Third person's POV
Gloria specially came to see Leopold off before his departure.
In front of the helicopter, she put her arms around his waist, looking reluctant to part.
"When will you come to see me?" she asked.
"Missing me already? Last night didn't satisfy you?" Alpha Leopold teased with a smile.
Gloria wondered how such a refined face could utter such words.
After being with Leopold for so long, she knew he was different from Derek, who was rule-abiding and secretly passionate.
When Leopold was in the mood, he could even place his hand on her thigh under the table while discussing business.
"Will you miss me?" Gloria asked suddenly.
Leopold thought she was just being affectionate and stroked her nose. "I'll miss you the most at night," he said.
His answer was never what she wanted to hear.
Gloria smiled and said, "Then I won't miss you. It's too tiring."
Leopold was about to say something else when his Beta prompted again.
He had to reach another country that night and couldn't afford to be late.
Leopold embraced Gloria's waist and kissed her deeply. "Five days, I'll come see you in five days at most. I'll bring you gifts. If you miss me, you must miss me all the time, and you're not allowed to take off the ring," he said.
"Have a safe trip, boss," Gloria stepped back from his embrace to a safe distance.
For some reason, the word "boss" made Leopold feel uneasy, as if Gloria was deliberately distancing herself.
But with time pressing, he didn't dwell on it and boarded the helicopter.
As the helicopter took off, Leopold saw Gloria gazing in the direction of his departure.
That small figure was someone he thought of every day.
Once Gloria's figure vanished from sight, she wiped away her smile, her face turning cold. "Finally, he's gone," she muttered to herself.
Tabitha was leaning against a coconut tree nearby with her arms crossed. "Not bad acting. I almost fell for it," she said coolly.
"It's not acting. I really love him," Gloria replied.
"Will you miss him? He seems to treat you well." Tabitha probed, worried Gloria might regret.
"No matter how good, it's still based on a lover relationship. If he meets his true mate, he'll surely kick me out. He's not like Derek. He's naturally more heartless. I need to get out while I'm not too deep in to avoid more heartache," Gloria said, gripping Tabitha's hand urgently.
"Let's go tonight. I'm on edge, afraid he'll come back. Take advantage of him being abroad."
Tabitha gently stroked Gloria's face. "Are you sure? Once we leave, you'll have to completely cut ties with your past."
"His visit confirmed his attitude toward me. In his heart, I'm just a dispensable plaything. I'm taking back the self-respect I lost back then."
"I've been waiting for you to say this," Tabitha said.
Derek hadn't restricted Tabitha's use of her phone.
She had been in contact with Lucian in secret.
As Derek said, he wouldn't harm her.
Lucian, with whom she had no relation, had no reason to help her.
Regardless of Lucian's motives, if it weren't for him, her children would have been gone.
For that, Tabitha was willing to trust him.
After discussions, they decided to leave that night.
There were 352 cameras on the island. Tabitha had collected relevant data and knew how to avoid them.
She easily took the children to the coastline at the foot of the hill on the other side of the mountain.
The sea breeze gave Gloria goosebumps.
This was where Tabitha disposed of bodies.
During this period, she had buried no fewer than thirty corpses here, maybe even fifty.
Even the sea breeze felt eerie to her.
This was why other servants usually didn't dare come to the back mountain, making it the best place for escape.
Gloria lowered her voice. "I suspect you chose this place on purpose. You've become much more scheming, Tabitha."
"I've failed too many times. I don't want to fail this time."
"Mommy, where are we going?"
"Aren't you curious about Lucian? I'll take you to find him."
Lucian was already waiting there. The children were delighted to see him and ran to him.
"Lucian! I miss you so bad," Helios said as he buried himself in Lucian's arms.
It seemed Lucian had also missed the children.
Ayla ran over, calling his name.
Lucian squatted down and gently held her in his arms.
Gloria tapped Tabitha's arm. "When did you get a lover on the outside? So mysterious, he must be someone you can't show..."