Gerald then nodded. “Sure thing!”After he left, Jasmine pinched Mindy’s ear. “You! Why you! You wicked girl! Luckily, thank goodness I had my top on just now. If not for that, you’ll definitely!” When Jasmine thought about the awkward situation she found herself in moments ago, it only then did fear start taking hold of her. She had nothing but resentment for Mindy following what she did.“There, there. Didn’t I accomplish my mission? My hunch was right after all. Gerald does like you. I’m sure you’re unaware of it. I mean, his eyes were practically all over you!” “How dare you bring it up again? I’ll smother you to death!” …In a manor. There were around five luxury cars that rolled through the front gates.After that, a group of people filed out of their respective vehicles and headed straight for the entrance of the building.“Master Yael, all the helpers are here.” A person who looked like a butler led the group of people into the grand building. “Master Yael, n
“Yunus! Indeed, it’s been a long time since we last met! I was delighted when you said you were coming to see me!” exclaimed Yael with a beaming smile the moment he saw Yunus.“By the way, how are your parents at home? There was a time when my old man kept bugging me to go to Yanken to pay your dad a visit!” “Thanks for asking, Yael. They’re alright!” Yunus said. Yael gestured for Yunus to take a seat. “What happened? I heard that your dad punished you? Did he ground you for half a month?” “Hmph! I don’t wanna talk about it. I get pissed every time I talk about that incident. By the way, Yael, let’s talk about your affair. I’ve brought my men with me. I believe you’ve met them too. They’re all from North Africa, and all experts in their own fields!” “I did meet them just now. Yunus, I’ve got to say, I’m impressed!” “Good! Then let’s celebrate and pray for the success of your mission tomorrow!” …The next day. Marven and the others came too. Gerald had made the nece
The tone in which he spoke sounded firm. There was a cigarette dangling between his lips as they moved. “That’s right. Go have fun with your friends now! Stop asking so many questions!” The other guys echoed what he said. “You… How could you talk to me like that? Gerald! Don’t you want to discipline them? Listen to how they’re talking to me right now!” Stella peeked at Gerald, who was standing nearby, with an angry expression. Only then did Gerald tilt his head to look in her direction. “That’s enough, Marven. Let’s not get bogged down in this matter, alright? Time to go!”“Alright, Gerald!” Marven nodded immediately. After that, they got into the car. Marven had not gotten his driving license yet. Hence, Gerald had no other choice but to bring out his Mercedes-Benz MPV to ferry his friends around. But Stella wasn’t going to let them slip away that easily.Seeing that Gerald still chose to ignore her, she ran to the co-passenger seat and hopped into the vehicle
Winterbourne Village was a stone’s throw away from Howard County. They located the family which Mindy had specified for them to look for upon reaching their destination. A middle-aged woman opened the door for them. What set her apart from any other woman of her age were the burn scars that peppered her entire face. She seemed rather frightened by their presence.“Who are you looking for?” The woman was visibly stunned by Gerald and his friends’ unannounced arrival.She lowered her head to hide her scars, perhaps due to embarrassment or perhaps out of fear of scaring the strangers. “Ma’am, it’s nice to meet you. May I know if you're Xenia's cousin? She said that she asked you to keep something special for her. We’re here to retrieve it. She told us that you’ll understand it after reading this letter.” Jasmine walked over and said while handing her a letter.The woman looked at the letter. She then stole a couple of glances at Jasmine before nodding in response.“Very we
Gerald was hunched over inside the cramped passageway. He glanced at Stella’s face.He then listened to the noise outside. Clearly, those people weren’t going to give up their search soon. They were turning over every stone in their search for their targets. Jasmine was so anxious that her forehead was filled with beads of cold sweat.There was no way of escaping this if they let things continue without taking action.Gerald was at the back of the group, and Stella was just beside Gerald. At that moment, Gerald produced an exquisite but compact instrument from his pocket. Stella was surprised when she saw that instrument. She could tell that it was something extraordinary, something which you couldn’t get on the regular consumer market.Gerald then gestured to her to remain silent.After that, he pressed a button on the device, which most likely produced a distress signal. “This…what’s this? Is this thing gonna save our lives?” Stella asked with her eyes widened.Gerald
“Me?” Gerald pointed at himself. “I saw how witty you are, young man! Can you help me with something?” The woman put away her emotions in time. “Sure, ma’am. I’m sure Gerald can stay behind and help you out!” Mindy said. She treated Gerald as if he was actually her servant!There was no way out of this either. Gerald couldn’t possibly turn down the woman’s request, so he promised to help her out reluctantly. After they left, the woman grabbed both of Gerald’s hands all of a sudden. Her sudden action surprised Gerald. “Ma’am, what’s wrong?” Gerald asked immediately. “Young man, I don’t know who you are, but I can see that you have a kind soul. Can you tell me where you got this jade pendant?” She then held up the jade pendant which she picked up from the floor. No doubt, that was the jade pendant that Queta gave her with the name of Madeline engraved on it. Gerald was slightly frightened by how emotional the woman had become. But he still replied, “This b
And now, the woman who looked exactly like Queta appeared before him. What confirmed his suspicion was the sight of how agitated she was when she saw the jade pendant. What else could explain her bizarre reaction? “Are you saying that her name is Queta? Does she really look exactly like me?” The woman said excitedly. “That’s right. She gave me this jade pendant. She yearns to find her own mother, from whom she has separated years ago. She’d always been alone since then. Her life is filled with suffering, with neither good meals nor proper clothes. She grew up in an orphanage for crying out loud!” Gerald said. The woman burst into tears again. As she was crying, she plopped down on a chair feebly. “Are you finally ready to admit it? You’re Xara, aren’t you?” Gerald asked. And that woman covered her face with her palms as she nodded. “I am!” After that, she stood up immediately. She grabbed Gerald’s arms. “I’m begging you. Please let me meet Queta. I don’t care whos
Gerald gave her his word instantly.He knew that the Fenderson family was still out looking for Xara. He of course, was no fool and did not wish to create unnecessary trouble for himself. But, at the same time, Gerald was pretty curious about what happened between Xara and her own family all those years ago.He wanted to know in what way he was related to Queta. Realizing that Gerald was asking her about it, Xara became quite frank, and she started spilling out the truth without holding back. Turns out it’s something along the lines of this.Peter Crawford, who Xara mentioned, was the second young master from the Crawford family back then. He was young and handsome. He was also Queta’s father. ‘Through logical deduction, the man named Peter should be my uncle who my dad talked about when I was young.’‘Back then, he’d always tell me that my uncle was working out of town, so he rarely visited home.’‘No wonder there was a sense of familiarity when I met Queta for the first