Hugh fell silent, gazing at Serena, who sat across from him, savoring the freshly served meal. "How about it? Do you like it?" Hugh asked, awaiting her response.
Serena chewed her food before expressing her opinion. "It's delicious. I like it." Serena smiled warmly.
"I knew you would like it!" Hugh grinned.
"How did you find such a great restaurant?"
"I stumbled upon it when Shawn and I went to the amusement park some time ago. It was crowded, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to visit. Besides, I also saw reviews online about this place, and it turned out to be good."
"Oh, I see... but this is really tasty!" Serena continued enjoying her meal. Currently, Serena and Hugh are at a restaurant, enjoying lunch together. When at home, Hugh noticed that Serena was exhausted from work, and because lunchtime was approaching, he decided to take her out instead of having her go through the trouble of preparing lunch.
The two of them then busied themselves, savoring their respective lunches. Occasionally, they chatted, discussing light topics suitable for a lunchtime conversation.
"I need to use the restroom for a moment." Serena placed her glass on the table and rose from her seat.
"Sure." Hugh nodded and returned his focus to his lunch. Serena walked away from the table and headed towards the restroom.
Hugh fell silent, watching Serena as she continued to move away until she eventually disappeared from his sight. For some reason, the man suddenly recalled the morning incident when he met Aiden at Shawn's school. Hugh found himself intrigued once again by the man who accidentally met with them.
Despite Serena vouching for him as a good person, I still feel an odd vibe from our first encounter. I should make sure of this to ease my mind. Hugh shifted his attention to something else, picking up his phone from the table. After a while, Hugh started engaging in a conversation with someone over the phone.
"I need information about the background of a kid named Loui, who just joined the same school as Shawn. Can you gather the details and send them to me?"
*
"After this, where are we going next?"
"How about shopping? It's been a long time since we went shopping together."
"Great idea!"
Hailey walked along the corridor with a few friends. Occasionally, they chuckled as one of them shared a funny story. They intended to return to the table they had occupied earlier. While walking, Hailey accidentally collided with a woman walking in the opposite direction.
"Sorry." Serena bowed and continued walking. Hailey fell silent for a moment as she looked at the woman she had just bumped into. The woman froze in shock.
She... isn't she... Hailey turned her head, staring at Serena, who continued walking until she disappeared behind the restroom door in the restaurant. Hailey was truly shocked by Serena's sudden appearance. I didn't mistake her, right? Is that Serena?
Hailey started to feel uneasy. She intended to change her course to make sure if the woman who collided with her was indeed Serena or not. However, Hailey immediately abandoned her plan as her friends embraced her and swiftly led her away.
How could she be here? Hasn't she been missing all this time?
*
Knock! Knock!
The door was gently knocked open. Rhys immediately shifted his attention toward the source of the sound. As he looked up, he could see Romeo entering his office. The man came with the intention of fulfilling his request from earlier in the morning.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Finally, you've come. I've been waiting for you since earlier." Rhys stood up from his chair and approached Romeo. "Let's talk outside while having lunch."
*
"How have you been over there?" Rhys inquired as they arrived at a restaurant not far from his office. They sat together, enjoying their lunch.
"I've been well. And how about you? Have you been fine in my absence? Has Jasper been taking good care of you?" Romeo asked.
"As you can see, I'm feeling better than I was five years ago. But since meeting Serena at that time... I've started to feel uneasy again." Rhys fell silent, pausing his activities. Romeo, hearing the tone in his voice, immediately looked up, staring at Rhys, who now remained silent with a vacant expression—a familiar sight when the man began to experience feelings reminiscent of five years ago.
"Hm, so you've truly met Miss Serena?" Romeo tries to get straight to the point.
"I've told you. I met her," replied Rhys, continuing with his meal. He cut through the food in front of him with a knife before finally taking a bite. Romeo was about to speak before Rhys swiftly interrupted him. "This time, I'm not hallucinating."
Rhys promptly cut off his sentence, as if knowing what was on the mind of the man before him. "I truly met her. I even hugged her. It's all real. Serena has returned to Pandora."
Romeo fell silent, trying to digest each word that had just come out of Rhys's mouth. From Rhys's reactions, Romeo felt more convinced that this time Rhys wasn't hallucinating like five years ago. "So you really met Miss Serena? How is that possible?"
Rhys explained everything to Romeo, detailing how he coincidentally met Serena in the restaurant and his efforts to ask her to explain what had truly happened. As Rhys explained, Romeo remained silent, listening attentively. "That's why I want you to find her, so I can know what really happened. I want to know why she left me five years ago."
*
"So, you mean she didn't come to the office today?"
"That's correct, ma'am. I even asked my subordinates to stand guard on the other side of the building, but they didn't see her at all." Ollie explained. At the moment, he was monitoring Serena as per Bellatrix's request. However, Ollie had just reported that Serena didn't show up at the office as expected.
It seems like she's become more cautious since yesterday's incident, thought Bellatrix. "Keep watching, and if necessary, try to sneak into the office. Once you have the latest information, contact me immediately."
"Yes, ma'am."
Bellatrix unilaterally ended the phone call. After hearing the news from Ollie, she felt even more restless. "I just hope that woman doesn't intend to meet him. Because if she dares to meet him and ruin his marriage, then I won't stay silent!" Bellatrix muttered softly. Cold sweat continued to trickle down her body. Her heart also couldn't find peace. Serena's appearance had truly disturbed her life.
Bellatrix's attention shifted when she heard her handheld phone ringing. She immediately diverted her focus to the object in her hand. The phone screen lit up with an incoming call from one of her trusted contacts. Without further hesitation, Bellatrix answered the call and connected with the caller.
"Why are you suddenly contacting me?" Bellatrix inquired once their connection was established.
"Sorry to disturb your time, ma'am. But I want to give you important news." Bellatrix heard her subordinate's voice on the other end. The man sounded somewhat uneasy. Hearing his restless tone instantly made Bellatrix anxious as well.
"What do you want to convey? I hope this isn't bad news, because if the news you're delivering is bad, then you've chosen the wrong time. My mood right now is not good," Bellatrix said with a slightly annoyed tone. This made the man on the other end hesitate to share the information he had. He fell silent for a moment before Bellatrix pressed him to speak. "Say what you want to say!"
"I-it... I just want to convey that they have returned, ma'am." The man spoke hesitantly. It was evident that he felt under pressure, with Bellatrix urging him to speak.
Bellatrix suddenly fell silent upon hearing the man's recent statement. With just one utterance, Bellatrix could immediately understand the meaning behind his words. Emotions within her erupted instantly. Bellatrix felt an overwhelming sense of anger. She clenched her fists tightly. "What?" Bellatrix tried to confirm if she had heard correctly.
"T-they have returned. The trusted individuals of the young master have returned, ma'am."
Bellatrix snorted in frustration. She found it incredibly difficult to believe the situation she was currently facing. Why is everything happening simultaneously like this?
"Where did you get this information?"
"This morning, they arrived at the airport, and I even heard he was going to meet with the young master."
"Alright, I understand."
"W-what should I do, ma'am? You won't just stay silent, right?"
"You're right. I won't stay silent. I have a task for you. Watch him, find out why he's back, and what he's talking about with my son."
"Okay, ma'am. I will do it."
"Inform me immediately once you get the latest information." Bellatrix disconnected the call. Frustrated, she threw her phone at the sofa. "ARGGHH!"
Bellatrix screamed loudly, and her voice echoed throughout the room. Her face turned red, clearly showing that she was furious. "Why is the situation like this? Why, when that woman appears, is there another problem happening?"
Various questions filled her mind, making Bellatrix more anxious about the situation she was facing. "What I feared couldn't possibly happen, right?" Bellatrix bit her nails with a worried expression.
Ding!
Her phone chimed, instantly shifting Bellatrix's focus to the device she had just thrown. She approached the sofa and grabbed her phone in one swift motion. The screen lit up with a message notification from someone she had just received.
My Darling: Do you have time today, Mom? I want to meet. There's something I need to talk about. It's important!
***