“Was that Irene? It must be important. You should go help her…” Millicent said reluctantly. Elio hadn’t even finished his sentence.
Elio felt quite worried, but he didn’t notice anything strange with Millicent’s behaviour.
“Alright. Enjoy your meal, Millicent. We’ll eat together next time, yeah?” Elio said before leaving in a hurry. He didn’t notice Millicent’s sad and disappointed gaze or her lonely figure.
Millicent didn’t ask him to stay. She knew Elio well-that he wouldn’t stay simply because she asked him to. It would only serve to embarrass her.
She felt quite sad. Millicent looked at the food that Elio had ordered and realised that most of them were Irene’s favourites. There were only a few of Millicent’s favourite dishes.
What did she even mean to Elio?
Was Irene the most important person to Elio? Was he willing to heed her every beck and call as long as it was Irene?
“Can’t Irene find another person to help her? The company is big and consists of many staff! I’m sure she can easily rely on Edward’s old friends! Why must she contact Elio every single time?! Irene… You know I’m on a date with him…” Millicent thought.
Was Irene really the sort of person to project her misery onto other people?! Was she making Millicent upset on purpose because she couldn’t locate Edward?!
Millicent wondered if Irene was tormenting her on purpose.
Deep in her heart, Millicent knew that Irene wasn’t the type of person to do that. However, she couldn’t suppress such negative thoughts.
Quietly, tears began to fall from Millicent’s eyes and seeped into the tablecloth. The wet patch resembled a broken heart.
“Am I not hard-working enough for Elio? Am I lacking in comparison with Irene?” Millicent wondered.
Since that was the case, why did Elio give her hope only to let her down? He was the one who had asked her out first! Millicent let her tears flow as she sat there.
The guilt from suspecting her best friend weighed heavily on Millicent. Moreover, she was hurt when she thought about Elio. An uncomfortable feeling sprang from her heart.
Elio, who drove back to the company in a rush, was completely unaware of what was on Millicent’s mind.
“Did I disturb your date? To be honest, you didn’t need to come back to the company,” Irene said guiltily.
“It’s okay. Millicent doesn’t mind. I’ve also promised her that I’ll make it up to her next time,” Elio said.
“That’s good. I was afraid she might be angry. After all, she hasn’t been able to spend much time with you recently.”
“She won’t. You know what kind of person she is-she isn’t one to mind such matters.”
…
Meanwhile, on the island.
The island was neither big nor small. News that Susie’s handsome distant relative had come to visit her spread around the entire island in just a few days.
Liam didn’t want to rely fully on Susie. After all, he was an able-bodied man despite his memory loss. Therefore, Liam decided to do something about it.
“Susie, do you have a computer?” Liam asked.
“Yes. But I don’t really use it. I normally use it to check out some videos every now and then,” Susie said as she retrieved an old-fashioned laptop.
Liam blew away the dust on it disgustedly and turned on the computer. The internet speed was decent.
“What are you doing?” Susie asked curiously when she saw Liam typing away on the computer. He looked like he was doing something important.
“Nothing. I just wanted to see if I can find a job. I also wanted to read the news.”
Although he thought the Internet speed was decent earlier, the line cut off suddenly. Liam had no choice but to turn the computer off.
The Internet connection wasn’t stable on the island, and few households owned more than one computer. The fact that Susie owned an outdated computer was pretty good.
Susie thought it was funny that Liam looked so dejected.
“It’s alright even if you can’t find a job. I’ll support you!” Susie said in comfort.
“I’m an able-bodied man! I shouldn’t rely on you entirely. My pride won’t allow me to! I should be the one taking care of you instead!” Liam said. A dark expression flashed on his face.
“I wouldn’t mind supporting you-you have such a handsome face!” Susie said with a smile.
“What-are you teasing me? Keani, go and teach your master a lesson,” Liam said as he pretended to chase Susie.
“Keani wouldn’t listen to you!” Susie said as she dodged his attack.
Keani ran around in circles.
Liam and Susie were comfortable with each other and got along like they were good friends who had known each other for years. It wasn’t awkward at all, and the atmosphere was warm.
…
The company matter had finally come to an end.
Claudia was getting ready to go abroad. She didn’t want to stay in this miserable place anymore, but she was reluctant because she knew she would miss her granddaughter. Charlotte was still so young, but her father had…
“Mum, are you really going to leave?”
Irene felt quite sad. She hadn’t managed to find Edward, and Madeline had passed away. Now, Claudia wanted to travel abroad. Charlotte was the only one left by her side.
“I’m sorry, Irene. It’s depressing to stay here. I’m reminded of Edward, his good-for-nothing father and his illegitimate son,” Claudia said sadly.
Claudia had more bad memories than good in this country.
When she had been hurt by Cameron in the past, Claudia decided to travel abroad. It was a tough decision for her to return. Edward had grown up and even gotten married! He also had a kid of his own. At first, Claudia intended to make it up to Edward from then onwards, but Eric and Celine’s actions resulted in Edward’s disappearance.
“I’ve asked the rescue team. T-They said-” Claudia said as she sobbed.
“They said that it has been so long, but there’s still no trace of Edward. There’s a high chance that he has passed away,” Claudia said as she covered her face and cried bitterly.
Her son was in the prime of his youth!
Irene didn’t want to believe it. She knew that it was very likely because it had been so long, but she didn’t want to accept it. She had been keeping herself busy with company affairs to distract herself. Perhaps it could stop her from letting her imagination run wild.
“Irene, I know I haven’t been a good mother figure. Now that most of the company’s affairs have been resolved and I’ve witnessed your skills, I think I can leave the company to you.”
“I didn’t tell you beforehand because you were so busy. I don’t want you to worry about me.”
“You’ve worked hard! I’d like to thank you on behalf of the Wilson family and Edward,” Claudia said as she bowed deeply.
When Irene first took over the company, she had been so overwhelmed that she didn’t even have time to take care of her child. Moreover, she couldn’t find a reliable nanny so she placed Charlotte in Claudia’s care.
With that kind of determination, Irene had mastered how to manage the company within a short period of time. Claudia was quite impressed with her.
“You don’t have to, Mum! These are my responsibilities!” Irene said as she teared up involuntarily.
“Perhaps I am simply weak mentally and am unwilling to accept the truth. I don’t want to stay in the country for now. I want to relax abroad.”
“The company is on the right track now. I believe you’ll do just fine even though Edward isn’t here. Now that Cameron and Eric have been driven abroad, I have no regrets.”
“Don’t worry, Mum! I will take good care of the company and Charlotte,” Irene said. She was at a loss for words when she saw the fragile woman in front of her.
Over the years that she had known her, Claudia seemed very youthful. Perhaps time had always been lenient to beautiful women. When she first met Claudia, she was shocked by her temperament and she couldn’t imagine that Edward was her son! After all, Edward was a grown man.
However, Claudia seemed to have aged after suffering such a tragic incident. Perhaps it would do her well to leave this sad place.
Irene was relieved to know that Claudia would only be abroad for a short while and would return in the future.
She was really worried that Claudia would never return.
It was good to relax on a trip abroad. Irene had to deal with company affairs, so she still had to stay in the country. However, she would continue to look for Edward.
For some reason, Irene was sure that Edward was still alive! There was a voice that told her not to give up.
As long as she didn’t see his corpse, she would never believe that he had died. She would wait for him to return!
After she sent Claudia away, Irene planned to have a meal with Millicent and Elio. After all, it was thanks to their help during this period of time that she managed to cope.
…
Irene had made an appointment with Millicent and Elio, and she arrived at the restaurant early.
When Elio and Millicent arrived, Irene could feel a tense atmosphere between them. To be exact, Millicent was acting weird.
“I’ve ordered some of your favourite dishes. Is there anything else you would like to order?”
Millicent didn’t speak and shook her head. Irene was even more confused. Didn’t she usually have a lot to say? Why was she so quiet today? Was she angry about what happened last time?
Irene thought that Elio had convinced and appeased Millicent before he left in the middle of their date. Previously, Irene had told him that he didn’t need to appear in person, but he had left Millicent alone in the restaurant. What was he thinking? Irene cast a resentful look towards Elio.
Elio was a little confused and thought, “What’s wrong Irene and Millicent?”
“I’m really sorry, Millicent. I borrowed your boyfriend for quite a while, but now I’ve returned him to you,” Irene said in order to ease the atmosphere.
“It’s okay,” Millicent replied lazily as if she didn’t want to dwell on the topic any longer.
During the meal, Millicent only replied curtly to Irene and completely ignored Elio. Ever the thoughtful person, Elio knew that she was angry.
Irene quickly found an excuse to leave and gave them some privacy.