HIDDEN LEGACY : THE FAME OF THE FORGOTTEN HEIR

Chapter 8 : Extra Large Burger

Elizabeth sat in her chair without much reaction to this insistence from her daughter-in-law.

"Mom, please, do something! It's been days and we still can't find Olivia at all.

"Please, Mom! I miss my daughter so much, aren't you worried that something bad might happen to her?

"Come on, Mom! Please, do something!" Victoria continued to plead in front of her in-laws who looked impassively calm.

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment and then continued speaking. "I've asked my people to look for her, is that not enough?"

"Of course it's not enough! You can do more than this, but you don't care at all." Victoria snapped at her, making Elizabeth's eyes look round in annoyance.

While Edward panicked and tried to defuse the situation, it was clear that his mother was now angry. "Please, Mom, don't be mad at Victoria. She's just dizzy with panic, and she snapped unintentionally."

Matthew interrupted, all eyes turning to him. "I don't think we should be tense, it could be that Olivia is having fun, or maybe she's on vacation."

His grin provoked a tantrum from Victoria, who now turned angry with her eldest child.

"Matthew, shut up! All of this is also because of you. If it wasn't for you, Olivia wouldn't have left like this."

Matthew smiled wryly. "Why are you mad at me? I was trying to stop her from leaving, but she was already swayed by her vagrant husband!”

Victoria's index finger pointed at her son, her anger peaked. "Shut up, Matthew! You shouldn't talk about Olivia like that. Your mouth doesn't seem educated at all.

"Aren't you panicking? Your young sister left without any belongings or money, how could she possibly have fun and a vacation, think rationally, don't make light of a problem like this."

Matthew was silent for an instant, he glanced at Elizabeth who was just sitting quietly and watching them since earlier.

"Don't you have any sympathy for your frantic mother? So watch your mouth!" Edward snapped at his son. Making Matthew even more silent with anxiety.

"There's no point in arguing, sooner or later that girl will be found, my people will definitely bring her home alive!" Elizabeth's words made Matthew breathe a sigh of relief, at least everyone's focus now shifted to his grandmother.

Edward let out a long breath, then coaxed by rubbing his wife's arms. "Never mind Victoria, don't panic too much! I promise, I'll bring our daughter home.

"...and don't be mad at Matthew anymore, he's already regretted his actions, I'm sure after this our daughter will come home."

Victoria, who was worried about Olivia, could only cry, thinking about the fate of her daughter.

*** on the other side ***

Ben's heart was racing fast. He thought about running, but the person behind him tugged on the back collar of his jacket.

"Where are you going? You can't put your trash back into the cooler, take it to the cashier and pay!" That order made Benjamin pause where he stood for a moment, then turned his back, staring at the person who was currently talking to him.

Ben finally let out a sigh of relief, after looking at his interlocutor.

At least he could rest assured that the man in front of her was not the Campbell family's hired men who had been chasing his.

Benjamin spoke with a calm face. "I'm sorry, I've just been forgetting a lot lately," he explained with a smile showing his teeth.

The man in front of him had a sardonic look on his face. "Do you think this is your personal fridge? You weird customer, don't cut my salary because of your drink," protested the man wearing a uniform similar to that of the cashier.

One of the store's employees apparently caught a cheating customer who seemed to have no intention of paying.

"Next time, make it a habit to pay before opening the lid, otherwise you'll be considered a thief!" the shopkeeper chided again.

Ben didn't argue. "Alright," he replied as he reopened the drinks cooler and reached for the bottle he had been drinking from earlier.

Without looking suspicious, Benjamin approached the cashier and joined the queue. When it was his turn, he showed the bottle to the cashier. But his whole behavior was still being watched by the man who spoke to him earlier.

"Two dollars, Sir!" The cashier said flatly. Ben paused and pretended to-reach into his pocket. Then he pretended to be surprised.

That cashier was sarcastic and repeated his sentence in a slightly raised tone. "Two dollars!"

After a while and being considered an annoying customer, the cashier grumbled, "Hurry up, Sir! The queue behind you is already too long."

Ben paused, and pretended to reach into his pocket again. "I'm sorry, I think I left my wallet behind, can I come back after this?"

That cashier looked annoyed with a frowning face. "You want to steal?"

Before Ben could deny it, someone next to him showed the cashier a two-dollar bill.

Benjamin gasped.

***

Ben had an annoyed look on his face, leaving the cashier with his bottle. However, the man who had paid for his drink was still following him.

Ben stood at the front of the store, went in, then out again, and passed through the door several times, but the man who had been behind him kept following.

"Damn," Ben grumbled in annoyance, now standing back in front of the shop, glancing left and right, making sure he was safe.

After letting out a short breath, he continued his sentence. "I'm sure this isn't a coincidence, what are you always following me for?"

That man just silently looked at Ben who was still emotional.

"How did you know I was here? Are you always following me? Is there a tracking chip embedded in my body?" Benjamin accused again.

"Steve, please, stop ... I'm tired of being followed around like this." Ben now sincerely pleaded.

"Go home, Sir! I already know how your real life is, you don't seem to be doing well right now. You're really in trouble." Steve spoke plainly with a cold expression.

Ben narrowed his eyes. "Trouble what do you mean? I'm fine."

"You can't even pay for a two dollar drink." Steve's answer this time silenced Benjamin's mouth.

Ben massaged his forehead, then held his waist, with his face up to the sky, letting out a long breath.

"I'm hungry, invite me to eat, after I eat, I'll think about it again."

Benjamin's gaze and words to him made Steve finally smile too, albeit only briefly.

Now Ben and his family's personal bodyguard were already at one of the fast food restaurants. Benjamin ate voraciously, savoring his extra large burger, he seemed to be really starving.

"If you had gone home, you wouldn't be in such a miserable condition like this.” Steve said as he watched his master eat.

Ben stopped chewing for a moment. "What do you know?" his gaze was sharp.

"I know everything." Steve replied briefly:

"It can't be," Ben denied, and he paused for a moment, then went back to eating until he was full and burping, though his mind wondered how Steve knew all about his condition.

This man wouldn't brag, which means there must have been spies in the house all along.

Ben stood up from his chair and carried his tray of fast food with Steve following behind.

When he was at the door of the restaurant and felt there was a chance to escape. Ben ran away, shouting. "I'll never go back to that house, but thank you so much for the food."

Steve and his men tried to chase Ben, but couldn't find him, or... they deliberately let him go fora while.

Happy to be free, Ben walked slowly through the streets, until he came to his senses and noticed cars with clearly visible license plates belonging to the Campbell family.

Feeling threatened, he tried to run away immediately, until instantly out of control, everything went dark and he fell after feeling something hit his head from behind.

It felt like someone had slammed a wooden beam into his head and back.

"Did I get caught? I think I'm going to die after this," Ben thought as his eyes closed.