Chapter 10
Weathered by time, the old mansion stood solemn, its gray bricks exuding an air of poignancy. In the yard, a few old trees swayed in the cold wind, with white blossoms scattered amongst the branches like silent sighs.
Ian and Henry walked into the house, followed by a string of household staff carrying boxes of various sizes. Christopher and Anna were already waiting for them in the living room. When they saw the two men, they forced out a weak smile.
“Mom, Dad,” Ian greeted lowly, his voice heavy.
Anna nodded in return. Her gaze lingered on the boxes behind them. Her eyes were red. “And so this day comes again… It’s been so many years. We still don’t know where she is or if she’s doing well.
“Why can’t we find her? We’ve been searching for so many years. Where is my daughter? Could it be… that she’s no longer alive?”
“No!” Ian’s head snapped up. “She’s definitely still alive. I will find her!” he said stubbornly.
Henry stood beside them, his gaze heavy on the gift boxes. Complex emotions flickered in his eyes.
Pursing his lips, he said quietly, “Ian is right. We’ll find her.”
Anna couldn’t bear the thought of losing her daughter either, so she wiped her tears and forced out a smile. “Yes, you’re right. My daughter must still be alive. Alright, place the gifts in her room as usual.”
Ian nodded and led the servants upstairs.
He pushed open the door. Everything in the room remained untouched in the last decade–the pink princess bed, the walls covered with dolls, and the photo frame on the desk.
In this room, time seemed to have stopped since that seven–year–old little girl went missing.
1an stood at the door, his eyes landing on a worn–out rabbit plushie on the bed. He swallowed. “She loved this rabbit,” he said hoarsely. “She always had it with her when she slept.
11
Ian walked up beside him and brushed his fingers gently over the plushie. Pain flickered in his eyes. “She called it ‘Bunny‘, I remember. She used to say it was her best friend.”
Ian laughed bitterly. “Yeah,” he said, his voice so soft that it was barely audible. “She used to say she wanted to travel the world with Bunny. But now… Bunny’s still here, and she’s nowhere to be found.”
The room fell into silence, broken only by the soft sound of wind tapping against the window like an unspoken lament.
Anna stood at the door, once again unable to hold in her tears as she looked into the room. “Every time I come in here, it feels like she’s still here… like she just went out to play and will be back soon.”
Christopher stepped forward and put his arm around Anna. “Don’t cry. The boys are still here.”
Ian took a deep breath to compose himself, then walked to his mother’s side. “Don’t be sad, Mom. We will find her.”
Anna nodded and wiped away her tears, forcing out a smile. “Alright. Alright, I’ll stop crying.”
just then, hasty footsteps echoed downstairs. Matthew rushed up the stairs, looking excited. “Sir, we got news! We got news about Ms. Dalton!”
“What?” Ian turned around abruptly and gripped Matthew’s shoulders. His voice was trembling. “What did you say? You have news about my sister?”
F འལ བ ཡཱ ཛ ར་ མ ་ པ རག ་ ་ བ ་
Matthew nodded fervently as he panted. “Yes, yes! Someone sent word that Ms. Dalton had been taken in by an old lady years ago. She might still be in that village!”
Upon hearing that, Anna’s tears flowed freely once again. “Really?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Christopher, equally overwhelmed, added urgently, “Which village? We’ll head there immediately!”
Matthew gave them an address, Ian and Henry exchanged a glance, their faces filled with joy. Neither of them realized that that village was precisely where Ruby had lived before she came here.
Ian turned to his parents. “Let’s go right away!”
Anna nodded repeatedly, choking back her tears. “Yes, yes! Let’s go now!”
Just as they were about to leave, the crisp sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed from downstairs.
Cecelia came upstairs serenely, a sweet smile on her face. “Hey, guys. What’s going on with all of you today? Why are you ignoring me?”
lan frowned. “Cecelia, we have an urgent matter to deal with now,” he said impatiently. “Go home.”
Cecelia’s smile stiffened for a moment before she pouted. “What urgent matter? You promised to go on a trip with me. I already booked the tickets!”
Anna glanced at her and said coldly, “Cecelia, we’re busy today. We can go another day.”
Cecelia’s face darkened instantly. Her voice took on a tone of grievance. “No, you promised! You can’t go back on your word! I don’t care. You’re all coming with me today!”
lan’s patience ran out. “Cecelia!” he snapped, raising his voice. “Stop this! Right now, we have something more important to deal with!”
Startled by his harsh tone, Cecelia immediately teared up. “Why are you yelling at me? What did I do wrong? You were never like this before!” Henry frowned and stepped forward. “Cecelia, enough,” he said, also cold. “We really have no time for you today.”
Cecelia’s tears began falling in earnest as sheshricked hysterically, “What could be more important than me? I am your daughter!”
Anna’s expression turned icy. Her voice was laced with restrained anger. “You’re adopted, Cecelia. Have you forgotten that? We’re going to find our real daughter today!” Cecelia blanched. She began trembling as she asked in disbelief, “You… did you really find her? Then what about me? What am I to you?”
Lan looked at her coldly. “That’s enough from you, Cecelia Right now, nothing is more important than finding her.”
Tears streamed down Cecelia’s face as she said in despair, “How… How could you do this to me? I hate you!”
With that, she turned and ran downstairs, crying bitterly.
Anna watched her retreating figure, her eyes displaying a mix of complicated feelings, but that was quickly replaced by urgency
She turned to Christopher. “Let’s go. We can’t waste any more time”
Chapter 10
212
Christopher nodded. Then, he turned to lan and Henry and said, “You two should stay here. If we really find her today, you can prepare a homecoming banquet for her. We’ll bring
her home.”
fan and Henry exchanged an excited glance.
Then, Ian nodded at his parents. “Alright. We’ll get started immediately!”
After Christopher and Anna left, Henry and lan wasted no time. Ian took out his phone and made a call. “Contact the best event planning company in the city. I want to host the grandest homecoming banquet this city has ever seen!”
Meanwhile, Henry turned to Matthew. “Get the car. We’re going to the auction house to buy all of their finest jewelry.”
Matthew nodded and went off to make arrangements,
After ending his call, lan turned to Henry, looking ecstatic. “We’re so close to finding her, Henry!”
Henry smiled, a warmth filling his eyes. “Yes, finally. We’re so close.”
They shared a smile before swiftly leaving the mansion.
