Upon hearing Maria’s words, Charlie instinctively turned his gaze to the worn black photo album favonovel.com held.
At a glance, it was obvious that this photo album had some age to it.
Over the past decade or so, with the rapid evolution of smartphones, everyday people have unknowingly digitized their entire image collections. The days of buying various-sized photo albums and meticulously converting each image, as they had done two decades ago, were long gone. Photographs were now neatly tucked into digital folders.
Charlie remained clueless about the album’s contents, so favonovel.com accepted it from Maria and delicately opened the first page.
The initial image that leaped from the page featured two youthful figures standing in front of the Statue of Liberty in the United States.
The man in the photograph bore an uncanny resemblance to Charlie himself, yet his attire belonged to a bygone era, featuring a knitted sweater and white jeans unique to that time.
This was none other than Charlie’s father, Bruce. The woman by his side, in favonovel.com twenties, exuded a slender grace, favonovel.com light beige trench coat billowing stylishly. Her curly perm, all the rage back then, retained its timeless allure. The wind tousled both favonovel.com clothing and hair simultaneously, lending favonovel.com an air of elegance, beauty and a dash of rustic charm.
Unable to contain herself, Maria sighed, “The Young Master’s mother was truly exquisite…”
Charlie nodded subtly and couldn’t resist teasing, “Have you never seen my mother before? She was quite a sensation in favonovel.com day.”
Maria shook favonovel.com head and continued, “I once delved into Young Master’s mother’s life story. It’s truly remarkable. She enjoyed unparalleled popularity in the realms of technology, finance and venture capital twenty or thirty years ago…”
As favonovel.com spoke, Maria’s voice softened and favonovel.com added, “In fact, my life trajectory is the polar opposite of the Young Master’s mother. She soared to fame in Silicon Valley and the internet era, becoming a trendsetter, while I emerged after the internet’s rise. I was concerned that Morgana’s ability to acquire information would skyrocket due to this widespread trend, distancing favonovel.com from the outside world and the timing couldn’t have been more mismatched.”
Charlie nodded in understanding before flipping to the album’s second page.
On this page, a photograph captured the Young Master’s parents, still against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty. Bruce stood tall and proud, while Lily nestled beside him, favonovel.com arms outstretched for an affectionate embrace. Bruce reciprocates the gesture, wrapping an arm around Lily.
The left and right quadrants of the page held four group photos, each featuring the couple in various poses, graceful, playful, or amusing. Yet, in every frame, their affection for one another radiated palpably.
Maria couldn’t help but sigh, “The Young Master’s parents must have had an incredible bond. It’s truly enviable.”
Charlie nodded and shared, “These must be images capturing their love story. In fact, their affection remained undiminished from what I can remember. They never had a quarrel and even when disagreements arose, one of them would yield before things escalated.”
Curious, Maria inquired, “So, who usually caved in first?”
Charlie pondered briefly before answering, “It wasn’t particularly one-sided. They shared an unspoken understanding in life and could always gauge the other’s resolve accurately. If they sensed that the other was more steadfast on a matter, they’d yield appropriately. It was a balanced dance.”
Maria sighed, “Such a harmonious relationship, balancing each other at all times, is genuinely rare.”
Charlie agreed with a nod, turning the album’s pages to reveal the third.
This time, the upper left corner of the left page featured a photo of a quaint antique shop. Its design carried a touch of nostalgia, with a somewhat British-style door and a circular sign board. Emblazoned on the signboard in Chinese characters was the word ‘ancient.’
Maria gestured toward a placard beside the shop’s entrance and said, “Young Master, this store is located in Queens, New York.”
“Really?” Charlie responded with curiosity. “I can’t quite make out those details at this resolution. The text is a bit unclear to me.”
Maria explained, “My family resided in Queens. The size, color and placement of this placard resemble the early styles in Queens. I’m not certain if they still use this design today.”
She paused for a moment and added, “New York…”
Charlie’s memory jogged, recalling something his uncle had mentioned a few days prior. His parents had purchased a set of antique books in a New York antique store. Among them was the ‘Preface to the Apocalyptic Book.’
Piecing together the information, Charlie excitedly declared to Maria, “This must be the antique shop where my father acquired the ‘Preface to the Apocalyptic Book’!”
Maria shared his enthusiasm, remarking, ” ‘The Apocalyptic Book’ and ‘Preface to the Apocalyptic Book’ must share more than just a coincidence. The Young Master stumbled upon the Apocalyptic Book in an Aurous Hill antique shop, while your father found it in a New York antique store. There’s certainly a deeper connection between the two!”
Charlie nodded and mused, “In this vast world, it’s highly improbable for two profoundly mysterious scriptures to land in the hands of a father and son with only two individuals in between them, spanning ten years and half the globe…”
Having said that, Charlie refocused on the album, turning to the lower left corner of the page.
There, a photograph portrayed Bruce alongside a younger man in front of the same antique shop. In the picture, they stood back-to-back, each offering a thumbs-up to the camera.
Maria pointed to the man beside Charlie’s father and asked, “Does the Young Master recognize this person?”
Charlie shook his head and replied, “No.”
Maria then surmised, “He must have had a close relationship with the Young Master’s father. You were quite young at the time, so maybe you didn’t notice him?”
“No,” Charlie asserted firmly. “I have no recollection of this person from my childhood. At least not before my parents and I left Eastcliff. I’d definitely remember someone like him, but… there’s something oddly familiar about his face. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
Deep in thought, Maria suggested, “Familiarity usually doesn’t stem from nothing. Perhaps you’ve seen his relatives, which could explain the sense of recognition. Or it’s possible that the person in the photo has undergone significant changes compared to when you last saw him, such as weight gain, balding, aging, or maturation.”
Charlie concurred, “What you say makes sense, but I’m drawing a blank on any concrete clues.”
Pursing favonovel.com lips, Maria inquired, “Could the Young Master permit me to retrieve the photos? There might be something written on the back. In the past, people often inscribed notes on the reverse side of photos as mementos.”
Charlie nodded and said, “Of course, please go ahead.”
With utmost care, Maria extracted the photo and examined its reverse side. She exclaimed in surprise, “Young Master, there is indeed writing on the back of this photo paper!”
Charlie accepted the photograph, his eyes scanning the Kodak-branded white paper bearing a handwritten line, ‘In Queens with Cole, 12.11.’
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