Zane didn’t know how long it had been since he last cut his hair. It had grown long and unruly, resembling a chicken’s nest. His chin was covered in uneven stubble. He couldn’t remember the last time he took care of himself. Now, he resembled a homeless man on the streets.
“Don’t go,” he pleaded, as if he had regained some clarity, rushing out to stop Freya.
“I need you for Luna’s matter.” Said he.
Freya paused in her attempt to get into the car and looked at him. “Alright, I’ll wait for you.”
Zane nodded vigorously and quickly went back inside the house to shower and shave. Freya didn’t feel impatient during this process. It was just that, as the months went by, standing for too long made her tired, and her legs were slightly swollen. Elijah sensed her discomfort and supported her. “We’ll wait in the car.”
Freya agreed.
Around an hour passed. It was a bit longer, but when Zane finally emerged, he looked like a different person. There was barely a trace of alcohol on him, just a faint scent of shower gel. The house reeked of alcohol because he hadn’t left it in a few days, and the smell was from yesterday’s drinking. The strong odor was due to him not showering. After cleaning up, he looked refreshed.
Freya asked him to get in the car. They couldn’t go inside the house because the smell was too unbearable, and there was no suitable place to sit outside, so they could only stay in the car. Fortunately, Elijah’s car was spacious and comfortable.
“Where did Luna go?” Freya couldn’t wait any longer and asked as soon as Zane sat down.
Zane shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been looking for her, but I can’t find her. The company…”
He looked devastated. It was the closure of the company and Luna’s disappearance that hit him hard. He couldn’t accept it.
“I’m sorry, Freya.” Zane lowered his head, looking like a wilted eggplant.
“Tell me in detail what happened,” Freya asked, staring at him.
Zane collected his thoughts before speaking. “Let me start from the beginning. Orion and his mother blamed Luna for something she didn’t do. They were scheming behind the scenes, causing Luna to lose her job. And at that time, you had an accident…” He explained, “We all thought you… died. Luna came back, but by then, she had already lost her job. I decided to keep her with me, hoping she could help me at the company. She agreed as well. She said because I’m your brother, she would help me hold onto our family’s company for you.” As he said this, his voice lowered, carrying a hint of hoarseness.
“I don’t know why she went to see Haley Holt. And then there was the incident of Haley Holt’s miscarriage. Both the Holt family and the Russo family were furious. They joined forces to suppress the company, and… it was also my mishandling that led to bankruptcy. Luna disappeared not long after the company went bankrupt. I don’t know where she went or how hard I tried to find her, I couldn’t locate her.” He continued.
“What about Stratos City?” Freya asked.
Zane shook his head. “I’ve looked. She never went back there. Her father and his new wife are living happily, completely forgetting about Luna. When they heard Luna was missing, her dad just gave a nonchalant response and told me that Luna’s an adult and won’t get lost, so there’s no need for me to look for her. I’ve never seen such an irresponsible father before. I was so angry at him, I wanted to punch him.”
Thinking about Luna’s father, Zane still felt the urge to hit him. He used to think Leo was bad.
But then he met Luna’s dad, and he realized what a truly terrible father looked like.
Freya fell into deep thought.
Luna shouldn’t have run away. But if Luna didn’t run away, why did she disappear?
Suddenly, something occurred to Freya, and her eyes widened. “Oh no!”