On the other side, Sean, who had just left the hospital, had intended to go to a bubble tea shop for a part-time job, but his phone rang from his pants pocket. The caller ID displayed “Melody,” his neighbor who often helped take care of Noah. She never called Sean without a reason, so Sean hurriedly answered the call.
“Melody, is there something wrong that you’re calling me now?”
Sure enough, an anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. “Sean, where are you? Hurry back! Your sister ran away, and I chased after her but couldn’t find her.”
“What did you say? My sister is missing? Melody, wait for me, I’ll come back right away!”
With something happening at home, Sean, who was standing by the roadside, lost the mood to work part-time. Absentmindedly, he stood there, hoping to hail a taxi. Unfortunately, most of the vehicles passing by were private cars, and occasionally, there were taxis, but they were always occupied.
Sean became increasingly anxious and sweat started pouring down his forehead as he stared intently at the road ahead. Just then, a red Lamborghini slowly appeared before his eyes, its bright red color dazzling in his vision. He was instantly stunned.
The car window rolled down, revealing a familiar face. Cheyenne frowned at him and scolded, her red lips slightly parted. “Running around during work hours, do you want to get zero scores on your internship record?”
Sean rushed forward, pressing his body against the car window, pleadingly looking at her with trembling voice. “I’m sorry… but I’m in a real hurry now. My sister is missing. Can you help me, please, big sister?”
Hearing the term “big sister” sent shivers down Cheyenne’s spine. In the past, this brat would never call her “big sister” even when she gave him a good beating.
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
But those few seconds felt like an eternity to Sean, who knew he shouldn’t trouble her anymore. The Lawrence family owed her a lot. He had bullied her in the past, but… Nora’s safety compelled him to shamelessly seek Cheyenne’s help.
“Get in.”
“Thank you!”
Sean opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat, providing Cheyenne with the address.
Cheyenne had never heard of it, so she relied on the navigation. To her surprise, it turned out to be a road in a small village on the outskirts. Over the years, Akloit had developed well and even led the national trends. With a growing population, the city’s area was limited, so the policies focused on developing satellite cities in the suburbs and surrounding villages.
Hurtlepool was one of those satellite cities. It was located outside the fifth ring of Akloit, about thirty kilometers away from the city center. Fortunately, there was a subway passing through, but it only operated from 9 AM to 10 PM because of the distance.
If Sean lived there, it meant he had to leave before 7 AM, which would require getting up before 6 AM.
Cheyenne glanced at him with confusion through the rear view mirror. Even if the Lawrence family had fallen, they wouldn’t have to live in such a small village. She remembered George had spent twenty million buying a villa in the city center, and even after the Lawrence family went bankrupt, they still held onto the house.
Why would they run off to Hurtlepool instead of living in the villa?
She didn’t ask, and Sean didn’t say anything. The two of them remained silent throughout the journey.
They arrived in Hurtlepool.
Due to its proximity to Akloit and the support of policies, Hurtlepool was included in the tourism planning zone. Upon entering the village, the sight was filled with uniformly toned wooden cottages, mostly two-story buildings designed in an antique style.
There were peach trees planted along the road. It was already May, so the peach blossoms had withered, but the peaches hadn’t ripened yet.
Green little fruits hung from the trees, and one could tell without tasting that the peaches were definitely sour.
Cheyenne silently noted the place. If it were filled with peach blossoms in the spring, it would probably be very beautiful. It was also close by, making it a good choice for tourism and picnics.
Meanwhile, Sean’s mind was thinking about something else, and he inadvertently neglected Cheyenne.
“Turn left and continue forward. Did you see that green old clothes recycling bin? It’s right there!”
“Yes.”
Most of the people in this village knew each other. Suddenly, when a multi-million-dollar luxury car arrived in Hurtlepool, everyone came out to see the car.
“Is it the tourist? It can’t be. Everyone knows our tourist season is in March.”
“It doesn’t seem like it. If it is the tourist, the car wouldn’t have come in. It must be someone’s relative.”
“Don’t be silly. I haven’t heard anyone had relatives with so much money.”
“How about the Lawrence siblings? Weren’t they rich before?”
…
With the middle-aged man’s reminder, the villagers suddenly remembered. Years ago, Sean, who was just eighteen, arrived here in the middle of the night with his mentally disabled sister, Julissa.
Later, they bought Julissa’s house and settled down here.
The siblings were the most attractive people in their village. Sean, at just eighteen, was already 1. 8 meters tall, thin, and fair-skinned, but hardworking.
His sister, despite occasional bouts of madness, was undeniably beautiful. Over the years, many people came to propose marriage, but they were mostly people with disabilities or old bachelors. Without exception, Sean drove them away.
With no elders in the family, he struggled to take care of his sick sister while juggling studies and earning money. Naturally, he had to rely on neighbors for help.
Melody was one of the kind-hearted people among them.
From a distance, Sean saw Melody standing under the eaves, hands behind her back, stretching her neck to look at the road.
“Melody, we’re here.”
“Get out of the car.”
When Cheyenne parked the luxury car in front of Melody, the middle-aged woman showed a puzzled expression, “What’s this?”
Sean got out of the car and quickly walked towards her. “Melody, how is my sister?”
Upon closer look, Melody realized that the young man in front of her was someone she knew, but she also noticed Cheyenne.
Her eyes widened, full of surprise.
“This girl is really beautiful, even more beautiful than a celebrity.”
Cheyenne smiled faintly.
To get back on track, Melody pulled Sean into the house and started explaining the situation.
“I’m not sure what happened exactly. Your sister was painting in the morning, and then Yehuda’s two sons came to look for her. I thought there was nothing wrong and went to the vegetable garden to harvest garlic.”
“Who knew that when I came back from harvesting garlic, your house door was open, and there was blood on the ground. Your sister was gone, and Yehuda’s two sons had disappeared.”
“Now, Yehuda’s wife is convinced that your sister went crazy and harmed her son. She wants to hold you accountable.”