42

Country B
In a big mansion, a man in his late twenties is seen walking to the lawn.
A woman in a wheelchair sits idly, staring into space.
The man approaches and squats before her, a gentle smile on his face.
” Mother, how have you been? I am here to visit you.” He says gently but the woman still stares into space, not acknowledging him.
” I have found a new lead about Charlene’s whereabouts. I am heading to country A to continue my search for my sister. I promised you, didn’t I? That I will only rest after bringing my little sister home? I will do everything in my power to bring her back into your arms.” He said with a dotting smile.
The woman finally gave a reaction. A lone tear slipped past her pale white face. One look at her and you would know that she was a beauty during her youth.
Seeing his mother cry, the man gently wiped her tears with her thumb before kissing her forehead.
” You need to take your medicine and recover your health, mother or do you want Charlene to find you this way?” The man asked, his voice gentle and persuasive.
” You have to fight and get back on your feet so that you can hug Charlene when she comes. You have to get up from this chair because I have a feeling I am bringing Charlene home the next time I come back home.” The man said.
You could feel the longing for his lost Sister in his voice and the love and care for his mother.
” You came back and the first person you rushed to is your mother? Are you not too old to be clinging to your mother?” A masculine voice sounded as a man in his late fifties approached the duo.
” Father!” He acknowledged.
The man who just approached was none other than Damien Fernandez, the head of the Fernandez family.
The man standing beside the woman on a wheelchair is Gabriel Fernandez, Damien’s son.
” You are back, my son!” Damien spoke and the two men hugged each other.
” Yes, but I will be leaving shortly.” Gabriel replied.
Being the sole Heir of the Fernandez family, he had a lot on his plate especially with his new plans of opening a branch of their winery business in country A.
” Is this about the branching of the company in country A? That can wait for a few days. Why don’t you stay around and keep your mother company? She misses you.” He inquired of his son.
Ever since they lost their daughter more than eighteen years ago, his wife’s health has deteriorated. She could not take the blow of losing her daughter and she stopped talking.
Due to poor health, she spent most of her time in bed which later affected her mobility.
Now, she can only move around with the help of a wheelchair.
” I would love to stay but I can’t. I have a new lead about my sister. I am heading to country A for that reason.” Gabriel replied. His expressions were painted with hope but it was not the same for his father.
” It has been eighteen Long years of combing every corner for Charlene. What if we meet a dead end just like it has been?” He asked.
He had spent years looking for his daughter out of guilt.
It was all his fault that the family lost the little princess. He failed to protect his family and that’s how his enemies managed to infiltrate his home and take away his daughter.
She was barely two years, maybe a few months older when she was separated from them.
After all those years, he was not optimistic anymore.
” You can’t give up searching for my sister. At Least I won’t. As long as there is a little hope, I’ll hold on to that hope. I am sure my sister is waiting somewhere for us to take her back home.” Gabriel replied sternly.
He would never rest until he had his sister in his arms. He owed it to his mother and himself. It was clear that he would do anything to have her back.
” I am not giving up, I just don’t want my wife to be heartbroken all over again if the lead is a false alarm. She has suffered enough already!” Damien defended.
Due to his carelessness, the once beautiful and lively Leticia turned into a fragile and gloomy rose.
The disappearance of their daughter impacted her mostly.
She was the mother and a mother’s connection to their children is usually very strong. Losing a child is akin to losing a part of you.
Damien has watched Leticia lose herself completely after Charlene went missing.
He wanted his wife to revert back to the woman she was in the past but over the years, it had proved to be impossible.
He tried everything in his power to cheer her up but it proved not to work.
” You do know the solution to mother’s sickness is Charlene, right? That’s why I’ll never stop looking for her.” Gabriel said.
By now, the men had already walked metres away from Leticia afraid that she would eavesdrop.
” I know that and you know I support you fully on this.” Damien said before sighing heavily.
” I am old now, all I can do is accompany your mother for the remaining days of my life.” The man added, making Gabriel narrow his eyes at him.
” What do you mean by you are old? You still haven’t held your grandchildren?” Gabriel said in a displeased voice.
Why would his father talk like someone on the verge of dying? He did not like it one bit.
” So you also know that? Then why haven’t I seen my daughter-in-law?” The man shot back, making Gabriel sigh.
” Dad,” Gabriel started to only have his father cut him off immediately.
” Don’t Dad me! You are turning thirty anytime soon and not only do you not have a wife, I don’t see a girlfriend! Are you still hung up on that woman?” His father’s tone suddenly flipped like a pancake in a pan.
One moment he was all sweet and cool but now he turns to the devil Damien feared by many.
” Don’t mention her name, father!” Gabriel warned, taking the same stance as his father’s.
The mere sound of that woman’s topic had both father and son on the edge.
” Then what’s stopping you from getting married? If you can’t find a good woman, I’ll arrange…” Before Damien could finish his line, Gabriel’s hand was suspended in the air, stopping his father from completing his words.
” I don’t need you to arrange a wife for me. I can do that myself. If I am getting married, I will marry the woman I love and I believe I found her. I will bring her home when everything settles.” Gabriel said and his father broke into a huge grin.
” That’s what I have been waiting to hear. Good, very good. Bring her when you come back and we will start arranging for the marriage. I am sure your mother will be thrilled to hear that.” Damien spoke happily. He was on the verge of breaking down to a happy dance making Gabriel chuckle at his father’s antics.
After the two chatted for a while about the business, Gabriel bid his parents goodbye and left for the airport.
His head bodyguard and personal assistant slash driver was already waiting for him in the car.
With two cars trailing behind them, Gabriel and his entourage made their way to the airport.
” Did you book an appointment with the president of Brown Corp?” Gabriel asked and John nodded.
” I am curious though? Why do you have to ask his help in locating the young miss? The team is capable of doing that task.” John voiced out the question that had been nagging him since his boss shared the plan of involving a third party in his personal mission to country A.
” That is his turf and no matter how efficient our team is, there are some things we can’t get with our little influence like accessing government files. We need him and he needs us for his business. Two shots with one Stone.” Gabriel explained.
” Then that means you have to offer him a deal he can’t refuse,” John commented and Gabriel smiled faintly.
” That’s exactly what I was planning, offer him the fish’s breast meat.” He replied meaningfully.