99: Chapter 99 Hotel

After Elizabeth left, the two returned to their room.

Ballard closed the door and locked it.

She walked to the desk, gathered the documents, and put them into her backpack.

Her movements were efficient and decisive, just like her personality.

Sean lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Elizabeth's words were still swirling in his head... Tomorrow afternoon, she would come to pick him up.

"Are you really going?" Ballard's voice came from the desk.

Sean turned his head and looked at her.

Ballard didn't look back; she was still tidying the documents.

Her silhouette under the light looked thin, the lines of her shoulders appearing rigid.

"Yes," Sean said. "Elizabeth doesn't harbor much ill will. You can rest easy."

Ballard stuffed the last stack of documents into her backpack and zipped it shut. She

turned around, leaned against the desk, crossed her arms, and looked at Sean. "You trust her?"

Sean thought for a moment. "It's not exactly trust, but if she had malicious intent, she wouldn't have waited until now."

Ballard stared at Sean as she listened, remaining silent.

Since she didn't speak, Sean didn't either.

The two just looked at each other, the only sound in the room being the hum of the air conditioner.

After a while, Ballard finally said, "Be careful. That woman is no ordinary person. She hasn't survived for over a century just by luck."

Sean nodded. "I know."

Ballard was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up. "Sean... that witch in New Orleans, Madison—is she your girlfriend?"

Sean was taken aback.

He hadn't expected Ballard to ask that.

This woman usually only asked about cases, clues, and how to solve them.

Whether Madison was his girlfriend or not... such things shouldn't have been within her scope of concern at all.

Sean thought it over.

Between him and Madison, the words "boyfriend and girlfriend" had never been explicitly spoken.

Madison had kissed him, slept with him, and said "You're mine," but she had never confirmed their status.

So, Sean answered firmly, "No."

Upon hearing the word "no," Ballard suddenly turned and looked at Sean.

A hint of a smile inadvertently flickered in her dark brown eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. It was brief, but Sean saw it.

"What are you smiling at?"

Ballard tucked away her smile and shook her head. "Nothing."

She walked back to the desk, sat down, picked up the cup of cold coffee, and took a sip.

After a thought, she suddenly asked again, "Do you mind dating an older woman?"

Sean was stunned for a second.

He turned his head to look at Ballard, but unfortunately, she wasn't looking at him, so he couldn't read her expression.

Sean thought it over.

Having lived two lives, his actual age was much older than he appeared.

The concept of dating someone older didn't really exist for him.

"I don't mind."

The corners of Ballard's mouth twitched up again. She nodded and set the cup down, seemingly no longer as tense.

Looking at her, Sean suddenly felt something was off.

Wait a minute!

Ballard... she couldn't be thinking of making him give up the whole forest, could she!

This is bad!

If that's the case, this woman is definitely off-limits!

Sean's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly warned himself not to mess around with his beautiful police partner...

...

While Sean was on his guard, Elizabeth arrived on time the following afternoon.

From the window, Sean saw the black sedan pull up downstairs. Elizabeth pushed the door open, still wearing that long black trench coat, her blonde hair shimmering with a cold light in the afternoon sun.

She didn't come upstairs. Instead, she leaned against the car door with her hands in her pockets, looking up toward the window as if she knew he was watching her.

Sean turned and grabbed his coat.

Ballard stood up from the desk. "I'm going with you."

Sean knew he couldn't stop Ballard, so he nodded.

However, as soon as they stepped outside, Elizabeth began to refuse Ballard's company. "Agent Ballard, I only invited Sean."

Ballard ignored her.

She walked to the car, pulled open the back door, and sat inside.

Elizabeth looked at her, her grey-blue eyes filled with pure impatience.

It was like she was looking at an obstructive object, wondering whether she should move it out of the way.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" Elizabeth asked.

Ballard looked at her and said seriously, "Positive."

Elizabeth smiled.

That smile was visibly cold. "Do you know what I am?"

"I know," Ballard's voice was flat, devoid of any fear. "But I'm not afraid of you."

Elizabeth suddenly took an interest. She tilted her head, as if looking at something amusing. "You're not afraid of me?"

"No."

"Pfft."

Elizabeth let out a merciless snort of laughter, then looked at Sean. "Interesting. This partner of yours has more guts than you do."

Sean was used to being caught in the middle by now. He ignored their sparring and focused on staying silent.

He pulled open the passenger door and got in.

Elizabeth got into the car and started the engine.

The car drove out of the alley and merged into the traffic.

Ballard sat in the back seat with her hands on her knees, her expression calm. Elizabeth glanced at her through the rearview mirror but said nothing.

Sean finally spoke up. "Just let her come. It won't affect anything."

Elizabeth pursed her lips and said, "Fine."

Honestly, seeing this century-old Vampire make such a human expression was quite amusing.

She stepped on the gas, and the car accelerated.

After driving for twenty minutes, they turned into a quiet street.

The houses on both sides weren't tall; they were all old-fashioned, with gardens and wrought-iron balconies.

But at the end of the road, there was a building that stood out.

It was taller than the surrounding houses, its dark red brick walls gleaming with an aged luster in the afternoon sun, looking like dried blood.

The windows were narrow and tall, framed in dark wood; the glass was polished bright, yet the interior remained invisible.

The curtains were drawn tight from the inside—heavy, dark gold velvet that draped all the way to the floor.

On the front of the building was a bronze door, darkened by years of oxidation and erosion, carved with intricate patterns. It was hard to make out what they were—perhaps vines, or the silhouettes of some animals.

Above the lintel hung a brass plaque engraved in script: Hotel Cortez.

Elizabeth parked the car at the entrance. She pushed the door open, stood by the roadside, and looked up at the building.

The sunlight hit her face, and her expression was serene.

Sean understood that feeling; he had felt the same way when he returned to Hill Manor.

Ballard also got out of the back seat and stood by the car. She didn't look at the building, keeping her attention solely on Sean.

Elizabeth felt a bit disgruntled seeing Ballard's gaze, so she walked quickly to the iron gate of the garden, pushed it open, and looked back at Ballard. "You wait here."

Naturally, Ballard didn't budge. "I'm staying with Sean."

Elizabeth looked at her, a hint of impatience in her grey-blue eyes. "I said, I only invited him. Showing up uninvited is not a good habit, Detective Ballard."