“Are you done talking?” Callie sat down next to Jaquan and asked in a low voice.
He frowned, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Worse than a ghost,” Callie urged, “Can we leave now?”
Something was off about her. “Didn’t you want to investigate Reuben? We haven’t even started asking.”
Callie glanced around the room at the fierce-looking individuals. “Seeing how scared you all are of Owen, I doubt we’ll get any answers.”
Jaquan turned to Sullivan and gestured, “You see, my lover here is quite persistent. She’s been with me for years, and I’ve grown feelings for her. Her father is missing; could you give us some information?”
“What really happened back then?”
Sullivan glanced at Callie. He had been there yesterday and knew what she wanted to ask.
“Jaquan, I’ve told you before, love makes heroes weak.”
Jaquan nodded, “I’ll only ask this once.”
Sullivan thought for a moment and then looked at Callie. “I can’t say much. The matter was resolved back then. Owen had no reason to kidnap him. At least, I never received any notice.”
Callie was surprised. That meant Reuben’s disappearance had nothing to do with these people.
She wanted to ask more, but Jaquan stopped her. “Thank you, Sullivan.”
After another half hour, everything was finally settled. Jaquan held Callie’s hand as they prepared to leave. At the door, they ran into Mike. The dim light made him look much older.
“Girl,” he said, “Have you ever thought that your father’s disappearance might be because of you?”
Callie shook off Jaquan’s hand. “What do you mean? Explain yourself.”
“Nothing much. It seems you still don’t know your origins, which is why you’re running around like a headless chicken.”
Mike’s words made Callie even more suspicious. She sat down next to him and poured him a drink. “So, you know about my origins?”
Mike sneered and waved his hand. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know. You fainted at the hospital entrance back then, and Reuben kindly took you in. Who knew you had amnesia and couldn’t remember anything? He took care of you for a month before taking you home.”
“I told him then that you were cursed and shouldn’t be kept. He didn’t believe me. Now it seems the curse has come.”
His words were vague and unclear. Jaquan said sternly, “Let’s go, Callie.”
She didn’t move and asked another question. “What kind of person was my father back then?”
Mike thought for a moment. “Young, stubborn, and annoyingly kind-hearted.”
Callie remembered this and left with Jaquan.
She was lost in thought. He frowned and gently held her. “Don’t take Mike’s words to heart; he’s not trustworthy.”
“But he wasn’t wrong about one thing: my father was stubborn and kind-hearted.”
Just that one sentence made Callie believe everything he said.
“Jaquan, how did Mike lose his leg?”
“I heard that when Owen’s sister died, Owen blamed the entire hospital. Everyone present was punished. Your father fled to Ylosea, and Mike lost a leg.”
After that, Mike truly became part of the underworld, forced to give up his position as director and work for others.
Callie laughed coldly after hearing this. “I’m getting more curious about who Owen is.”
Hearing this, Jaquan paused as he held her hand. “Don’t get too involved. This is enough. Tomorrow, I’ll take you back to Ylosea!”