“I know it’s hard to accept, but I’ll be by your side no matter what,” Zuko reassured Lina.
“No… No!” Lina kept backing away, her mind blank, with only one thought emerging: ‘My… Where are my parents?
I want to find them!’
“Lina!” Zuko hurriedly followed her as she ran out of the room. He chased after her without hesitation, catching up
to her as she approached the guest room where Jesse and Melissa were staying.
However, when Lina knocked on the door, gasping for breath, she was greeted by the sight of the maid cleaning
inside. She stood at the door with wide eyes, looking at the empty room, her heart sinking.
Several servants recognized her as the future young mistress and hurriedly gathered around, bowing respectfully.
In a daze, Lina stood there momentarily before dialing Melissa’s phone. However, no matter how many times she
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcalled, all she heard was the cold machine voice message saying, “The user cannot be reached…”
Lina slowly fell to her knees, unable to shed tears amidst her immense emotional turmoil.
“Lina.” Zuko quickly pulled her into a warm embrace, her small face pressed against his chest, listening to the
comforting sound of his thumping heartbeat.
“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Zuko assured her, lifting her up and lightly kissing her forehead. “No matter what happens,
I’ll always be with you.”
…
Renee’s mother’s condition had stabilized. Toph had been dutifully staying by Renee’s side in the hospital, even
more devoted than a bodyguard.
Feeling guilty, Renee quickly reached out to support Toph as he leaned against the wall, dozing off and nearly falling.
Toph was startled awake, rubbing his eyes and wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.
“Ah, Renee!” He grinned. “What time is it now? Are you hungry? Did you miss dinner?”
Renee looked apologetically at him. “Toph, it’s morning now.”
“Oh…”
“You should go back. We have so many bodyguards here. We’ll be fine.”
“That won’t do!” Toph straightened his posture. “Melvin’s a cunning old fox! If he does something, even the
bodyguards might be unable to handle him!”
“Um…” Toph suddenly felt that something was amiss. “Renee… I’m sorry. After all, he’s your father. I shouldn’t have
said that about him.”
Renee smiled and shook her head. To her, Melvin was merely her father by biology, nothing more.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
“It’s okay, Toph. Actually… I’ve never seen him as my father.”
“Renee…”
“It’s already morning. Let me treat you to breakfast!” Renee’s smile brightened.
Rare genuine smiles graced her fair and delicate face. As she stood by the window, the first rays of sunlight cast a
golden glow on her as if gilding her.
Toph could even see the tiny strands of hair on her face clearly.
“I’m a gentleman. How can I let you treat me!?” Toph waved his hand. “Come on. I’ll take you to a breakfast shop.”
“No need. Let’s have something simple.” Renee tugged at his sleeve, her big eyes seemingly full of unspoken
words.
“Toph, I have something to tell you. There’s a breakfast shop not far from here, and there shouldn’t be too many
people at this hour. Shall we go there?”