Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 289: Prank?

"If you were in the mood for a prank, you should’ve just said so. There was no need to go this far."

She walked toward the bathroom without waiting for a response.

Mr. Crow frowned, unease settling in his chest.

"That’s a misunderstanding," he called after her, his voice low but firm. "I didn’t prank you. Not even for a moment."

Lana didn’t bother turning back. She simply waved her hand again, brushing off his words as if they meant nothing.

Inside the bathroom, warm steam soon filled the air. Water cascaded over her shoulders, washing away the remnants of sleep.

The crystal lay forgotten on the counter, distant and unimportant in her mind.

She didn’t take it seriously at all.

After dressing, she left the mansion and soon arrived at a quiet café, settling into a private room reserved in advance.

She waited only a short while before the door opened.

Monica walked in.

Lana studied her carefully. Monica had changed, subtly, but unmistakably.

Her posture was straighter, her presence steadier.

Seeing her like this, Lana couldn’t help but smile softly.

With Lana’s constant support, combined with Monica’s own financial compensation and growing authority, both of them were thriving.

Lana was expanding her connections, weaving her influence wider.

Monica, meanwhile, was steadily climbing the ranks within her police station.

When Monica noticed Lana, she smiled back, but the smile was restrained, overly proper.

Too proper.

Lana’s brows furrowed. "What happened?"

Monica hesitated, just for a heartbeat, before responding. "Nothing happened."

Lana leaned back slightly, her gaze sharp. "Something did. Tell me."

Monica fell silent again, the air between them turning heavy. Finally, she exhaled. "We’ve received a very serious case."

Lana gestured for her to continue, her expression growing colder.

"Children in the city are disappearing," Monica continued. "Slowly, one by one."

Lana frowned deeply. A memory surfaced against her will.

’In my previous life...’ There had been a massive, high-profile case where many girls vanished from the city.

The impact had been enormous.

But this time, it was children.

’Is my memory distorted,’ she wondered, ’or is this something else entirely?’

Monica’s voice pulled her back.

"None of them have returned home for three to four days. All the parents are certain the disappearances happened within that same timeframe."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "It’s escalated to the point where protests are starting."

Lana’s fingers tightened slightly against the table.

"The government has officially assigned this case to me," Monica finished, her voice calm.

Lana smiled faintly, her fingers tapping lightly against the table.

"So what’s the twist?" Her tone was calm, almost casual.

"From everything you’ve told me so far, this doesn’t sound especially dangerous. Honestly, it feels like an ordinary missing-person case."

Monica couldn’t help but smile, though the smile was weary, edged with exhaustion.

’If only I didn’t lack this sharp mind,’ Monica thought bitterly.

’Then maybe I would see through it so quickly too.’

She lifted her gaze and met Lana’s eyes. "Take a guess."

Lana leaned back, considering it seriously.

After a brief pause, she replied,

"All the children went missing within the same timeframe. That alone is suspicious."

Monica nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"But that’s not the real problem," Lana went on, her voice turning colder.

"The real issue is the government choosing to hand this case to a private police station." Her eyes sharpened.

"That’s strange. If the authorities were capable of solving it themselves, they would have done so already and claimed the credit. Why outsource it?"

Monica’s hand tightened around her cup.

"It means there are hidden facts," Lana continued evenly.

"Facts they know they can’t handle. So they pass the case on. And if things go wrong, the private station becomes the scapegoat. The fall guy."

Monica clenched her fist beneath the table.

For a moment, she almost blurted out,

’Join us as a consultant.’

She had never even considered this angle before.

Taking a slow breath, she countered,

"What if the government offered something in return?"

Her eyes flickered.

"A guarantee. If I accepted, they’d officially affiliate my station and allow us to operate under the government’s name in the future."

Lana frowned slightly, then shook her head. "Then I would never have taken the case."

Monica blinked in surprise.

"The government isn’t foolish," Lana continued.

"They’ll never put themselves at a disadvantage. If a private station carries their name long-term, it could grow powerful, form its own connections, maybe even rival them."

Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Worst case, they lose control. They wouldn’t offer such a deal unless they were confident the station would fail."

A wry smile crept onto Monica’s face as she closed her eyes briefly.

’I really did hit the stupid thing this time,’ she thought, half amused and half overwhelmed.

Opening her eyes, she sighed. "I accepted the case anyway."

Lana nodded. "I could tell from your expression."

Monica exhaled and continued,

"The missing children come from both wealthy and ordinary families. The only thing they all share is their rich background."

Lana’s mind raced instantly, possibilities colliding.

"There’s more," Monica added grimly.

"All of them were involved in bullying cases."

She hesitated, then lowered her voice.

"And one child possessed a magical artifact, one that indicates whether its owner is alive. The artifact stopped working."

Lana’s gaze sharpened. "And?"

"That child belongs to one of the city’s most powerful families," Monica continued.

"The moment the artifact failed, chaos erupted. Everyone assumed the child was dead. Yet the family still demands we bring him back alive."

Her jaw tightened.

"From the clues we’ve gathered, the culprit appears to be a ghost with nearly a hundred years of cultivation."

Lana’s expression turned grim.

’A century-old ghost...’

That was no small threat.

"With us involved in this case," Monica admitted quietly, "this station is probably finished."

Lana could hear the truth in her voice.

If Lana weren’t here, Monica truly would be walking into disaster.

In her previous life, Monica had survived every crisis and eventually rose high.

But this case felt different.

’Why has her fate changed so much?’ Lana wondered.