Bryce glanced at his watch and said, "I'll go with you."Holly looked at him in mild bewilderment.Their marriage of three years had always been lukewarm. But now, with the fuss of divorce, their relationship seemed much better than before.Bryce's clinginess was like that of a newlywed.Holly considered it and said, "I'm there to work. I won't be able to complete it in just a couple of days. It would take me two weeks, at the very least. With your busy schedule, taking so much time off wouldn't be ideal."Bryce was silent for a moment. "Then, I'll get a few bodyguards to protect you. Is four enough?"That was way too many. She was just going to restore a fresco. Did she really need four suited bodyguards protecting her?It felt ridiculous when she thought about it."Just one is enough. I'm there with an archaeology team, not an army. They're not taking any bodyguards with them. I'll be the only one with a guard. It's just too showy.""You must take at least two of them with y
Two hours later, Holly, Annie, and the rest got off the airplane.Someone was already at the airport waiting for them.They got into the car. It was a bumpy journey to Dracowaist Village.The tomb was at the foot of Mount Dracowaist. It was behind the village.The birch trees in the vicinity were all hundreds and thousands of years old. It wasn't surprising that it was an ancient tomb site.Mount Dracowaist was surrounded by other mountains. There was also a large lake in front of it.It might be deserted, but it was a lovely place for nature hiking.With the help of the tour guide, Holly and Annie finally arrived at the tomb site.People who visited this place were few and far between.The tomb was already halfway excavated.The leader of this archaeological dig was a world-renowned historian and archaeology professor, Alex Gondalez.He led the team up to the tomb site and welcomed Holly.His hair was peppered gray. He looked like he was in his middle age.He had an angul
It was hard for the people in this generation to keep up with the wisdom of people from ancient times.Annie stared at the fresco and sighed. "Holly has a photographic memory. She can remember everything at a glance, down to the smallest detail. She can replicate everything exactly. We should have flown her in earlier."Alex's eyes shone in admiration. "The youngsters these days are just full of surprises. Your generation is truly talented."Annie wagged her eyebrows. "Of course. Holly is a one-in-a-million genius."Holly nudged her, trying to shut her up. Annie shut up at once.Holly said humbly, "We're young and therefore still inexperienced. We should learn from the older generations like you."Alex laughed. "I hear that you're Winston Sinclair's granddaughter.""Yes. I am.""Mr. Sinclair was world-renowned. I've worked with him multiple times before. Alas, he has passed on."Holly felt a sharp stab in her heart when she thought of her dead grandparents.She took a momen
No one dared to utter a word, afraid of disturbing Holly's focus.Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the colors of the painting faded.Alex looked at Holly inquisitively.Holly nodded. "All's good. I remember the colors of the clothes, too."Alex let out the breath he'd been holding. He handed the silk painting over to his assistant and said, "I heard Annie say that your memory was even better than a camera. I didn't believe it before. Now I know that geniuses exist, and they are far better than our predecessors."Holly smiled. "You can save the praise for after I'm done restoring it.""I believe you. You restored 'Mountain Home' by Stanley Warner very perfectly.""Why, thank you very much."After that, Holly had to begin restoring the painting.Because she needed peace and quiet, they let her stay in a motel in the city.The other archaeologists had to either sleep in tents or in the village.Holly and her group arrived at the motel.After settling down, she began evaluatin
Holly immediately grabbed a robe to cover herself. She jumped off the bed and turned on the lights.The bright lights illuminated everyone in the room.Holly's breaths were erratic. She took in the intruder who had assaulted her. It was a thug-like man.He had tan skin, a stocky build, and a genetically unfortunate face.Based on his clothes, he was a local.The man who was pointing a revolver at his head had tan skin and a buzz cut. He looked handsome in a mysterious sort of way. He had on a black coat, and his legs were slim and toned.It was Abelin.Holly hurriedly fastened her nightgown and smoothed out her hair.When she felt more presentable, she said, "Why are you here, Mr. Gabelman?""I was visiting a client of mine."Holly was bewildered. "Here?""Yes. I'm here to collect an ancient artifact," he said gently. Then, he pointed the revolver at the intruder's head and barked, "What's your name?"The intruder's hands shook slightly. Moving his cracked lips, he said wit
Abelin had gone too hard on the first bodyguard. His face was red and swollen.That wasn't just a slap. That was like a wall of iron crashing into his face.Abelin grabbed Mason's shirt and shoved him out the door. "Get up. We're going to the police station."Abelin wanted to investigate him to see if he had come here on anyone's orders.Going to the police station meant filing a police report. Since Holly was the victim, she had to come along as well.The silk painting in the motel was important. She called someone from the archaeological team, asking them to guard the room.They got into their cars in the middle of the night and drove to the police station in the city.Once they arrived, Abelin dragged Mason to the lobby. He said coldly to the policemen, "Do a background check on him."Mason was a local. With such small villages around, it was common for them to know a few people here and there.At the police station, Mason wasn't so afraid anymore.In fact, he began tellin
"Speak up! Who are you working for?" Abelin grabbed his neck, his voice thunderous.Blood covered Mason's entire face. It hurt so bad that his features were all twisted in pain.He choked out, "No… No one. I would have surrendered ages ago if I was working for someone. I can't tell you anything even if I die."Mason refused to give in no matter what Abelin did. If this went on, Abelin might just kill him. He ordered the policeman, "Check his phone calls and go through all the people he's been in contact with lately.""Yes, sir. We'll do that at once," the policeman said quickly. Then, he wondered why he was taking orders from this guy. Abelin was from a foreign special task force from a different country. They had nothing to do with each other.However, he dared not speak up.Abelin looked like he was someone influential. He looked like he was from a huge city, and had a powerful background. The policeman couldn't dream of offending him.Abelin looked at the clock on the wal
Holly still wasn't used to being addressed like that. She said politely, "Thank you so much. You can go back to sleep now. I'm sorry for the trouble.""It's no trouble at all. Get some rest while you can." Then, he left.Holly took her key out, about to open the door. Then, she realized that it was already open.Someone was in the room.A chill went down her spine. She immediately thought of the silk painting and pushed the door open quickly.The moment she did, she was stunned.There were three men in the room. One of them was sitting on the couch against the wall. He was a handsome man with an elegant air. The other two men were his bodyguards.Bryce was here.Holly couldn't believe her eyes. She had called him after dinner. He hadn't mentioned coming here at all. All he did was tell her to catch some rest.She wasn't expecting him to fly all the way here for her.Holly was pleasantly surprised. A multitude of emotions washed over her. All of the tension in her body disappe