The crimson hues of the sunset outside retreated, giving way to the twilight.
The light atop the mountain gradually dimmed, and a chilly evening wind blew.
With an unperturbed demeanor, Charles stood unmoving on the mountaintop, bracing against the
breeze.
The engine roars of five helicopters grew increasingly loud, deafening, and intimidating. Yet, Charles
remained stationary, silently awaiting the helicopters to land.
Soon, the cabin door opened, and Cedrick, clad in a dark military coat and boots, descended the cabin
stairs with a stern look on his face.
Almost instantly, the two men locked gazes from afar.
Immediately afterward, Nico also disembarked from the helicopter. He breathed a sigh of relief upon
seeing Charles. Luckily he didn’t flee and obediently came to meet us. I suppose there is more to the
situation than meets the eye. Thank goodness. I don’t have to endure punishment when we get back.
“Mr. Jenson, don’t you think this is a little over the top, leading over a dozen armed subordinates here?
Others who don’t know better may think I’m a criminal.” Charles smirked.
Cedrick glared at Charles, not bothering to beat around the bush with the latter, and cut to the chase.
“Is Gwendolyn here with you?”
Charles smiled faintly and corrected him halfheartedly. “This is not my territory. All I did was locate her.”
Toward the end of his statement, he spoke in a knowing tone and arched his brow mischievously.
“Cedrick, I got lucky this time, finding her before you did. If she chooses me this time, will you let go of
her?”
Cedrick frowned with murderous intent and rage churning in his eyes.
Striding forward in his military boots, he angrily grabbed Charles’ shirt collar and uttered furiously, “If
you dare covet her, I don’t mind giving you another taste of the unbearable life in a high-security
prison.”
Charles met his gaze, and the two entered a stalemate for a few seconds before Charles gave in by
flashing a smile. “I’m just kidding. Don’t take it seriously, Mr. Jenson. If I had genuinely wanted to
possess Gwen, I would’ve destroyed all means of contact, cut all ties with all of you, and prepared a
large sum of money to take her overseas to a less developed nation. Once we’re out of the country,
even Federal Bureau of Investigation, with its mighty abilities, would find it challenging and time-
consuming to track us down. Don’t you agree, Mr. Jenson?”
Cedrick narrowed his eyes and fell silent.
Seeing Charles voluntarily receiving the helicopters, he knew Charles didn’t have the guts to hide
Gwendolyn.
Moreover, Charles used to be the director of Central Intelligence Agency. If he had truly wanted to go
into hiding, it would indeed be tough to track him down.
Nevertheless, Charles harbored selfish motives, so Cedrick still thought poorly of him.
“You should’ve contacted me as soon as you found her and brought her back safely rather than
keeping it a secret. Charles, I know exactly what tricks you’re trying to pull.”
Charles didn’t refute.
He admitted he indeed had selfish intentions, wanting to seek closure for his decade-long obsession.
However, that was provided Gwendolyn was willing to give him a chance to do so.
Initially, he planned to take her away as long as she was willing to accept him, even if it meant bearing
a criminal charge, being surrounded and intercepted by Federal Bureau of Investigation, and having to
live as an absconder for the rest of his life. He wanted to gamble that once. What a pity.
Suppressing the hint of disappointment flashing across his eyes, Charles said with a double entendre,
“I wanted to bring her back, but I could only do that if she’s willing to come with me.”
Cedrick knitted his brows. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll understand when you see her.” Charles smirked again with an inscrutable, profound look in his
eyes. Gwendolyn is different now. She’s reluctant to choose me, but I think she won’t necessarily pick
Cedrick either.
The rest of the armed personnel were ordered to stay put. Charles led Cedrick and Nico down the
mountain path.
Cedrick noticed the billowing smoke from a cooking fire rising from a simple tiled house a hundred
meters away. Err… Have Gwendolyn and Charles been spending time alone in that house?
Fury surged within him instantly. His wrath burned more fiercely than the stove inside the humble
house. He reached to his lower back and drew his sidearm in one swift motion.
Cedrick loaded the magazine, chambered a round, and pressed the muzzle against the back of
Charles’ head.
Hearing the noise, Charles stopped short and turned around. Instead of cowering at the sight of the
gun, he merely felt confused. “What are you doing?”
Cedrick clenched his jaw and uttered threateningly through gritted teeth, “I’ll give you one last chance
to come clean. Are you sure you didn’t do anything to Gwendolyn during the four days you’ve spent
alone with her in this isolated place?”
Charles chuckled. “You’re falsely accusing me. I didn’t get the chance to spend time alone with her.
Hurry up and put away your gun. Hide it better to avoid frightening them.”
His words implied there were other people in the house.
Cedrick’s hardened expression relaxed significantly. He holstered his gun, hiding it behind his waist
under his shirt. Then, he pulled his coat closer, concealing the weapon perfectly.
In less than two minutes, the three men stood outside the courtyard of the hut.
Through the low mud wall, Cedrick immediately spotted a familiar slender figure sitting under the eaves
on a low stool. She held a pea pod in her delicate, fair hands, carefully and gracefully picking out the
green peas from inside. Due to her innate elegance, she appeared captivating even in simple attire.
Her exquisite countenance bore a casual smile as she chatted leisurely with an older woman by the
entrance.
At that moment, tears welled up in his reddened eyes. I’ve finally found her, the woman I’ve been
missing dearly and had disappeared for the past ten days.
Intense emotions washed over him, but the feelings quickly turned complicated. She’s not hurt, so why
didn’t she come home? She didn’t contact me either. Is she planning to abandon her family? Is she
casting Benny, Zendy, and me aside?
Pangs crept into his heart, and the pain spread throughout his body, causing even his fingers, hidden
beneath the sleeves of his coat, to tremble.
Nico took in the changes in Cedrick’s mood. He sighed inwardly with worry.
Charles appeared the most composed. He pushed open the small wooden gate of the courtyard.
“Megan, Gwen, I’m back.”
Megan, the older woman, and Gwendolyn both turned around in unison.
However, Gwendolyn immediately noticed the distinguished man beside Charles first. The tall man was
clad in a military uniform and had a strikingly attractive appearance.
The dim light of the setting sun perfectly concealed the dark circles under his eyes, formed due to days
of unrest.
Gwendolyn stared at him in a daze. Even from a distance, she could see the man’s red-rimmed and
teary eyes, making him look as if he was succumbing to an indescribable sorrow.
Her heart inexplicably ached for him. She lowered her eyes to hide her slight astonishment.
When she looked up again, a faint smile spread across her countenance. Gwendolyn turned to Charles
and said teasingly, “So, this is the guests you were talking about? They’re quite handsome. The sight of
you three standing together is quite pleasing to the eyes.”
As soon as Cedrick heard that, his pupils constricted and his chest tightened. A sense of suffocation
overwhelmed him. Gwendolyn doesn’t recognize me?
Nico was equally surprised but more concerned about his boss’ condition. He hastily grasped the
latter’s arm to support him as he was afraid that Cedrick would collapse from the shock and built-up
weariness.
Seemingly having expected their astounded reactions, Charles arched his brow and stepped into the
courtyard, replying to Gwendolyn with a smile, “Yes. However, I still think I’m the best-looking one.”
Gwendolyn propped up her chin with one hand, her eyes flitting between the three men as she
scrutinized them. In the end, she rested her gaze on Cedrick. “It’s not the same. You’re good-looking.
He’s stunning.”
She had said something similar in the bar at Fairlake once. That day, she also mentioned that if she
had to choose between Cedrick and Charles, she would pick Cedrick.
The two men remembered that incident.
As if he was enjoying the drama, Charles raised his eyebrows again and probed further, “In that case,
do you prefer the stunning or good-looking one? If you had to choose one of us as your future
husband, who would you opt for?”
Cedrick clenched his fists, feeling his blood run cold and a chill traveling down his spine.
He riveted his reddened eyes on Gwendolyn’s face.
Nervousness and unease churned within him.
Still, he couldn’t help but anticipate her answer.
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