when Arthur let out a long, exaggerated sigh of relief and interrupted.

"That's a relief, that's a huge relief. We heard some rumors from Zion City earlier saying Liz got into a terrible car crash, plunged into a lake, and that her chances of survival were grim. I was so worried, but if she's been calling you every day, then it obviously wasn't her."

He then turned to his son, feigning anger.

"I told you it couldn't possibly be Liz! Your friends at the police department are just spreading baseless videos and rumors."

However, Nelson's expression instantly drastically altered, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying register.

"What did you just say?"

His voice was visibly trembling, but Arthur quickly waved his hands dismissively.

"It's nothing, really, it's nothing. Just

a car went into a lake in Zion City and for some

claimed it was, Felix's frien

Liz who was in the

accident. Show Nelson the video."

Arthur shot Felix a look, and Felix immediately handed his phone over to Nelson.

Nelson took the phone with trembling hands and stood up, stumbling toward his desk to grab his reading glasses.

Seeing this, Arthur hurriedly stood

up as well. "What's wrong? Don't worry, this all happened two or three days ago. Since she's still video

calling you, it couldn't possibly be her.."

Nelson's voice was laced with sheer panic. "No..no, Jerome said... he said Liz went on some wilderness adventure trip with her friends for a few days and didn't have cell service. I haven't seen her in two or three days..."

As he spoke, Nelson shoved his glasses onto his face and quickly tapped the video

to play.

The footage was chaotic and loud, but the old man immediately spotted a grim- faced man carrying a woman and sprinting toward a waiting ambulance.

That man was unmistakably Remington Dashiell. Seconds later, another familiar figure rushed past the frame, and Nelson recognized him as Jerome Madden.

Nelson's hands began to shake uncontrollably. Suddenly, the phone crashed heavily onto the floor, and the old man pitched backward, collapsing helplessly.

"Nelson!"

"Mr. Madden! Mr. Madden, what's wrong?"

The Porter father and son cried out in unison.