Chapter 418: Brainwashing

Old Master Ryan's piercing gaze landed on Elena, making her heart tremble for a moment.

She stammered in response, "Dad, I haven't been anywhere."

Seeing her unwilling to tell the truth, Old Master Ryan felt his anger rise even further.

"Still trying to deceive me! You haven't been home for days, and you return looking like this."

"Be honest—where have you been these past days?"

Elena, already feeling guilty, shivered from fear. "I... I was just staying at a friend's house for a few days."

In reality, she had been living in a private room at a bar all this time.

Ever since Lucas's return, she had spent every night unable to sleep, tossing and turning in bed.

Even when she did manage to fall asleep, she was plagued by nightmares.

Now that Nathaniel Hamilton had left, she hadn't been receiving psychological treatment for some time.

Her mind was clearer than it had been in the past.

But it was precisely this clarity that brought her immense suffering.