"Uncle Dan, you and Dad don't have to hitch a ride. Did you guys forget about the Polaris Ranger I won in the gold bar challenge?" Ace reminded, glancing at his mother and subtly signaling her to pass the keys. But then, his expression shifted as he remembered—the keys were in her purse, which was inside the duffle bag taken as evidence by the cops.
Dan, catching the flicker of realization on Ace's face, nodded knowingly. "I'll talk to Lan and get the keys," he offered, his tone calm but understanding the dilemma.
Alwin, standing nearby, interjected with a hint of worry etched into his brow. "You guys give us a call when you reach home." His voice carried a newfound edge of caution. Until today, he had thought the town was safe. Now, doubt crept in, and he couldn't help but remind his family to stay vigilant.
As they were about to part, Mandy approached with a purposeful stride, towing a short, wavy-haired woman dressed in a sleek black suit. "That's my entire family—the Landers," Mandy introduced with a warm smile, gesturing to the group.
The woman, Layla, eyed Ace with a mischievous glint as they neared. "Mandy, I think my little sister has a crush on your cousin brother," she said, her tone playful and teasing.
Mandy's brow arched as she quickly clarified, "I don't have cousin brothers here. They're both my nephews. Also, which one are you talking about?" Her voice carried a mix of amusement and puzzlement. It was a rare dynamic—most aunts would insist their nieces and nephews call them elder sisters, but Mandy, ever unconventional, openly referred to the boys as her nephews, even though they were only a few years younger than her.
Layla shrugged nonchalantly, her gaze still fixed on Ace. "Of course, the handsome troublemaker. She has a thing for bad boys, but your nephew is the best-looking of all." Her words hung in the air, unabashedly bold, as though Ace weren't standing right in front of her.
Mandy moved closer to Ace and wrapped an arm tightly around his shoulders, a playful grin lighting up her face. "Yes, our Ace is the most prettiest boy in town—no, the whole county. But I don't know about the troublemaker part. He was a square and safest guy I know! Your little sister would be in good hands."
Ace was caught off guard, both by Mandy's exaggerated praise and by the fact that his mother, uncharacteristically, didn't react. No sting-eyed glare, no dramatic rebuke. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of relief but also an unexpected sense of loss. He was shocked to realize he missed his mom's fiery, protective side.
"Sure, if you say so," Layla replied, her tone dismissive. Then, she pulled out her folding phone, frowning as she looked at the screen. "My phone has no reception. Not even a single bar," she complained, waving it in the air as though that might help.
Ace froze when he spotted a faint wisp of curse energy emanating from her phone. His posture stiffened, but he forced himself to remain calm. The curse energy wasn't directed at him or his family, so he didn't react outwardly. Still, he kept a discreet eye on Layla, trying to determine if she was a curse user or simply an unlucky mortal haunted by a curseling or cursed item.
Layla sighed and pocketed the phone. "I just remembered—I need to be on a conference call. It was good meeting you, Mandy," she said quickly, turning to the Landers with a polite but hurried apology. "I'm sorry we didn't get to properly introduce ourselves. Maybe another time."
With that, Layla spun on her heel and left, her pace brisk and her demeanor oddly tense. From the way she had been waving her phone around to her sudden departure, Ace couldn't shake the feeling that something was dangerously wrong. His unease deepened as Mandy chimed in casually, "That's Layla—a special agent or secret cop of sorts. Anyway, she found Luke's daughter. Lola is safe and they're taking the Lorens to meet her. If you guys are planning on meeting the Lorens or joining the search party, you're already late."
Before anyone could respond, Mary suddenly rushed forward and pulled Mandy into a tight hug. "Thank you! If not for you, our Ace would've had to spend the night in jail. I don't know how I could ever repay you," she said gratefully, her voice trembling with emotion.
The family stayed by Ace's side the entire time, yet they were unable to offer any meaningful assistance to either Ace or Lola. However, Mandy, through her decisive actions, not only contributed to the search for Lola but also helped prevent Ace from being jailed tonight. Mary couldn't help but find herself unconsciously comparing Lyra to Mandy.
As Mary stepped back, still holding onto Mandy's arms for a moment, Mandy smiled wryly and replied, "Funny you'd say that. Ace and I actually have something to tell you guys—" She paused dramatically, glancing around the group. Mary and Pam froze, almost forgetting to breathe as they imagined the worst. Danny's eyes darted to Ace, wide with suspicion, while Alwin and Dan remained stoic, their expressions unreadable.
Then Mandy took Ace's right hand in her left, interlacing their fingers as if drawing strength from him. Ace blinked in confusion but didn't pull away. Mandy raised their joined hands slightly, as if they were about to share some grand revelation, and continued with a mischievous glint in her eye, "We are… returning home in my car."
There was a beat of stunned silence before Mary and Pam simultaneously let out sighs of relief, their shoulders sagging as the tension broke. Pam, however, quickly fixed Mandy with a stern glare and rebuked her, "This isn't funny, Mandy. Believe it or not, I'll whoop you if you don't stop playing around."
Ace, watching the exchange, wasn't in the mood to react to Mandy's antics. His mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with Layla. Learning that she was a secret cop of some sort immediately made him think of the C.I.B., which could explain the faint curse energy oozing from her phone—but it didn't explain why she had been waving it around.
At first glance, it had seemed like she was genuinely trying to catch a signal. However, Ace had noticed something unsettling: her hand would momentarily pause as the phone pointed toward each of his family members before moving to the next. Then, without warning, she abruptly ended the conversation and hurried off.
The more Ace replayed the scene in his mind, the more uneasy he felt. A chill ran down his spine, and his jaw tightened. Something about her actions didn't sit right with him. Though he hadn't planned on using his curse energy until he was safely back home, it now seemed unavoidable. If he wanted to understand what Layla was up to, he would have to take action—and soon.