Gilbert's phone rang. He reached for it in his pocket, seeing Haisley's name. Deliberately, he pressed the green button and then the loudspeaker button, placing the phone on the table."Yeah, H.""G, are you coming here?" the girl asked from the other side. Sounds of clattering were audible, and Gilbert could tell she was preparing her breakfast."I am. Later. With the others," Gilbert replied, taking a bite of his food. Meanwhile, Nathan frowned, not understanding. Where? Where was the girl?"Oh, okay then. Come earlier though, okay? We need to shop first. We've run out of groceries. The kids asked for this and that. Have you read the group messages?""I have. Alright then, see you." Then 'click.' The call ended."Where are you all going?" Nathan finally asked. He looked at Gilbert, who raised his head from his meal."To Haisley's place," he replied flatly."Nathan's forehead furrowed. Wasn't the girl supposed to be living here? He questioned silently."Are you so busy that you didn'
"We need to talk. And I know you're not in the mood to deal with the kids' prattle. So just let them be," Gilbert grabbed Haisley's phone and tossed it carelessly onto the fridge. He glanced back at Loretta, who was still frozen in her spot. "Why are you still here?" he asked sharply. Confused, Loretta hurriedly grabbed her bag."Haisley, I'm going home," she bid, her gaze fearful as she looked at Gilbert. Haisley only whispered an apology before the girl left."G, you don't have to be like this," Haisley said with annoyance after Loretta was gone."And what should I be like?!" Gilbert retorted sharply. "What is she really doing here? Since when has she been here? Has she been here since last night?" These questions poured out of Gilbert spontaneously.Haisley walked to his balcony and chose to sit there, ignoring Gilbert, who was still emotional."Haisley?" Gilbert approached, calling the girl with a gentler tone.Haisley glanced at his friend briefly before answering. "She came here
"Haisley said her friends would have lunch there. But it seems Gilbert forbade them from coming," Loretta replied truthfully.Nathan's chest heated instantly. 'What does Gilbert want, really?' he wondered in his mind."What did you tell Haisley earlier?""Why? Did I do something wrong?" Loretta asked again. Her face looked scared. Nathan stared at her in silence. "I didn't say anything. We just talked about last week's matter. When you met my parents and said you wanted a serious relationship. I told Haisley that if we go to America, you'll introduce me to your parents. That's what you told my dad yesterday, right?" Loretta was now uncertain.Nathan cursed under his breath. "Damn!" Surely Haisley and Gilbert misunderstood Loretta's words. Damn! Damn! Damn!Nathan paced back and forth in the living room. The clock showed eight in the evening, but Gilbert hadn't returned yet. He wanted to call his brother and ask about his whereabouts, but he hesitated. Eventually, he decided to return
A few moments earlier, Nathan stared at the old building in front of him. Was this where Haisley lived? Was this place better than Nathan's own home? He snorted and entered the building. The elevator was moving slowly, and Nathan felt impatient. Eventually, he chose to run up the stairs to the floor where Haisley's room was located.He paced back and forth for a moment, torn between barging in forcefully or politely knocking on her door. Eventually, in his remaining patience, Nathan's hand lifted, and he knocked on the door roughly.Haisley opened the door. Her face was flushed, and her hair was disheveled. Nathan's mind instantly turned negative. He ignored her surprised question, walked in, and immediately saw the messy bed.His suspicion was correct. His brother had engaged in inappropriate behavior with Haisley, the girl they were supposed to protect. Instantly, anger surged within him. Rage clouded his mind. Nathan forcefully opened the bathroom door, causing it to slam loudly ag
Nathan then stood up and left her alone. Haisley's chest hurt seeing his treatment of her."Why? Can't you be gentle? Just like how gentle you are with Crystal? Or now with Loretta?" Haisley wondered in her heart. She wiped her tears.Nathan returned with a female doctor behind him."Are you feeling better?" the doctor asked gently. Haisley nodded. "No more pain in your stomach? Or head?" Haisley shook her head. The doctor smiled. "I've prescribed medication for you. If the pain persists after the medication is finished, come back here for further examination, okay?" Haisley simply nodded.She just wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed. She didn't want to see Nathan's angry gaze again.A nurse removed the IV from her hand, and then they left. Nathan grabbed something from the bedside drawer. It turned out to be the prescription the doctor mentioned. He handed it to Haisley.They left the ER together. That's when Haisley felt confused. She didn't have her phone, let alone her wall
When she woke up, her room smelled of food, awakening her appetite. She saw Dean wearing an apron, cooking something in her kitchen. And there was another figure sitting there casually. "Already awake, Snow White?" Gilbert teased with a smile."Did I sleep for long?" She asked, wiping something sticky off her forehead. A wet towel was now in her hand. She saw a basin of water beside the nightstand and finally realized someone had been compressing her."No rice, so I made this instead." Dean arrived with a tray of wheat porridge emitting an onion aroma. The smell made Haisley's stomach growl louder. She smiled, accepting the spoon Dean handed her and started eating.The textured wheat and minced chicken instantly increased her appetite."Drink your tea while it's hot." Gilbert also handed her a cup of lemon-scented tea. Haisley could only mumble a thank you to both men.Not long after the bowl and the tea were finished, Dean took the dirty bowl and cup to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Gilber
Haisley felt like a spoiled child. With Dean and Gilbert in her apartment, these two men truly treated her like a princess, and they were her guards. Gilbert didn't hesitate to wash Haisley's clothes, which had been neglected for two days because she was feeling unwell. Despite Haisley's protests, he insisted on doing it. However, behind that kindness, Gilbert mocked her when he found her underwear that he had washed."Look, Haisley's size is just this." Gilbert even demonstrated the use of his bra in front of Dean. When Haisley's face turned red with embarrassment, Gilbert just laughed."Maybe that's why Nathan rejected her?" teased Dean, his eyes glancing at Haisley. Haisley threw a pillow at him."H, how about getting breast implants? Many college girls do it." Gilbert teased her again."G, ew!" Haisley felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. Although she wasn't really embarrassed or lacking in confidence. "If I get breast implants, I might end up hunchbacked," she replied, givi
"If not what?" This question came from Gilbert, who had returned from upstairs. All four pairs of eyes looked at him simultaneously. Gilbert looked at Dean with a questioning expression. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked, curious. His large hands now gently pushed Haisley and Dean, who was still faithfully holding her, to step out of the lobby."It's not important, G," Haisley replied softly as Gilbert matched his steps with hers.However, Loretta reacted differently. In her steps, she turned her head back with an accusing gaze at Gilbert. "Why are you pretending to be Haisley's boyfriend when she already has Dean?" she pouted playfully. Gilbert looked back at Dean and Haisley.Dean murmured something to him, prompting Gilbert to respond. "You never asked," he said flatly. "And Haisley isn't someone who likes to show off." That was his brief answer.Loretta looked back again. "Since when?" she asked, more directed at Haisley and Dean. "Have you two been together for a long t
A few years later, shouts were heard in the backyard of Chayton's residence. A heavily pregnant woman sat on a chair, watching her children jumping on the four-meter-diameter round trampoline, laughing. Occasionally, she yelled, asking her kids to be careful and not to fall. She felt the side of her seat compress and saw her mother-in-law sitting there, placing warm milk in front of her. "G said he's going to fly straight to America," the woman whispered. Haisley turned to her mother-in-law and smiled. Since her brother-in-law made the startling announcement about his choice to convert, she knew her mother-in-law was disappointed. Although in the end, her mother-in-law accepted her son's decision. "Gilbert is an adult; he knows what he's chosen," said his father-in-law in support of his youngest son who chose to convert. "You must be confident in your choice, G. You're not doing it just for a woman, right?" the father asked. Gilbert looked at his family and shook his head. "G has
Haisley fell silent again. She and Nathan had discussed this before the kidnapping happened, but they hadn't informed their families yet. "Nathan asked me to live in England and continue my studies," Haisley said, making Abigail furrow her brow. "Nathan will support me because, clearly, my scholarship can't be used anymore since I've left campus. At first, I said I didn't want to, what's the point of studying if, in the end, I stay at home taking care of the kids. But Nathan said that 'no one regrets having learned', so yeah, I'm starting over." Haisley explained, looking at Abigail with curiosity. "You still don't want to continue your studies? Your brain is clearly smarter than mine, Abby." Abigail shrugged. "I also have plans to go there. I'm just not sure which major to take. I haven't found a passion that drives me to choose a specific field. Maybe later, I'll consult with Itan." Haisley chuckled at her friend's words. "Why are you laughing?" Abigail asked curtly. "I don't know
The next day, Nathan and Haisley's families were planning to return to the hospital. Still, Gilbert objected because Nathan wanted to go home since he opened his eyes in the early morning. Nathan told Gilbert that he didn't want to make Haisley wait for him at the hospital for too long and preferred to rest at home. Gilbert eventually conveyed his brother's request to the morning visiting doctor. Fortunately, the doctor agreed, and in the morning, after completing the paperwork, Nathan, Gilbert, and Haisley returned to Flavia's villa. They received a warm welcome at the villa owned by Haisley's friend. Her family was just as enthusiastic as they were the night before when they gathered at the hospital. If the previous night they allowed Nathan and Haisley to rest, this time they didn't. Everyone was clearly very curious about what Nathan experienced during the abduction. With Haisley sitting by his side and their hands intertwined, Nathan recounted the entire ordeal to his family.
"Both of you, come with me," he said with a nod of his head, walking towards another black Jeep Gladiator, as dark as the other two jeeps that had roared away, leaving their tire tracks in the sand. Clasping each other, with Nathan limping, they entered the leader's car. "You were never part of this capture," the man said with his deep voice, immediately nodded by Haisley and Nathan. "You never met us," he continued, receiving another nod from Haisley and Nathan. After that, no one spoke. Haisley and Nathan's hands were intertwined, their bodies swaying with the car's movements on the uneven roads. Haisley looked out the window. Although she didn't pay much attention to the road when they departed, she knew that the path they were on now was different. And actually, the dock they had just left wasn't the same as when Haisley departed. Was this a secret route? A path known only to a few? Were the people who just saved her elite forces? Were they government troops? Or special forces
"They will take you to the dock, which will then take you to where Loretta is. The man who will pick you up later is not my henchman. So, you have to be cautious," Antony warned. "The two men with you now will give you some items." The man next to him then took out a small box from his shirt pocket, opened it, and took out a small round object about the size of a headset's knob, no bigger than a thumb. "This is a GPS and a mic. Place this object where it can't be seen," the henchman said with a mischievous smile. "Maybe in your clothes." He chuckled, making the driver laugh heartily. "And this, although small, is very sharp." The man handed Haisley a metal object. "If you press this," he pressed his thumb on a point, and then a sharp-edged knife quickly appeared. "This knife can accidentally hurt you, so be careful and use it wisely." He said as he placed the object next to the previous black item. "Uncle's people will monitor you. With the GPS, we'll know where that man is taking y
"Wh-who are you?!" Loretta asked in the midst of her pain. "Ramon! Ramon! Where are you, you bastard!" she shouted loudly. Loretta looked at the darkened cabin where Ramon should have been behind the ship's wheel. She trusted the man who had tormented Nathan all day to be the captain of the ship they were on. "We've neutralized Brother Ramon from the beginning!" said the uniformed man, walking closer to Loretta, who had turned pale and looked in pain, taking handcuffs out of his pocket. The other two men working for Loretta had already been instructed to kneel, and the two other men in black uniforms handcuffed their hands behind their backs. "How did you get here?" Loretta asked, trying to buy time as the police put handcuffs on her. Unlike her two henchmen, Loretta's handcuffs were placed in front, allowing her to still hold her bleeding leg. "You'll know the chronology later," the policeman said, pulling Loretta's arm to make her stand. Unbeknownst to Loretta, the ship they had
They walked with firm steps that made the ship's floor creak under the weight of their large bodies. One of the big men grabbed Nathan's arm from behind and made him stand up, causing Nathan to groan in pain. Haisley tried to hold onto Nathan, but her arm was also held by another man whose body was just as large as the one holding Nathan. Nathan appeared to walk with a limp, occasionally hissing in pain. Something was wrong with his leg, and Haisley could sense it even though she didn't know why. "What have you done to Nathan?!" Haisley shouted at Loretta, who stood between her and Nathan. The woman turned, tilting her head and then looking in Nathan's direction. "Nothing," she replied flatly, shaking her head. Then her mouth opened wide, and she looked at Haisley with a guilty expression. "Maybe I've made a few of his ribs move. A little crack in the rib bones, and his leg won't kill him, right?" she asked cheerfully, continuing her steps. Nathan was now at the front of the deck,
Five minutes, could Haisley sneak out of Flavia's villa? What should she say if someone catches her? Haisley shook her head. Quickly, she walked out of the room. Sneaking as she put on her sneakers and headed towards the front gate because the villa didn't have a back gate. A guard seemed to be at his post. Haisley tried to come up with a plan so that the tall, sturdy man wouldn't suspect her. She walked closer and saw the uniformed man immediately stand and inquire about Haisley's needs. "The guest inside is asking for you to come in, he said there are instructions to be given." Haisley said to the man, who she knew was only slightly older than her husband. The man nodded without much suspicion and then left his post. Thus, Haisley could leave the villa without being suspected. She stepped out and chose to hide in a dark area while waiting for the car mentioned by the caller to arrive. The two men who had earlier claimed to be police officers and took Nathan away now stopped the
"We have successfully located his whereabouts." The local man pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed the screen to everyone in the room. "Ramon's gang has a hidden base on a small island. There's a concealed building behind the forest that they've been using as their headquarters. We need to cross the strait to get there, and it will take hours," the informant continued. "We have agreed to raid the base when we are sure that everyone is there. Forces have been mobilized. The police, along with the navy and ground forces, are working together for this massive capture. Pray that your brother Nathan is in good condition." The man said, nodded at by several heads in the room. They intended to share this information with Haisley so that she could be more at ease, knowing at least they had information about Nathan's whereabouts. Gilbert went to the room where he knew Haisley was with her two friends. However, after knocking on the door several times and receiving no response, he c