There was still no news about Sasha. Joseph had no choice but to take the old master back to the mainland for treatment.
“Brother Joseph, please take Grandfather back with you. I’ll stay here and look for Youngest Aunt.”
Elena was still worried; she was afraid that something would happen to her aunt. Before she ran off, Sasha looked as if she would do something stupid. Elena could not leave her there on the island.
“No, you are pregnant! I can’t just leave you on the island.”
It took him a lot of effort to find Elena and his grandfather, so it was impossible for Joseph to leave her behind.
“No, Brother Joseph, listen to me. Youngest Aunt… She did something bad, and even if your people could find her, she would not come back if they failed to counsel her.”
“I said no…”
“Brother Joseph, I can talk to her. Of course, if you can help me find another person, things might be easier to handle.”
After Joseph returned with the old master that day, he immediately summoned the shareholders who were still willing to join forces. As for the person that Elena wanted to see, he had arrived on the island later that evening.
“You…” It was not the first time Francis had met Elena, but he had only seen her once or twice in a hurry before, and they had no chance to greet each other. He was not familiar with Elena, but it was not important. The point was… “Where’s my mother?”
“Everyone is still looking for her.” Elena had stayed there just to wait for him.
“After Youngest Aunt went into the forest, I don’t know if she was hiding from us, but none of our people could find her.”
Elena grabbed his sleeve. “Second Cousin Brother, please come with me.”
Francis immediately followed her into the jungle. The phrase ‘Second Cousin Brother’ caused a ripple in his heart. Joseph said that the girl was their family’s granddaughter; she was his uncle’s daughter. Francis did not feel an attachment to Elena right away, but he found her much more adorable than Ava.
“What the hell was going on?”
It was a large and dense forest. Their people had already raked through the first part, and they had progressed to search deeper into the woods. It was covered with overgrown weeds, so it was more difficult to look for someone there.
Francis had just rushed home, so he had no idea what had happened to the company yet. He had, however, heard bits and pieces of the story. He was unsure what Ava did to make his grandfather transfer all of his shares to her. Then, she joined forces with Second Uncle Garcia, and they forced the board of directors to accept her as the new CEO and dismissed Joseph.
However, Joseph said that it was still ambiguous if the agreement was valid. Joseph had decided to sue Ava, but the key person, their grandfather, was still in a coma. It was unclear how things would develop. Francis was perplexed at what had happened with his mother?
“She joined forces with Ava…”
“Impossible, my mother is not that kind of person!” Francis’s face fell, and he immediately refuted her. Elena glanced at him. She could understand how he felt. If she were in his shoes, she would not believe it either.
“That’s the fact. Youngest Aunt admitted to me personally.”
Francis moved his lips as if to speak, but he said nothing in the end.
Elena continued to say, “I think she was probably blinded by greed, but she regretted it deeply now.”
It was because of regret—for her actions against the old master and the Garcia family— that she went into hiding and did not want to face them ever again.
She was one of the culprits who caused Garcia Corporation to be in such a mess. Francis might be able to understand his mother’s mood.
“My mother is not that kind of person. She doesn’t have a strong desire to pursue power.”
He had been with his mother for so many years, so he knew her better than anyone else. His mother’s love for her aged father was sincere, so why did his mother make such a silly mistake?
“If Youngest Aunt did not do it out of greed, then she must have done it for you.”
“Me?” Francis was about to refute her again. Garcia Corporation was even more undesirable to him than his mother.
Elena interrupted him. “It was not because of what you wanted, but what she wanted to fight for you!”
Francis was so startled that he could not say a word; he could not even lift his foot to go forward. If his mother had done it for him…
“She doesn’t know that I don’t want anything. I never wanted this!”
He made it clear to his grandfather that he was not interested in Garcia Corporation, but he had never confessed to his mother. Suddenly, Francis quickened his pace and broke into the depths of the forest.
“Mom, this is Francis, can you hear me? Mom, come out. I’m Francis. I’m here!”
They could only hear the chirps of the insects in the jungle.
“Master Francis, it’s dangerous in the forest after nightfall. Be careful!”
The bodyguard by their side reminded him, but Francis could not be bothered anymore. If his mother did something terrible to the Garcia family for him and caused his grandfather to be ill, she would be consumed with guilt! What if his mother could relieve herself from the grave despair… No! He would not allow his mother to be in any danger!
“Mom, listen to me, come out first. Let’s go home; we can solve anything!”
Francis continued to call out for his mother in the forest. He went on for a long time, but there was no response from Sasha.
“Mom, you…”
Suddenly, Elena pulled him closer, tip-toed and whispered something in his ears. Francis thought about it, nodded, and continued to move forward. Suddenly, he missed his steps and slipped.
“Second Cousin Brother!” Elena was dumbfounded and quickly ran after him. “Second Cousin Brother, how are you?”
“Master Francis!”
The bodyguards also gathered around the slope and shouted, “Master Francis, are you okay? Master Francis!”
Down the slope, Francis did not show the slightest movement.
Elena almost stomped her feet in anxiety. “Youngest Aunt, something terrible had happened to Second Cousin Brother. Youngest Aunt!”
She had suggested that Francis pretend he was in danger to lure his mother out of hiding. She had not expected him to slip and fell off the slope!
Elena did not wait for Sasha’s response; she barked her orders, “You two, go find out if there is a path that leads down there.”
“Yes, Miss Elena!”
The two bodyguards immediately started to look around. Elena crouched and continued to yell into the pitch-black pit, “Second Cousin Brother, how are you? Talk to me! Second Cousin Brother!”
Why was there no sound at all? Had something really gone wrong? Just as Elena wondered about her next step, someone rushed out from the bushes on the other side of the forest.
“Francis! Francis, how are you? Don’t you scare me!”
Elena looked at the person and realized that it was Sasha.