"Who gave you the right to mess with my things?" A loud voice jerked her back, and the file in her head slipped from her grasp and landed on the floor.
Sandra greeted her mother, who had slipped into the room without her notice, with a pale face. "Could you tell me why you still have that newspaper with the story about Uncle Bai and his wife's death?" Sandra's unexpected question stunned her, but she spontaneously diverted Sandra's attention by asking her intention to enter her private room.
"What brings you here?"
"Why did you keep looking for that girl, Mom? We are all aware that she has embarrassed our family."
"We still haven't heard from her."
"She clearly stated in her letter that she did not accept the marriage and chose to go with her boyfriend."
"I believe the letter was not written by her."
"Who then?" Sandra laughed at her mother's remarks. Even after what that girl had done to her family, her mother continued to defend that evil girl. "It's hard to believe, Mom, that you're so easily duped by her."
"If you no longer have important matters to discuss, you are free to leave," she stated flatly. Sandra left the room without a fight.
Grandma Li was still in the room. Her steps took her to the desk, where the documents remained. Her gaze was drawn to the file that had appeared in her possession in an instant. She was dragged back in time by the newspaper.
That accident had happened 30 years before. In her mind, the face of a man in his mid-thirties was flawed, and guilt pierced her head every time she recalled that tragedy.
Grandma Li rubbed her chest, suddenly in pain from that bad memory she couldn't shake. She sat down on a chair near the table to relax.
"I apologize for not being able to provide adequate care for your child." She muttered something under her breath. To her ears, her words sounded more like despair.
The knocks on the door caused her palms to brush her tears away. She walked slowly to the door, the maid with her face down, reporting that a guest wanted to meet her in person because he had important information to convey. Before she went downstairs, Grandma Li flagged her fingers, signaling her to go.
When she arrived, a man in a dark suit and glasses bowed. Grandma Li took the opposite seat after her visitor was seated. "Did you get anything?"
"I saw her leave Huanran restaurant yesterday." That man began his report. Wrinkles formed on Grandma Li's brow as she pondered his words. "It's the restaurant where she used to work. She appears to have returned because she is looking for work." Grandma Li's face flushed with the hope that she might be able to see Luna again.
"Can you tell me where she is now?"
"I'm not sure where she is, but she went with a man."
"With a man?" As she wrote in the letter, Grandma Li speculated that it was most likely her boyfriend. She was curious if Sandra was correct about Luna's escape with her boyfriend. "Who is the man?" she inquired further.
"We're still looking into it. You don't have to worry because I've told my men to keep track of where they go. I will notify you as soon as we receive the information."
Grandma Li nodded and allowed her visitor to leave. Before leaving the mansion, that man rose to his feet and made a slight bow.
Despite the limited information she had, Grandma Li could breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, she knew Luna was in good health. It was only a matter of time before the detective she hired tracked down that girl.
***
Felix lived in a sprawling apartment that was far too large for a single man like him. Luna could bet that only the wealthy could afford to live here.
Felix was a wonderful angel sent by God to save her when her life was in danger and she had nowhere to turn. Even though she was a stranger to him, he offered his assistance. She now believed that there was another kind soul besides her mother and grandmother Li.
Felix had just left for work an hour ago. Luna spent her time in the library reading random books because she had nothing better to do. A family portrait on the wall took her attention away from the book she was reading.
A father, a mother, and their son, Felix, were all pictured in the photograph. Their smiles conveyed their joy. But what made Luna think they looked familiar? Had they ever met? But where exactly?
She swept her curiosity away, realizing she had gone too far to learn about Felix's family. She was about to go back to reading when her stomach grumbled in hunger. She hadn't eaten anything yet.
Luna went to the kitchen to eat or cook something. Felix had left a meal on the table for her breakfast, much to her surprise. Luna was moved by his generosity. Except for her mother and grandmother Li, she had never been treated in this manner.
Luna sat down and began eating her breakfast. She took a few bites of the bread before her mouth stopped chewing and her eyes went blank. She remembered Felix not only providing her with a place to live but also protecting her from those who wanted to harm her.
She had no idea who those people were, but they were clearly after her because they kept following her out of the restaurant. She was lucky that Felix was there to save her from those people.
Her thoughts returned to the image of Danish she had encountered unexpectedly. What made that man change his mind? He even chased her down until she got into Felix's car. Had he truly changed? Or was he only looking for her for the sake of Grandma Li? Luna's mouth curled into a wry smile. He came to look for her because of his grandmother. She should not have expected Danish to look for her because he had developed feelings for her.
"Forget about the Li family! I will not return to that family for the sake of my own happiness." Luna made a promise to herself even though it was something she wasn't sure she could keep.
Luna resumed eating, attempting to swallow all the bitterness in her life alongside the food that passed down her throat. Her suffering, however, remained on her plate until she finished the meal. Gulping the water didn't help her forget about everything.
She took the initiative to clean up after breakfast, repaying Felix's kindness by providing her with shelter. It might not have worked out in his favor, but at least she wasn't sitting around doing nothing.
While cleaning up the cabinet in Felix's study room, Luna's gaze was drawn to an old photograph of two children on one of the shelves. They appeared to be the same person. Felix, did you have a brother? Luna had seen the same image before, but she couldn't remember where. And she realized Felix resembled someone she'd met before.
"What are you doing there, Luna?"