Violent waves had just crashed onto the side of the ship, and by the looks of it, many more were soon to come. The thunderous waves were so high that they easily scaled the entire ship. Every passing wave was now drenching the deck. Everyone aboard began screaming as the ocean liner slowly began sinking into the maelstrom. However, no matter how much they screamed, the chaotic waves seemed to drown all their voices. The night was dark, but the ocean was even darker… By the time the sea finally calmed itself again, a giant object could be seen descending into the depths. While it was faint, the symbol on the pendant made a brief appearance before disappearing, just like the ocean liner had. “Is Mr. Crawford awake?” asked Fynn as he hurriedly headed for Gerald’s room with a few documents in hand. It was already the next day and Gerald was currently in a house on an island that Jessica had rented. “Mr. Crawford’s up and he seems to be in a rather good mood today. He’s even a
“Bring her over!” said Gerald as he stood up. Getting the approval he needed, the bodyguard then left to get her. A brief moment later, the girl was escorted over by a few other bodyguards. The girl herself appeared to be shy, though it was a reasonable reaction. After all, who wouldn’t be terrified standing in a port filled with thousands of luxury cars? As if that wasn’t enough, at least a thousand black-suited bodyguards were standing all over the place! No ordinary person would ever approach the scene without proper reason. “A-are you… Mr. Crawford? Mila’s boyfriend…?” asked the girl meekly. “I am,” replied Gerald with a nod. “I-I go by the name of Narissa Martin… I’m a good friend of Mila’s… I heard that you were investigating the liner’s disappearance… While I do have some information about it, I’m not really sure if it’ll help with the search…” “Go on then. It may lead to the next clue!” replied Gerald immediately. “Well… The night before, Mila, Molly, and Wanda
While Gerald worked tirelessly day in and day out, his efforts proved to be fruitless, even as the tenth day passed by. He had exhausted every tactic he could think of, yet not even a hint of the ocean liner’s whereabouts could be found. “Where exactly are you, Mila… I… I refuse to believe that you’ve left me just like that!” said Gerald as he pulled his hair in desperation. By this point, he was constantly having flashbacks of the moments he had spent with Mila. He now knew more than ever that Mila had made great efforts just to be with him. On the eleventh morning, Gerald sat on the beach in a daze, unsure of what else he could even do to look for the ship. As he continued racking his brains, his phone began to ring. It was a call from Jessica. “Good morning, brother!” Hearing her voice, Gerald couldn’t help but smile faintly as he replied, “Good morning, sister. Have you returned to Northbay safely? How are things going?” Two days ago, Jessica had returned to Hong Kong
“Hey, you!” called out Bethany in a commanding voice. Breaking from his daze, Gerald then looked at the girl who had shouted at him before asking, “What do you want?” The girl who was pointing at him looked to be in her late teens, and while she looked rather bizarre, she was also somewhat beautiful. “Are you all alone?” asked another girl as she placed a hand on her waist. It was the girl who had told Bethany about Gerald earlier. “I suppose you could say that!” replied Gerald as he nodded. “That’s rather pitiful to hear! How about this, Bethany wants to invite you over to pick tennis balls for us! At least you won’t be alone if you do that for us!” added the girl. Gerald remembered his sister telling him that since the Crawford family was so immensely huge with so many complicated branches, it was normal for those within the family to not know who was who among the younger generation. “If something’s weighing your mind, it’ll only get worse if you continue dwelling on i
Lyra asked that question as she gently helped Gerald wipe the prickly grass off his face. “I… I’m, um… Not sure which family I belong to!” replied Gerald. Hearing that, Lyra simply laughed before saying, “I’ll call some doctors over later and tell them to treat your wounds… Wouldn’t want you to get an infection now, would we?” “No, it’s fine…” For some unknown reason, Lyra simply felt the urge to pamper and take good care of Gerald from the moment she had met him. It was truly an odd feeling. “The assembly will begin soon, young lady… It’s best that you head there immediately,” said a person who seemed to be Lyra’s maid as she walked over. “Very well,” said Lyra as she nodded to Gerald before leaving with her maid. “Young lady? So she’s someone who’s been married into the Crawford family!” muttered Gerald to himself as he finished wiping his face clean. In his mind, he was thinking what a blessing it must be for the person who had married such a gentle and attractive wi
“My word! Since when has the Crawford family assembly become this lax? Can literally anybody participate and sit wherever they like? Just look at how pathetic this awkward-looking person is!” Gerald had just finished sending a message to his sister when he heard a woman’s voice mocking him. When he turned to look at the woman beside him who had heavy makeup on, she simply rolled her eyes at him. “Humph! And here I thought that I’d only be able to meet distinguished people after getting married into the famous Crawford family! Never would I have imagined to have to sit at a table here with such a person!” complained the woman loudly, just so Gerald could hear her. The woman looked down on Gerald so much that she seemed to be embarrassed just having to sit next to him. “That’s quite enough! Watch your mouth. While everyone in the family is wealthy, some people are still less knowledgeable and insightful than others! Besides, some of us here may have attitudes of an upstart, so ju
The one who had immediately stood up and shouted at the madwoman was Bethany. “So what if I’m rude? What are you going to do about it?” retorted Xandra, not wanting to be outdone. The two seemed to have forgotten where they were as they continued arguing with each other. This was made apparent since everyone else had already gone silent for some time. “Brother!” shouted a crisp and clear voice which silenced the two arguing women. After all, they knew who the voice belonged to. Both of them then turned to look at Jessica who was hurriedly walking toward them. “Sister!” replied Gerald as he tried wiping the tea stains off his body. “…Sister?” Everyone there was immediately stunned. He called Jessica his sister? Was he really… “Who did this? Who dared to humiliate the young master of the Crawford family? That person must have a death wish!” scolded Jessica in a frigid tone which sent chills down the spines of the other Crawford family members. Xandra and Bethany themsel
“This is Lyra, Gerald! Though we’ve never mentioned her to you before, she’s the one who’s been helping you handle your financial issues all these years. We’ve raised her since she was young!” said Yulia who didn’t seem to have heard what Lyra had said earlier. Though her mother wasn’t saying it directly, the underlying message she was implying was clear as day to Gerald. After all, not only had Gerald already heard others referring to Lyra as the young lady, it was also obvious based on the current expressions on his parents’ faces. “Mom, we’ve already met earlier!” said Lyra a little louder this time as she looked at Gerald with a faint smile. “Oh, you have? Well all the better then! Haha! Alright, no more beating around the bush! Lyra is your fiancée, Gerald!” said Dylan who was looking very happy. In response, however, Yulia coughed before tugging gently on Dylan’s sleeve. After all, they were aware that their son had a girlfriend. Not only that, she was now missing! It sim