Chapter 241 - Reunion

He took a pause and stared at the small hut ahead in a distance.

An old woman could be seen walking about, fanning a firewood set and slowly burning, cooking whatever was in the pot that was placed on top of it.

An old man got there with a log of wood on his shoulder, hunching his back, which proves that it wasn't easy carrying that heavy wood.

He dropped it and sat on the floor.

The old woman walked closer to him and began massaging his shoulders, smiling and saying something to him.

They knew that they had no choice.

They've cried to the stage that tears don't come anymore. Even when it hurts, they smile and hold on, because if there's a chance that they will meet their grandson again, they want him to meet them in a good mood.

They never lose hope.

Alex's eyes filled with tears, as he continued staring at them.

He was living a lavish life. He never lacked anything except love. He couldn't believe that his daddy suppressed his grandparents to this stage.

They are one of the reasons why he still ran to this country then, because he hoped that someone would at least care.

Someone will see him and smile. Someone will wish to hug him, but Jerry, who didn't want them to meet, always chased him around.

He didn't give him a breathing space to look for the couple, but within a few days that Leo brought him back, here he was.

He merely asked Leo if they are still alive and he asked him to give him a day.

Leo has someone search for the couple and forward the address to Alex.

He has been having Alex perfect his qualification in the management field and already prepared a good post for him at one of his branches, so that he could start working.

He could start living a normal life.

The boy couldn't thank him enough and this was the thing he was most grateful for.

Even if he didn't wish to turn a new leaf, seeing his grandparents, he wanted to make them happy.To do his best for them.

To be honest, he still felt pathetic and wanted someone to see him and claim they miss him. He wants love.

He walked towards them and they noticed someone approaching.

They stood up and looked scared, wondering who they had offended, because the man coming towards them was nicely dressed in a black suit, just like the ones that came to check their house when Jerry was looking for Alex.

Jerry made them realize that Alex is still alive and felt that he must have wished to see them, because if not, Jerry wouldn't come to ask them if he visited.

Alex raised his hand, seeing the old man trying to lift the wood he dropped and guiding his wife behind him.

"It's me." He said and they didn't even have to guess too far.

That voice…..

And he had walked closer and they could see his face clearly.

Those eyes….

"Alexander?" The old man called and Alex burst into tears.

"It's me." He said, crying like a baby, because it was just like he wished.

The tenderness in their eyes when they guessed who he was, that was what he had always craved for. 

To feel that he mattered to someone.

They rushed towards him, their energy doubling. They hugged him tightly and he felt warmth washed through his heart.

Suddenly, they pulled back and looked everywhere. "Child, you need to hide first. Or, we should run away." The woman said and her husband picked it from her mouth.

"Yes, son. Your father usually sends someone here to make sure you're not hiding here.

There's a little farm where we used to go when we want to breathe new air. Let's head over there. There's another hut we built there for shelter….." 

Alex looked into their eyes. They looked so scared and tears streaming down their face.

He felt so grateful to Leo. He was now able to finally feel good that Leo dealt with his father.

"There's no more Jerry's trouble. He has been caught and all those minions that he sent here to scare you, are dead. Everyone of them. 

You two have nothing to worry about now." He said and leaned to match their height, hugging them tightly.

They breath a sigh of relief and hugged him back.

"I never believed that I will ever see you ever again in my entire life. We've really missed a lot in your life. I'm so sorry my boy." The old man ranted, while the woman refused to pull away from him.

"You've grown so much." She said, continuing to hold him, while she did the same.

"Let's head inside and talk." The old man said and she finally let him go, while still holding his hand till they got Inside.

It was a reunion that was filled with tears and happiness. Alex couldn't act like a man and not cry.

He wept bitterly and promised them that he will give them a good life. He knows they are old and probably have a few years left to live, but he wants to make good use of it and cherish it.

He wants to fill the hole of their longing and also enjoy the warmth that he has always wanted.

They asked about his growing up and he told them that it wasn't really pleasant. He made them know that he had always wished to see them.

He tried a lot, but never got to.

A picture.

He wanted to see what his mother looked like. He asked them for it and they showed him.

He realized how they were able to guess it was him when he just arrived, because he looked a lot like the woman.

She was a simple looking, yet a very attractive woman. 

"You don't only look alike, your voices are the same." The old man said with a sweet smile as the memory of their daughter flooded in.

They all dined together and none of them slept all through the night. They talked, laughed, hugged and held hands.

At the end, they can finally be together.

.....

Leo headed to Clara's house earlier the next day, because he had decided to respect her wanting privacy the previous day, and didn't think much about her phone being switched off.

On getting there, he found the door locked. After knocking for a while without any response, he checked the place where she usually kept an extra key, and found one there.

Getting inside, he found out that she was not in and he felt his heart skipped a bit. 

His thoughts began to run wild. A lot of "could it be this or that" started surfacing on his mind.

He wasn't really worried about safety before, since Clara isn't human, but she isn't the type to do this.

The woman he knew will harshly talk back to you Instead of running. And what happened was between a child that she has taken as her daughter.

She probably wouldn't take it that far.

He called her number again and found it switched off once again. Fear gripped his heart as he came to a realisation.

"She's missing." He muttered to himself, because if the argument was between him and her, he would assume that she's hiding to punish him, but no.

The Clara he knew wouldn't just disappear, and even if she wanted to, not while her friend is at the hospital.

Not when she just reunited with her friend and she needed her the most.

Especially the whole Time being the father stuff.

"Yes! Hospital, hospital, hospital" He kept repeating the word as his mind thought of the possibility of Clara being with Sonya.

He quickly dialled Tim's number, beads of perspiration surfacing on his forehead. "Hello!" He said immediately the call got connected. 

"Hi!" Tim replied

"Is Clara over there?" Leo asked, and wished the answer would be 'yes'

His body shook when Tim replied to him. "She hasn't been here since yesterday, what's up? Is she taking the argument as a big deal?" He asked.

Leo's heart skipped. His voice changed immediately, while his face turned cold. "She's missing." Leo said to him.

"What!" Tim exclaimed, standing up immediately, while Sonya and Ella who had later become friends, looked up at him with a confused expression.

Ella refused to leave the hospital and slept there.

"Don't let her friend know about this. Remember the doctor said to avoid stirring her up too much. And also, don't let her get discharged yet, I will find her on my own, rest assured." Leo said, ending the call and dashing out of Clara's house.

Tim stood frozen with the phone still placed to his ear.

"What's going on?" Sonya asked.

"Nothing." Tim said, faking a smile and sitting down. He clenched his fist tightly.