That voice came through the rain curtain, carrying a hint of familiarity.
It didn't belong to this cold, rainy night; it was more like the greeting of an old friend one had known for a long time.
So unpleasant.
Mary froze for a moment, but quickly recovered.
She didn't react, didn't speak, and didn't make a move.
She just stood there quietly, letting the cold rain hit her face, her azure eyes reflecting the uninvited guest wearing a white mask.
Her brain was a bit sluggish from the cold, but her thinking at this moment was clearer than ever.
In fact, even her body, which had been somewhat cold, began to gradually warm up from anger the moment she saw this guy.
"Opening the window on a rainy day, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Russell asked with concern, but the only response he received was a cold counter-question:
"What are you doing here?"
Mary spoke, her tone full of alienation and even disgust. "You are not welcome here. Before I call the police or shout for help, you'd better disappear from my sight immediately."
"Don't be like that. You look very angry. Who provoked you?" Russell asked in a brisk tone.
"What do you think?" Mary's tone went cold.
[Mary Morstan is annoyed, disgusted, and angry at your mockery. Malice Points +50]
?
No, seriously, what did I do?
Under the mask, Russell's eyes widened.
I've only shown my face for less than a minute, right? Is it necessary to hate me this much? Just because I mocked her a few times last time, isn't she being a bit too petty?
"Cough cough... Calm down, Miss Mary—"
"Don't call me by my name," Mary interrupted Russell. "I'm not that close with you."
"Alright, alright, Miss Morstan, please calm down." Russell raised his hands helplessly. "Honestly, I didn't come here to mock you this time."
"What, want to steal lipstick again?"
"Not that either... Actually, I didn't come to steal anything at all this time."
As Russell spoke, he reached into his pocket.
Mary instinctively took a step back, reaching for the cane nearby while watching Russell vigilantly.
[Mary Morstan has generated hostility toward you. Malice Points +20]
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to... give you a gift."
Under the girl's hostile gaze, Russell took out a stack of papers from his pocket.
"Gift?"
Mary frowned. "No need, thanks. I find your things dirty."
"I think you'd better take a look," Russell laughed. "Besides, who said these are my things?"
Hearing his words, Mary's frown deepened.
She stared at that masked face which revealed no emotion, then her gaze slowly moved to Russell's outstretched hand.
By the moonlight, the girl clearly saw some of the words on the top paper.
The name [Morstan] pierced into her eyes like a needle.
"This is..." Her voice carried a hint of trembling.
She looked up at Russell. Seeing no reaction from him, she slowly reached out and took the stack of papers from his hand.
That stack of papers was incredibly important to her.
Mary let go of the cane, holding the contracts with both hands, her eyes staring incredulously at the content.
At this moment, she felt a sense of unreality. A sense of absurdity where the thinking and process were entirely wrong, but the result was entirely correct.
"Why..." she muttered, her tone no longer full of hostility and wariness. "Why are these in your hands, and why do you want to give them to me...?"
Those azure eyes stared dead at the masked face before her, trying to decipher even a shred of real intent from beneath that false pallor.
"Hmm... it's a long story." Russell scratched his head, looking like he didn't know where to start.
"Simply put, I originally wanted to go to Lloyds Bank last night to steal something, but I just happened to run into a group of blind colleagues.
"You know, although I illegally enter rooms and steal other people's property, I have always been a good boy. So, as a good citizen, I casually helped Scotland Yard solve a little trouble."
Russell spread his hands, his tone casual, as if talking about a trivial matter.
"As for these things, I just grabbed them randomly from a safe after the fight ended. You know me, although I steal things, I always return them every time, and this time is no exception. But to be honest, I didn't expect them to be your family's things. This is probably fate."
Fate.
Mary chewed on this word in her heart, finding it incredibly ironic.
Her brain was running at high speed, trying to build a reasonable logical loop for this incomprehensible scene before her.
Is this a new trap?
Did he see through my plan and use this method to humiliate me?
Or is there a deeper conspiracy from Mycroft hidden behind this?
No.
None of them.
The other party's tone held no disguise or probing, and various inadvertent small movements also exposed his thoughts at this moment.
No calculation, no mockery, no conspiracy.
Only a pure, infuriating casualness.
Clearly, the chessboard had been overturned, the pawns scattered, and the king had fallen in the mud, declaring her miserable defeat.
But now, the culprit who overturned the chessboard had picked up the most important piece, wiped off the mud, and put it back in her hand.
He didn't even know the significance of this piece.
Mary fell silent.
She suddenly wanted to laugh.
Not that polite, alienated smile belonging to Miss Morstan. But a wild laugh from the bottom of her heart, mixed with absurdity, anger, and the feeling of surviving a disaster.
But she held it back in the end.
She didn't want to lose her composure so much in front of a stranger.
Mary looked up at the Phantom Thief in front of her, just suddenly feeling that this guy didn't seem so like such an eyesore anymore.
Although he still looked infuriating.
"By the way, you look very surprised," Russell took the initiative to speak when he saw Mary silent. "What, didn't you know your own family's things were stolen?"
"As soon as the newspaper came out, Father went to call to confirm." Mary was in a much better mood now, so she was willing to say a few more words.
"At that time, Lloyds Bank's answer was that the safe was intact and nothing was stolen—they even said thank you."
Heh.
Hearing Mary say this, Russell sneered in his heart.
If they really thanked me, they wouldn't be rushing Lestrade to catch me.
"Moreover," Mary paused, then continued, "The Times didn't publish anything about the theft either, so we naturally thought the bank was telling the truth. But obviously, whether it's the bank or the newspaper office, they are lying—"
She spoke, then suddenly fell silent, seemingly realizing something.
In those azure eyes, something flashed past quickly.
That was the light of calculation.
She had a new idea.
Since Lloyds Bank wasn't honest, she wouldn't mind giving them a harsh bite.
A certain extremely dangerous smile appeared on Mary's face.
"Miss Morstan, you are smiling very scary, you know?"
"!"
Mary looked up sharply at Russell outside the window.
Almost forgot this guy was still here.
"Cough cough," the girl coughed lightly twice to return her expression to normal, then said: "Excuse me, I need to be excused for a moment."
"Excused?" Russell raised his eyebrows under the mask. "Listening to this, it seems you don't intend to drive me away?"
"The Morstan family has no reason to treat benefactors poorly."
The girl smiled gently, then walked toward the door.
"Please wait a moment."
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉