“No, it’s not like that. Shaun must have gone out with his parents. We’ll see him in a short while.”
Feeling guilty, I asked Joseph to call Yuna and ask about their location. I figured we could go meet them to save time.
Yuna picked up the phone right after the call went through. “Hello, Mr. Campbell. What is it?”
“It’s me, Sienna. May I ask where you are now? Are you free to talk?” I uttered.
“Sure. I’m resting at home. What is it?” Yuna smiled.
“You’re at home?” I shifted my gaze toward the door with a confused look. “Well, that’s great. We are stopping by to check on Shaun. We’re at your door now. Could you open the door for us?”
“What? You’re at my door? How could you show up uninvited? Do the Featherstones not know about basic manners at all?”
The shrill voice from the other end made me take my ear away from the phone. I furrowed my brows, feeling utterly displeased.
She sounded like a different person from my first impression of Yuna. Is she truly the university professor that we’ve met?
“What’s going on?” Emery asked with concern upon noticing my scrunched-up face.
“Nothing…” I took a deep breath, trying to recollect myself.
I guess it is my fault for not informing them before I come. Perhaps she doesn’t want to let others see her house in an unprepared state. That’s why she lost her temper.
A few seconds later, I put the phone back to my ear.
It seemed that Yuna had realized her misbehavior, as she had passed the phone to her husband, James. “Mrs. Featherstone, I’m so sorry. My wife’s having a difficult time at work recently, so she’s in a bad mood. Please forgive her. You’re welcome to visit us anytime. But, what Yuna failed to mention was that we’re currently at our house in Jazona, as our parents wanted to see Shaun. We’ll be here for quite a time. I’m sorry for having you come so far for nothing…”
With that, I was left with no choice but to appoint for the next visit and end the call.
Fortunately, Audrey did not make a fuss out of it. She figured it was just a matter of time for her to meet Shaun. At that moment, all she wanted was to get back to the air-conditioned car.
Just when we were about to leave, a loud thud came from inside the door.
What’s going on? I thought there isn’t anyone at home? Thinking that I had misheard, I turned to Emery and Gregory only to see them showing the same befuddled look like mine.
At that instant, I could not help but suspect what James had told me.
Are they really away from home? Or could it be that they’re afraid to let us in the house since we’ve made a surprise visit?
As we exchanged looks and wondered what the hell was going on, we heard some noises coming from the other side of the door again.
Click… Click… Click…
It was a slow and rhythmic tapping sound. It was as if something was hitting the ground.
Joseph leaned his ear against the door cautiously. After a while, he turned to us with a stern look. “There’s someone inside!”
Something’s wrong. Even though Shaun is quite a mysterious person, he’s still Audrey’s saver. With that in mind, I immediately instructed Joseph, “Kick the door down!”
I pulled Audrey aside while Emery pulled Gregory to the other corner. After that, Joseph threw a heavy kick on the door.
Bang!
The door did not budge at all.
Feeling insulted by it, Joseph took a few steps back and got ready to charge again.
Bang!
The door was knocked out of its frame, causing both Joseph and the door to slam onto the smooth tiles inside the house.
He was indeed Anthony’s most excellent assistant. Despite suffering such a huge impact, he did not even make a peep. Instead, he stood up after a few seconds as though nothing had happened. He picked up the door and placed it aside effortlessly before making way for us to enter.
The moment we stepped into the house, the clicking sounds rang out again from the kitchen at the left.
Joseph immediately followed the sound and went behind the cooking table.
The next second, he bent down. When he got up again, he was carrying Shaun in his arms. The latter was barely breathing.
Shaun was not wearing any shirt, and his bone structure could be seen clearly due to his skinny body. However, the most mind-blowing part was the fact that his body was covered in countless wounds. In just a week, he had turned into a different person, looking like someone on the brink of death.
Despite the fact that he was already looking so frail, someone had still tied his small, thin hands together with a white nylon rope. The red marks and blood-stained rope were a gruesome sight to behold.
Shaun’s legs had also been tied, but he had somehow managed to break free from them. We could see where the rope had dug deep into his flesh.
Still dazed and confused, he croaked weakly, “Water…”
Joseph quickly placed him on the couch and untied the ropes around his wrist. To appease my feelings of guilt, I seized the opportunity to pour him a glass of water.
Recognizing Shaun, Audrey walked over to the couch in horror and started sobbing. Soon, her face was damp with tears. “Shaun… Shaun… Don’t die…”
“It’s okay. Shaun is going to be fine. Be a good girl now. Don’t cry…” Joseph said soothingly. After placing Shaun on the couch, he hurried off to call the paramedics. I pulled Shaun gently into my arms and held the glass of water to his lips. There was no time for me to comfort Audrey.
Unable to stand Audrey’s crying any longer, Emery gave a resigned sigh. She placed her hands on Audrey’s shoulders and spun her around, forcing the girl to meet her gaze. Wagging a finger at Audrey, Emery said, “Audrey, I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully. The louder you cry, the more painful it is for Shaun. Do you want to see him die from the pain? If you do, then keep on crying. The louder you cry, the faster he dies. Go on then, keep crying!”
The mention of death frightened Audrey so much that she quickly clasped a hand over her mouth, not daring to make another noise.
Emery’s method of dealing with the matter is questionable but effective. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have had the heart to scare a child just to shut them up. I suppose it does take a person of action to get things done quickly.
Emery seemed to read my mind. She straightened up and shrugged. “See that? Certain teaching methods work on both genders.”
I shook my head. Poor Xavier. How many of Emery’s threats and scares has he had to endure these past six years? It’s a good thing boys are tough. If it had been a girl, she would’ve had a rough time.
Nonetheless, it was not the right time to be making jokes, so I did not answer Emery.
After about ten minutes, Shaun finally slowly opened his eyes and looked around weakly.
It was different from the first time I met him. Now, I could see the desire to live blazing in his eyes.
The moment he regained consciousness, he stubbornly struggled to sit up, avoiding my embrace and leaning against the back of the couch.
As his body twisted, it tugged at the injuries on his body. He hissed in pain and clenched his jaw.
I held his arm at once to help him sit up. “Don’t push yourself.”
Shaun did not respond. He did not even dare to meet my gaze. Instead, he stared fixedly at the floor.
His behavior clearly indicated that the Featherstones’ rules were still fresh in his mind. He had to respect me and was not allowed to get too close to me.
I reached out a hand to comfort him, but he shrank away immediately. I could only give up on the thought and withdraw my hand. Then, I moved to another couch so that he could sit more comfortably without trying to keep his distance from me.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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