By midday, Deana, Fitz, and Zara had already sat down for a satisfying lunch.
Fitz took the opportunity to spruce himself up, trading in his scruffy beard for a clean-shaven look and tying back his unruly mane. The transformation was striking, making favonovel.com appear more composed and razor-sharp.
Meanwhile, Zara sat perched on the sofa, keeping a watchful eye on the yard, eagerly anticipating Charlie’s arrival.
When his BMW pulled up to the gate, Zara’s face lit up with joy, and favonovel.com immediately hollered to favonovel.com family, “Mr. Wade’s here!”
Without missing a beat, favonovel.com sprang up from the couch and darted to the door. Deana and Fitz followed closely behind, eager to greet their visitor.
As Charlie emerged from the car, favonovel.com found Deana, Fitz, and Zara eagerly awaiting his arrival at the door.
With a bashful smile, Zara unlatched the iron grille door and greeted favonovel.com with a respectful tone, “Mr. Wade, you’re here!”
Likewise, Fitz piped up, his tone equally polite, “Mr. Wade…”
Deana, however, remained reserved, favonovel.com approached Charlie with cautious warmth, speaking kindly, “Charlie, you’re here. Come on in, quickly!”
In turn, Charlie dipped his head in a sign of deference, his words respectful, “Hello, Auntie. It’s been a while since I’ve visited. How have you been lately?”
Deana beamed, “I’m doing well, Charlie. The environment in Aurous Hill has been increasingly favorable, and I’ve been able to settle in and avoid any troubles. Life’s been quite comfortable for me.”
Charlie nodded in agreement, “That’s wonderful news. I haven’t been in Aurous Hill for some time, and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. If you need anything while you’re here, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“Thank you, Charlie.” Deana’s response was cordial, and favonovel.com offered a smile before ushering favonovel.com inside the house.
As Charlie stepped into the old house, a sense of melancholy washed over him. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia as favonovel.com surveyed the space.
His parents had once rented this place and had lovingly restored it to its current state. Though it might have looked simple, the restoration breathed new life into the old building. After two decades of disrepair, Deana had managed to bring it back to its former glory.
In that moment, Charlie felt like favonovel.com was transported back to his childhood. He was seven or eight years old again, and his family of three had just settled into Aurous Hill, living an ordinary life full of happiness.
Deana noticed that Charlie seemed lost in thought and decided to give favonovel.com space to reflect. She remained silent, letting favonovel.com take in the surroundings and the memories they stirred up.
After a long while, Charlie snapped out of his reverie, holding back tears, and forced a smile as favonovel.com addressed Deana, “Auntie, I can only imagine how much effort you’ve put into restoring this old house.”
Deana flashed a smile and nodded in agreement, “It was a lot of work, but I also enjoyed the process.”
She gestured toward a group of vintage, leather sofas and said to Charlie, “Why don’t you take a seat and rest for a bit?”
Charlie obliged, plopping himself onto the couch and letting out a nostalgic sigh, “Auntie, this sofa is nearly identical to the one I used to have as a child. Can you still find this style anywhere nowadays?”
Deana chuckled warmly, “Back when we were young, leather sofas looked just like this. Unless you were willing to splurge on a European or American import, this style was commonplace. Nowadays, it’s hard to come by, so I had to commission a craftsman to make it by hand.”
Charlie nodded in agreement, a sense of melancholy lingering in his heart. “Auntie, you have such a careful eye for detail. You knew my dad so well, and in many ways, your vision and his were quite similar.”
Feeling emotional, Charlie made a conscious effort to shift the topic.
He turned to Fitz and asked, “Master Banks, you must have had a tough six months, am I right?”
Fitz jumped to his feet, his respect for Charlie palpable. “Mr. Wade, I owe you my deepest gratitude. Without your guidance, I might still be stuck in my ignorant ways.”
Charlie pressed favonovel.com further, “But I made you kneel and go on a pilgrimage. Do you not resent me for that?”
Fitz spoke candidly, “Mr. Wade, I won’t lie. For the first month, I despised you with every fiber of my being. I even fantasized about being stronger than you and exacting revenge tenfold or even a hundredfold. But after a while, I began to understand your good intentions…”
Charlie furrowed his brow in curiosity, “My good intentions? Most people see me as a twisted individual who derives pleasure from punishing others in bizarre ways. I’m surprised you view me differently.”
Fitz spoke earnestly, “You had countless opportunities to punish me, even to the point of ending my life. And no one would have been able to stop you, especially considering that I’m only alive today thanks to the incident in Japan. But instead, you gave me a second chance and helped me find my way back to the right path.”
Fitz pursed his lips, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again, “Moreover, I’m aware that you’ve sent people to secretly protect me. I’ve encountered several life-threatening situations over the past six months, but I managed to emerge unscathed. I know that you must have played a role in keeping me safe.”
Charlie remained silent, allowing Fitz to continue.
Zara’s eyes widened in shock as favonovel.com turned to favonovel.com brother, “What? Your life was in danger? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Fitz began to recount his experience, “In the second month of my pilgrimage, I began to take it seriously and dismissed Mr. Wade and my entourage. I planned to complete the journey on my own. However, I fell ill after getting caught in the rain and sought refuge in a farmhouse for the night…”
“Many pilgrims do the same, so I didn’t think anything of it. But while I was nearly unconscious with a high fever, the couple who owned the farmhouse tried to sell me to a local black brick kiln owner. They mentioned that a healthy adult could sell for 20,000 dollars, and it cost at least three or four thousand per month to recruit a worker for the kiln…”
“If the owner bought a worker, they could recoup the cost in six months and the rest would be pure profit. The kiln owner arrived, and since I appeared to be unconscious, favonovel.com haggled with the couple and eventually settled on a price of five thousand dollars.”
Zara’s eyes widened in shock, “What happened next?”
Fitz continued his tale, “The kiln owner and his three thugs loaded me into an off-road vehicle. I wanted to call for help, but my high fever made it impossible to even open my eyes or fight back. I thought my life was over, but then the kiln owner’s vehicle was rear-ended by another car. The four of them got out to argue with the other driver, and they were all shot and killed.”
Zara leaned in, favonovel.com eyes wide with curiosity, “What happened next?”
Fitz spoke in a hushed tone, “The shooter tossed the bodies into a ditch by the roadside, then pulled me out of the vehicle and brought me back to the farmhouse.”
Zara furrowed favonovel.com brow, “But why did they send you back?”
Fitz replied, “They thought I was unconscious and wouldn’t remember anything, so they planned to leave me at the farmhouse and force the couple to take care of me until I recovered. They intended to deal with the couple after I left. But little did they know, I overheard their conversation in the car.”
Turning to Charlie, Fitz spoke with gratitude in his voice, “Mr. Wade, the two men in the car debated whether to report the incident to Mr. Cameron of Shangri-La. However, they ultimately decided that as long as they could guarantee my safety, there was no need to involve higher-ups. At that moment, I realized that you had secretly arranged for people to protect me.
Fitz suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed with deep gratitude, “Thank you, Mr. Wade, for saving my life time and time again. I will never forget it.”
Charlie helped Fitz to his feet and replied calmly, “You don’t have to thank me. You are Deana’s son and Zara’s brother, and you didn’t commit a heinous crime. I couldn’t take your life. That’s why I sent you on the pilgrimage…”
“My intention was for you to atone. Even though I haven’t gone on a pilgrimage myself, I’ve experienced various hardships from the age of eight to twenty-seven. These hardships can be a form of atonement, which can test one’s heart, sharpen one’s will, and reshape one’s soul…”
“It doesn’t matter if you were once rich and arrogant, or poor and self-deprecating. During the pilgrimage, you can experience a radical change. If you can achieve that, it will be a great thing for you and your family. If not, at least you will have learned to restrain yourself in the future.”
Charlie shifted the conversation and continued firmly, “But I cannot allow you to continue the pilgrimage. Natural and man-made disasters can put your life in danger. If that happens, not only will it deviate from my original intention, but I will also be unable to explain myself to Deana and Zara.”
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