Tina, knowing the gravity of her own responsibility, slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with guilt and self-reproach as she looked at Micheal.

"Young Master Micheal, just tell the master directly. I will take full responsibility!"

"What can you take responsibility for?"

Micheal glared at her, annoyed. "Are you going to receive family discipline like last time?"

Tina pursed her lips tightly, unsure what to say.

Indeed, failing the mission meant facing family discipline. The last time she went through it, she was bedridden for a month to recover. This time...

"Ah..."

Micheal sighed in resignation. "How could I let a girl bear such a huge responsibility? After all, I am also to blame."

Tina's eyes welled up as she looked at Micheal, taking two emotional steps toward him. "Young Master Micheal, no, this time the responsibility is too great..."

"Enough."

Micheal raised his hand, gently patting her shoulder. "I was just upset, that's why I lashed out at you. I'll take the blame this time. Next time, just do better, understand?"

Moved to tears, Tina felt a wave of emotion. She had met many men in her life, but only Micheal was willing to share her burden. After all, the Thompson family's discipline was not something just anyone could withstand.

Her heart softened, and her lips quivered. "Young Master Micheal..."

"Alright, I need to report to Grandpa. You can go now."

"Okay, good."

Tina wiped the tears from her face, gave Micheal a deep look, and turned to leave.

Micheal dialed a video call, facing the stern expression of Arthur on the computer screen, he started with a light-hearted tone, "Haha, Grandpa, are you enjoying your meals lately? Sleeping well? Having fun..."

Arthur frowned, cutting him off, "Enough, just report the situation!"

"Cough cough..."

Micheal cleared his throat, his gaze dropping. "Grandpa, the mission failed. Lily has fled to Liverton, probably seeking refuge with Andrew now."

"Waste!"

Arthur's authoritative scolding echoed. "You can't even handle such a simple task. How can I entrust you with more important matters in the future?"

"Grandpa..."

Micheal mustered the courage to glance at Arthur, but only briefly. Seeing Arthur's furious face, he quickly looked away.

"How can this mission be considered a small matter? This is crucial for the Thompson family's legacy!"

Arthur was momentarily speechless, his frustration evident as he slammed his fist on the table. "I trusted you with such an important task, and you failed. You..."

"Actually, it's not that I came back with nothing."

Micheal sulkily retorted, "I had interactions with Lily before. As soon as I mentioned Nancy's background, she ran off like a rat seeing a cat. Afterwards, she avoided me, even going so far as to not leave her house when I was around. Grandpa, think about it. If she had nothing to hide, why would she avoid me like the plague?"

Arthur fell silent, considering Micheal's point. If Lily had nothing to hide, she would have spoken up, especially since she was known for her greed.

But her avoidance was a clear sign of guilt.

With this thought, he nodded. "Micheal, you're right. There's definitely something off about Nancy's background, and Lily must know something about your surname, Thompson. Her avoidance indicates that Nancy's background might indeed be related to our Thompson family."