The sound was exactly like the kind of phone ringing you’d hear in TV shows from the seventies and eighties, which startled Ava. She even trembled a bit. Sharon noticed and gently patted her hand, reassuring her. The warmth once again landed on her hand and reached her heart. Ava’s heart gradually calmed, yet the ringing continued. Sharon said, "You sit down, I’ll get the phone." Saying this, Sharon stood up and walked towards the antique phone. And Ava sat obediently, momentarily speechless. She felt she had really drunk too much last night; her mind had become sluggish. The elderly lady’s sudden arrival had thrown everything into disarray, catching her off guard. Sharon reached the phone and picked up the receiver: "Hello." Lauren had just called Eric to tell him there was news about Ava and to reassure him. Then she dialed this number again. She had many questions now, questions she had to ask Ava, or else she feared she might go mad. But unexpectedly, when the call connected, the voice that came through was an old lady’s, leaving Lauren stunned. A moment ago, it was clearly Ava speaking to her; how did it become an old lady now? Lauren was beginning to doubt her senses, thinking perhaps Ava’s voice and words were just her hallucination. After Sharon spoke, there was no sound from the receiver, but clearly, the call was still connected. She continued, "Hello, who is this?" Sharon’s naturally authoritative voice brought Lauren’s tense mind back to the moment. She hurriedly glanced at her phone to verify the number, confirming it was indeed Ava’s number just now, and she cautiously said, "Hello, someone just called me using this phone. Is she still there?" Sharon’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of a smile on her face, "She’s here, please hold on." Having said that, Sharon turned to Ava, who was in a daze, and called, "Ava, it’s for you." Ava was wondering why Sharon wasn’t angry, why she was treating her the same as before, and considering whether she was being inadequate or causing trouble for Poe Vaughn. In any case, her mind was constantly churning with thoughts. She had completely forgotten about the phone call. Now, as Sharon’s voice reached Ava, she came back to reality and said instinctively, "Okay." She stood up to walk over, and just then, the maid brought over a blanket and slippers. Seeing Ava heading towards Sharon, she quickly said, "Ma’am, put on your slippers, you’ll catch cold." The maid placed the slippers in front of Ava, letting her put them on before continuing, and Sharon also said, "Ava, wear them before coming over." "And drape the blanket over yourself as well." As Sharon spoke, the maid was already moving, spreading the blanket and draping it over Ava. Ava’s mind was still a jumbled mess, and the two women’s words fell into her ears without much impact, so she obediently complied. Her feet slipped into the slippers, and she wrapped the blanket over her shoulders, walking towards Sharon. But just after a few steps, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Like a flash of lightning, a thought crossed her mind, her eyes immediately fixated on Sharon’s phone receiver, and her heart began pounding wildly. It must be Lauren’s call, right? She had used this phone to call Lauren, and after informing Eric, Lauren would naturally call back—no need to think, she was sure of it. She knew Lauren all too well; having been missing for so long, Lauren would surely want to know the reason. But if it really was Lauren, then she must have heard everything Sharon and the maid said just now, right? The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel•fire.net Ava’s vision blurred, as though she would faint on the spot. Seeing Ava’s face turn pale suddenly, as if something terrible had happened, Sharon’s expression tightened. She quickly set the receiver aside and hurried over, "What’s wrong?" She supported Ava, a worried crease on her brow, then said to the maid, "Go call a doctor, quickly." The maid, also alarmed by Ava’s pale face, nodded urgently at Sharon’s words, "I’ll call right now." Quickly, the maid fished out her phone to call the doctor, while Sharon was helping Ava over to sit on the sofa. But at that moment, like a puppet suddenly turning sentient, Ava dashed towards the receiver, slamming it back down with a loud clack. Instantly, silence filled the villa. Sharon looked at Ava, the maid looked at Ava, both stupefied, unable to react. And there Ava was, clutching the receiver tightly, listening to the dead silence of the villa, struggling to calm herself, to stay cool, then slowly turning to face Sharon with a pale yet strained smile: "Hehe, I’m fine..." After one scare after another, Ava was completely awake. Returning to her room to freshen up, her mind worked rapidly, and once she was ready, she recalled where her phone was. So, after dressing tidily, she headed to the car to retrieve her phone. Her phone displayed numerous missed calls and unread messages, all from Lauren and Eric. They had really been looking for her for a long time and were very anxious. Seeing the battery barely at one bar, Ava took her phone upstairs to her bedroom to charge, and then immediately called Poe Vaughn.