"Hey, is it only me who thinks something is weird with Grandpa Lun?" Jason rubbed the back of Selina's hand as they walked out of the villa.
"Nope. You're not the only one. He tried sounding funny, but it was quite obvious that he was covering something up. Perhaps, he is trying to protect the person who kidnapped him." Isaac said as he focused most of his attention on Kyla, who was walking slowly in his arms.
"Well, I have to admit that the kidnapper is an expert. We had different groups of men scattered just to look for Grandpa Lun, and none of us found a trace leading to him. If the kidnapper didn't release him, I don't know how long it will take for us to find him. Luckily, Grandpa Lun is not hurt." Michael spoke as he tried thinking about the possible kidnappers who could cover their traces this well.
Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anyone or any group. Since Grandpa Lun was healthy and well when they visited, everyone felt a huge burden lifted from their shoulders. After walking out of the villa, everyone had their own tasks for the day and decided to separate from the villa's entrance.
Watching the group going separate ways, Grandpa Lun sighed behind the curtains where he was peeking from. "Finally, they all left." He muttered.
Suddenly, Rosanna's voice rung into his ears from the other side of the room. "Well? Now that the kids left, you can speak the truth." With her arms crossed on her chest, Rosanna entered the room and sat on the couch opposite from where Grandpa Lun was standing. Eric followed from behind and sat on one of the arms of the couch.
"Haha. What are you talking about? These old bones have nothing else to say. I told you everything I know already." Grandpa Lun let out a nervous laugh and few coughs.
"Mhmmm. Sure. You might be able to get away with it when tricking others, but how many years have we've known you? Did you really think your minimal descriptions just now worked on us? We didn't stay while they were here because we didn't want to expose you. You knew who kidnapped you, didn't you?" Rosanna didn't bother beating around the bushes.
"And here I thought I managed to fool everyone. Fine, fine. I will tell you everything. I told the kids what the kidnapper and I talked about and those details were true. I only hid certain facts from them because there are things where they shouldn't have to be dragged into. It'll only put them into danger." The elderly sighed another time as he folded his hands behind his back.
"So, who kidnapped you?" This time, Eric was the one who asked the elderly.
"Actually, the person who took me away isn't a kidnapper. She was protecting me from the people who tried kidnapping me. Although I was blindfolded, I knew she wouldn't harm me. She never gave me the dangerous vibe. Instead, all the joking threats were just her mischievousness. More like she was buying time to keep me entertained."
Grandpa Lun spoke sternly as he eyed the white clouds floating in the blue sky outside.
"Then, she is your savior. If that is the case, we should be thanking her. But-" Rosanna paused in the middle of speaking when she saw Grandpa Lun waving his hand in the air.
"Forget it. She doesn't need our thanks. Think about it, if she really wanted our thanks or anything from us, she could have gotten all the credit by sending me to your door and stuffing a bow on my head as a present to you guys. She left me in the garden of your villa because she wanted to make sure I am in good hands. She doesn't want to be discovered."
Grandpa Lun slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Deep inside, he knew very well who wanted to harm him. Hence, he didn't plan on implicating others as this was something he needed to face sooner or later.
"Then the unknown group of people who were also searching for you... They should be.." Eric made a quick guess, but didn't say the person's name out.
"Mm. He knows I am back. It seems like after so many years, he still hasn't been able to let it go." Grandpa Lun exhaled deeply.
"If that's the case, should Eric and I go talk to him? There is no reason to even hate on anyone for what happened from many years ago. Plus, if he does hold a grudge, he should direct it towards our family." Rosanna grunted when a familiar figure appeared in her thoughts.
"Dear, did you think what had happened to your Clover family many years ago that led to your children being separated from you really is a coincidence? Even though I've been living overseas, I am aware of what happened here. I know about Justin and his father, but I can tell you they are definitely no the main boss behind this."
"So all this time, the traces that led you to them were really like a tail. The main roots are still planted, so no matter how many times you pull out the weeds, it'll grow back." Grandpa Lun turned around to find the couple looking back at him with a similar gaze as his.
He smiled, "It seems like we will end this war soon. I've seen his son Antonio Liam, but I heard his wife passed away many years ago too. If only he would act like a master like what his underlings call him, then all the upcoming trouble will not happen."
"Tsk. And here we felt bad for a long time for the past and tried making up to him. Forget being even an acquaintance, does he even deserve such title? I get it that he probably felt cheated back then, but he has done too much! To separate our family just for revenge? Hah, so petty." Rosanna scoffed, nearly rolling her eyes to the back of her head when she mentioned Master Liam.
"We need to make sure we make the first move before he does. This time, he wanted to kidnap me. Next, he might lay his hands on Michael or Selina. Or...both." Grandpa Lun said.