Lance rattled off a series of numbers.

Once unlocking it, Jennie noticed the wallpaper. It was oddly out of place. The image, dripping with a vintage charm, showed a young man and woman standing side by side, their vibes mingling with an air of subtle romance.

It didn't take long for Jennie to realize the young man was a younger version of Lance. The girl next to him, though... She Looked incredibly familiar. Could she be Bettie?

Considering Lance was from Philade but Royce came from Mathias, where Lance had spent his middle school years, the idea of Lance knowing Bettie wasn't far-fetched. While typing in the number, she couldn't help but ask, “Uncle, which school did you go to for middle school?"

Lance thought Jennie was sharp, though still a bit naive. Her question was a dead giveaway of her thoughts.

But preferring to keep his family lineage under wraps for now, Lance simply answered, “Germantown Quaker School. Why do you want to know?"

It was one of Philade's most esteemed middle schools.

“Just wondering," Jennie said, brushing off the idea that the girl in the picture could be Bettie.

The phone call went through immediately.

Tyrone's voice, laced with a hint of impatience, came on the Line.

"Hello?"

"Tyrone, it's me," Jennie said with her lively voice. "I'm on my uncle's phone. He's driving me back right now."

As soon as Tyrone recognized Jennie's voice, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Despite having a million questions, he held back, simply saying, “Okay, I'm waiting for you at home."

After ending the call, Tyrone quickly informed both the school and the police. Then, he called Sabrina.

Learning that Jennie was with her uncle, Sabrina breathed a sigh of relief.

Bettie, unable to contain her curiosity, asked as soon as Sabrina hung up, "Did they find Jennie?"

"Yes, she's with her uncle. Looks like he picked her up from the kindergarten," Sabrina answered.

Bettie couldn't hide her irritation, especially about Keilani's brother. "Can you believe that? That's rude! Taking the kid without saying anything, not even a quick message. ALL that worry for nothing?"

Sabrina casually suggested, "Maybe there was an urgent issue." Even though she'd never met Jennie’s uncle, she remembered Jennie mentioning him a few times, not as unreasonable as Keilani.

Bettie, clearly upset, countered, “Was it so urgent he couldn't even make a quick call? Was he about to die in that minute?"