"Auntie, don't worry too much, Charlie... he will be fine..." Mimi took her hand, held it tightly, ready to hold her back from reacting too strongly: "I will get people to search the bottom of the cliff immediately. You go back first, don't stand here, it's dangerous!"
After a minute of being overwhelmed by shock and fear, Matthew also regained his composure.
He held Flora tightly, gently pulling her away from the dangerous area, constantly comforting her: "It will be okay... Trust me, I will bring our son home safe and sound... I promise..."
"How can you promise?" Flora burst into tears, shaking her head incessantly: "How can you assure the safety of our child, when he fell down the cliff? Because of you, Selena has repeatedly harmed me and our child... Tell me, isn't seeing you again the greatest misfortune of my life? Wasn't us being together... a mistake in the first place?"
A small sound echoed, the voice stopped, and Flora collapsed in Matthew's arms.
Little Mimi had taken advantage of her distraction to knock her out with a blow to the back of her head.
"Uncle, I will take Auntie home first!"
Matthew nodded, then said: "Winky risked his life to save Selena, he won't let her die easily. He must have had something planned at the bottom of the cliff."
"Auntie, you must trust Uncle. He will bring Charlie back safely." Mimi had a blind and fierce faith in Matthew.
She always believed that he was a man of his word, never breaking a promise.
Flora was lying on the bed, her eyes closed tightly, still unconscious, obviously not able to respond to the little girl.
Mimi sighed deeply, adjusted the thin blanket over Flora, then aimlessly looked out the window overlooking the corridor, lost in thought.
At that moment, a figure appeared in her sight.
She involuntarily widened her eyes, darting out of the room, exclaiming: "Uncle! Why are you here?"
The man outside was taken aback by her sudden outburst, remaining dumbstruck for two seconds before finally exhaling: "Mimi? Goodness, I'm glad to find you here..." He quickly explained his presence: "I heard Paul was here, so I came to visit. I didn't know where to find her. Has she gotten better?"
The newcomer was Patrick.
He had received news that Paul was being treated here, so he decided to pay a visit.
After all, she was Flora's daughter, and he loved her very much, even willing to consider her his own daughter.
Mimi let out a long sigh, shaking her head: "After Auntie came here, Paul's mental state stabilized a lot, so her health has also improved. But that damn Winky..."
"What did he do?" Patrick had heard the name Winky a few times but had never met him directly.
Hearing Mimi mention him with such bitterness, he was a little surprised.
"He stole the stem cells intended for Paul's surgery."
"So he came here to steal the stem cells..." Patrick frowned, his eyes darkening: "My people eavesdropped on him and a few suspicious characters talking at the airport, then found that he had flown here. So I decided to come... I didn't expect to be a step late."
The look in Mimi's eyes when she mentioned Winky, whether it was regret or hatred, was hard to decipher: "He's head over heels for Selena, he's a hopeless romantic. It's just a shame..." it's just a shame he's so blindly in love.
Patrick's eyes slightly narrowed, his head inclined in thought.
He was deliberating on how best to assist Flora, a means of... redeeming his own transgressions.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind: "Mimi, I know where Winky resides, could this information assist us in any way?" Faced with Mimi's incredulous gaze, he declared: "I had him under surveillance, discovered that he lives in a small apartment, not far from here.
Given the precise location, I could take you there immediately."
Mimi promptly nodded, as if pecking grain.
She couldn't have anticipated that the man who was always prying into her aunt's life could bring such good news.
After arranging for a few more individuals to accompany Patrick, their destination was the small apartment where Winky resided.
"Boss, it's a safety air cushion." A man looked up towards the tangle of ropes and a deflated air cushion lying on the ground and called out to Matthew.
Standing a few tens of meters away, Matthew rushed over, and upon witnessing the scene before him, exhaled: "It seems Winky used this to descend." His gaze fell upon an unusual mark on the rock face: "This mark resembles a zip line..."
"They must have left from here." Another man chimed in: "Winky is clever, he surely knows that if anything happens to Charlie, neither he nor Selena will have a good end.
He wouldn't put the boy in danger.
Boss, don't worry too much."
Matthew shook his head: "Winky might still be lucid enough to think, but not Selena.
She's gone mad." He spoke in a solemn tone: "Immediately send people to follow the tracks, chase after them." Two adults dragging along a non-cooperative child, falling from a cliff, even with a safety cushion and a zip line, they couldn't have made a flawless escape.
They couldn't have gone too far.
If we look in the right direction, there's a good chance we'll catch up.
The light from the ceiling lamp poured straight onto the sleeping face of Flora.
Her eyelashes twitched slightly, then opened.
Sitting up in bed, for a moment she couldn't remember why she was there.
After a minute or two, the events came back to her.
"Charlie!" She exclaimed with wide eyes, hastily preparing to leave the bed and search for her son.
Just then, Mimi entered from the outside, firmly holding her on the bed: "Don't panic, Aunt. He has sent people to follow the tracks, to find Charlie.
No bodies were found, on the contrary, he personally saw signs that all three of them are alive..."
"You're not lying, are you?" Flora was hesitant to believe, fearing they might be hiding something from her.
"Of course not, Aunt." Mimi nodded, affirming: "I would never deceive you.
He wouldn't either."
Reassured by the girl's confirmation, Flora reluctantly calmed down.
She pursed her lips: "Back on the mountain, I told him... He must be really upset..." Words spoken in a moment of emotional instability can be hurtful to others.
Only now, looking back, did she regret her actions.
"He won't blame you." Mimi assured, any mother witnessing her son fall off a cliff wouldn't be able to keep calm: "Everyone knows how much you love Charlie and Paul.
You spoke out of worry, he won't be angry... Don't worry, when he returns, Charlie will definitely be with him."
Flora nodded, just about to say something, when Mimi's phone rang.
Looking at the phone, the girl hesitated whether to answer it right away or not, but finally decided to answer it in front of Flora, even turning on the speaker so she could hear the other party's conversation.
"Hello, Hubert, how's everything? Have you found that scoundrel yet?" As soon as she picked up the call, she jumped straight to the main point.
"Not yet." Hubert's voice, roughened through the poor reception, responded: "But someone came to collect some items, perhaps an accomplice of Winky's.
I'm investigating, news should arrive soon."
Mimi nodded: "Keep me posted as soon as you get any news." After saying this, she glanced at Flora, as if asking if she had something to say.
Flora pondered a bit, then said: "If you find out where Winky is, inform Matthew, so both sides can coordinate..."
"No need." Hubert grimaced slightly: "The young lady has a good eye for people, Matthew is indeed capable.
By the time I got here, his people were just leaving.
Who knows, he might even have more information than me." After a brief pause, he continued: "Don't worry, young lady, your child won't be in danger."
In the midst of the brewing storm, Hubert didn't prolong the call, promptly ending it.
Looking at the ended call on the screen, Flora sighed deeply.
"Aunt, if you miss him... call him." Mimi, sharp as ever, immediately understood the meaning of the sigh.
Flora shook her head: "He's probably very busy now, it's better not to disturb him... Alright, don't hold me back anymore, let me get up and go check on Paul.".
Paul sat alone on his bed, his wide eyes staring out the window, silently observing the golden rays of sunlight seeping into the room.
The child, usually full of joy and vitality, had long forgotten the feeling of joyous frolicking after enduring a prolonged period of sickness. He had become quieter, spending his days in a daze, always looking out the window.
The sound of the opening door startled him, causing him to turn his head to look. Seeing his mother step in, his face brightened instantly: "Mom!" His voice immediately filled with worry: "What happened to your face?" From the first glance, Paul noticed a fresh wound on his mother's face, as if it had just stopped bleeding.
Flora hadn't expected her son to be so observant, or rather, she hadn't expected him to care for her that much. She unconsciously raised her hand, covering the wound on her face, forcing a smile: "It's nothing, mom was careless and got hurt."
"Don't lie to me, mom. You've grown up so much, how can you be careless enough to hurt yourself?" Paul didn't believe what his mother said.
"Because I was in a rush to change clothes to visit you, I wasn't careful... I scratched my face with a fingernail. It's okay, mom isn't in pain." Flora smiled warmly, stroking her son's head: "You must think mom is really silly, right?"
His tiny hand reached out, wanting to touch his mom's cheek: "Does it hurt, mom?" Paul pursed his lips, shaking his head: "I don't think mom is silly at all... Mom, where's dad, I haven't seen him for a few days now..."
Flora started. Her child suddenly mentioning his father caught her off guard, not giving her time to prepare a suitable answer, she stammered: "Your dad... he's busy... probably working..."
"Before you came, dad was always here with me. Now that you're here, dad is gone, I feel like something is missing..." The child's voice was very naive, as were the thoughts in his head. It was only then that Flora understood her daughter's feelings.