Chapter 763: The Hidden Clan’s Writing
As Elsa tucked the blankets around the two elderly patients, she looked up and said, "I'll go get some cold medicine from the doctor. Tina, wait here." "Wait!"
Tina shook her head, gently pushing Jared's hand away. "Elsa, I'm not sick. It's probably just someone thinking about me."
"Wow, Serena, you're amazing! I just mentioned how you and Mr. Farrell keep coming to the hospital, and now you're already sensing it?"
At that moment, Hayden's head popped in from the door.
Behind him, Nathan strode into the room. "Mr. Farrell, ma'am."
Elsa stared at the two young men who had suddenly appeared. She opened her mouth in surprise. "Tina, Mr. Farrell, are these your friends?"
Tina rolled her eyes at Hayden. Though reluctant, she nodded. "Elsa, let me introduce them. This is Hayden, my brother. And this is Nathan, Uncle's assistant. They called Uncle earlier about something important, so we told them to come here. Sorry for not mentioning it to you beforehand."
"There's no need to apologize!" Elsa waved her hand. "Come on in, come on in. This is just a hospital room without much space, but don't mind that."
Hayden, naturally sociable, quickly replied even before Nathan could figure out what to say. Lowering his voice so as not to disturb the patients, he smiled and said, "Mrs. Dyer, no need to be so formal. You're my Serena's friend, so you're my friend too. There's nothing to mind between friends, right, Nathan?"
Nathan hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wanted to say something about Hayden's excessive chatter but ultimately nodded. "Right."
"What are you here for?" Tina cut straight to the point, ignoring Hayden's rambling. "Shouldn't you two be at work right now?"
Hayden raised his hands in surrender, the sound of a paper folder crinkling as he moved. "Serena, we quit."
Tina and Jared exchanged a glance.
It was as if they weren't surprised by this outcome at all.
Jared didn't even bother asking why. Instead, he focused on the folder in Hayden's hands. "What's that?"
Hayden slapped his forehead as if he'd just remembered. "Oh, right! Serena, I ran into Cole downstairs, and he asked me to give this to you. He said it's the information you asked him to find about the Gill family."
He handed over the folder. "He mentioned that some of the materials couldn't be transmitted electronically, so he compiled them and sent them in hard copy."
Tina's eyes narrowed in curiosity.
The moment she touched the folder, she felt something different inside-something not made of plain paper.
Her curiosity deepened. She gave Hayden a look, signaling him to close the door.
Only after that did she feel comfortable opening the folder.
Hayden, equally curious, took a step closer to peek inside.
What greeted them first wasn't the expected white sheets of A4 paper.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
Instead, it was a brownish object that looked like a bamboo slip.
Its weathered appearance made it look like something unearthed from an ancient tomb.
Hayden's eyes widened. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Cole couldn't have dug up the Gill family's grave, could he? This thing-how is it something modern?" Nathan sighed and gave him a look. "Plenty of museums have things like this."
Hayden shot back, "Are you saying Cole stole it from a museum? No way. He doesn't look like the type to break the law."
Nathan: ...Sometimes, Hayden really lived up to his reputation as a fool.
Even Elsa couldn't help glancing at Hayden. Tina's brother didn't seem particularly bright.
"If you don't speak, no one will mistake you for a mute." Tina, unable to tolerate Hayden's wild imagination any longer, tapped his head. "This is probably a replica."
She carefully examined the bamboo slip, pulling it out to find a sheet of white paper attached to the back.
Holding both the document and the bamboo slip made it difficult to manage. She flipped the items over and handed them to Jared. "Uncle, could you help me remove this paper?" "Sure."
Cole had reinforced the connection between the bamboo slip and the paper, likely to prevent tampering.
Jared carefully peeled the paper off, narrowly avoiding tearing it. "Your brother... truly lives up to the term 'eccentric."
Looking at the faintly faded black text on the paper, Jared glanced between Hayden and the sheet in his hands. His evaluation was sincere.
Tina was speechless. She had thought the same thing for years.
But, out of the last remnants of sibling loyalty, she refrained from saying it out loud. Clearing her throat, she shifted the conversation under Hayden's confused gaze. "What does it say?" Jared spread the paper flat, scanning it