Thomas became wary immediately. "Really?""Yeah," Isaac replied assuredly. "How does it benefit me if I lie to you?"Isaac could tell that Thomas was scared of those people and that they were no angels.That was why he warned Thomas, so that Thomas would be more careful.Moreover, he understood that he would be in worse danger if they were found.Thomas stayed silent and listened, but he could not hear anything aside from the breeze, the rustling trees, and the occasional bird's cry.However, it was said that those who could not see would hear better, and Thomas believed Isaac."Should we stop?" he suggested, thinking those men would probably drive away soon. It was why he had picked this moment to leave with Isaac—his employers would not be coming back after they had just left, making right now the safest window of opportunity. "Sure," Isaac said. However, there were only tall weeds everywhere, and they did not have a place to sit."There's a river up ahead," Thomas said
Thomas could not care less if Isaac could actually help him just then, and he told Isaac everything."They have my son Michael," Thomas explained. "My wife and I were forced to work for them, and they'll find the bodies soon. I need to go back and save my wife, so you contact your family and ask them to save you."Thomas was quite sharp too—worried that Isaac could not see and tap on the right numbers, he redialed the number Isaac called the last time."Be safe," he said and left with the gun.As soon as he was gone, Irene was calling out urgently from the other end, "Isaac? Isaac?"Isaac raised the phone to his ear and spoke with composure, "Calm down and listen to me, Irene. Ask James to track the location of this phone before coming. Don't come alone—things might get dangerous around here, so be very prepared.""There's no need to worry, though. I'm fine," he added to assure Irene.-Irene grabbed Stan, who was sitting right next to her, and relayed Isaac's message."Hurry!
Once James answered, Stan told him everything and said, "We're heading there right now, but it might be dangerous, so bring more people if you can. I'm giving you the location now—hurry!""Got it," James replied.Once he hung up, Stan started to search the web for details about that location, but it turned out to be an isolated location without anyone around."Could Mr. Jefferson be captured by bandits?" he mused. Zachary rolled his eyes. "What year is it? Also, Dunesia is a safe country. There won't be any bandits.""Why don't you take a look?" Stan scoffed. "Mr. Jefferson was calling from up in the mountains, and the phone wasn't his either. Who do you think those people would be? Savages?'Zachary ignored him, realizing just then why Isaac kept James around while leaving Stan in Franconia for some time.The man's head was empty! Stan had no idea what Zachary was thinking, and he actually clapped Zachary on the shoulder, saying, "Why are you being quiet?"Zachary kept his
"Sh*t!" Stan cursed. "Let's get out of the car!"Their jeep was too conspicuous here, and they might be in trouble if they were noticed.As such, they alighted, and they quietly and slowly moved onward through the bushes.They did not make a sound in fear that there were others nearby. Irene grabbed Zachary's arm and asked softly, "The gunshots sounded very close. Do you think Isaac's alright?"Zachary patted the back of her hand. "Don't worry—we're already here. We'll be able to find him soon."Even so, Irene could not help worrying and had to repress her unease.However, the mountains were quiet after those gunshots, and it felt like there was no one else there at all.Stan got up and checked their surroundings, but there were only trees and more trees, with no one to be found.If they crouched, they would never be seen under the tall grass. Finding anyone here would be too difficult, and this was hardly the best way."I'll go alone, while you two maintain a distance fro
As Isaac blinked, Irene noticed the scarring on his face from his fall, which had since recovered.She gently touched his face and eyelids, murmuring, "It was so difficult for us to find you. How could I leave you?"Isaac held her wrist and said quietly, "There's this couple who saved me. I can't leave them.""We'll come with you," Irene said—from her perspective, a savior of Isaac's was her savior too."Why don't we leave together and strategize instead?" Zachary then suggested. "We don't know who our enemies are, and going in recklessly would make us passive."Isaac thought about it, but Zachary was definitely making sense.Moreover, he was blind, while James had yet to arrive.This was not the time to go back to the vineyard!"Yeah," he said. "Let's go somewhere safe and decide how we can help them."They returned to the jeep which was parked nearby, and while Irene had her arms around Isaac's, she noticed that Isaac was being hesitant as he walked, even shambling.And as
Irene panicked.Fearing that Isaac was shot, she checked the back of his neck.Frowning slightly, he said, "I'm fine."Irene also noticed where he was bleeding from soon enough—the sharp end of a triangular glass shrapnel was digging into his flesh. He must have been hit by the glass when the rear windshield shattered, and it hurt to look at.As a doctor, Irene had seen all sorts of injuries and sickness, and she could handle it with composure.However, she was not that calm when it was a person she cared about.While her heart ached for him and was stricken by worry, Isaac quietly assured her, "It won't kill me. Don't worry."Irene said nothing but firmly wiped away her tears—she knew very well that this was not the time to be emotional.She took a deep breath and looked around inside the jeep.There was nothing that could be used, but if she did not remove the shrapnel, it would hurt a lot. It might even cut further into Isaac's flesh since they were in a jeep.She hesi
Zachary did not want to see Isaac like this—Isaac had always been such a proud man, carrying such profound insight and acumen for business. And now, Isaac could not even take Zachary's phone because he could not see.Zachary did not dare to ask what happened to Isaac's eyes in front of Irene either, worried that he would get uncomfortable because of that.Zachary gave Irene a look so that she got out of the car.Hence, while Isaac was talking to James over the phone, Irene excused herself for a toilet break and alighted.Zachary pulled her aside. "Why don't you head back with Isaac first? I can arrange for a chauffeur."Irene shook her head—she knew Isaac too well. "He's worried. He won't rest easy until James gives an update.""But his eyes… Can that really wait?" Zachary asked. They had no idea what had caused Isaac's blindness and were worried it would get more serious the longer they waited. Even so, Irene believed they had to wait instead of rushing things along. "I'
Irene said solemnly, "Yes, I missed you so much."Leaning gently over Isaac's chest, she asked. "What about you? Did you miss me?""Every waking moment," he replied.Irene smiled and reared her head to kiss his Adams's apple and his chest, while her soft hands slid down his abdomen to undo his belt.Isaac stiffened, probably because she was being too flirtatious. "Irene…" His voice was deep and hoarse."Yeah?" Irene replied mildly."I can't stop myself if you keep doing this," he said. Irene smiled. "I know."She certainly would not want to mess around, not while he was hurt!"Let's get you bathed," she said.However, Isaac felt uncomfortable because he felt like he was stripped naked in public, to be gawked at."I can do this myself," he said.Irene refused right then. "No, your neck is hurt and shouldn't get wet. Moreover, you can't see, so I have to be here to help."Isaac could say nothing to that, and he heard the bathroom door close while the tap was turned on, wi