Chapter 11 I Am Scared

• The entire demolition zone was shrouded in darkness, with the exception of a single-story house that glowed brightly from within.
• From the window, two graceful figures could be vaguely seen. They were busily engaged at that moment.
• Upon witnessing that, the ominous aura that shrouded Finneas instantly dissipated, his eyes inadvertently revealing a hint of gentleness.
• He quickened his pace to return home. When he pushed the door open, he found Alyssa and Kelly in the midst of preparing dinner and looking disheveled.
• “Ah! How did you get back so quickly? Don't look, don't look!”
• When Kelly saw Finneas return, she was startled. In a panic, she used her body to shield the pot of dark, unappealing dish.
• In contrast, Alyssa remained poised.
• She held a dish of grilled salmon garnished with parsley. The vibrant colors and enticing aroma wafting from the piping hot dish made the dish look incredibly delicious.
• “Do you need my help?” Finneas asked with a smile.
• “Help? Get out of here. You'll be helpful enough by not getting in the way here!”
• Feeling guilty, Kelly gently nudged Finneas toward the door.
• “Can you please take the salmon out for me? We're left with one dish, then we can start eating.”
• Alyssa passed the grilled salmon she was holding to Finneas.
• Finneas took the grilled salmon. Then, he deliberately glanced at the dish behind Kelly and asked, “Do you want me to take out your squid ink risotto too?”
• “That's oven-baked ribs, not squid ink risotto! I still need to heat it again, you go ahead and serve the salmon first,” Kelly replied in exasperation.
• Finneas raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say a word. He picked up the salmon and left the kitchen.
• Soon, dinner was fully prepared.
• The meal consisted of three dishes and a soup, which were grilled salmon, black oven-baked ribs, boiled broccoli, and mushroom soup.
• Those were simple home-cooked dishes, yet it had been a decade since Finneas had last tasted it.
• Finneas picked up a piece of black rib and said teasingly, “Kelly, did you add your secret sauce to the black ribs?”
• “Pfft!”
• Unable to contain herself, Alyssa burst out laughing. However, she soon felt that her behavior was inappropriate and cast an apologetic glance at Kelly.
• Kelly's face turned a shade of red before replying with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, “Why do you have so much to complain about while eating? Don't judge my oven-baked ribs by their appearance. They're actually quite delicious!”
• “Is that so?”
• Finneas placed the rib in his mouth and chewed carefully. Then, he nodded in agreement.
• “It's indeed quite delicious!”
• “Really?” Kelly asked out loud instinctively.
• “Yes! This tastes good.”
• Finneas gave a positive response.
• Upon hearing this, a look of bewilderment crossed Kelly's face.
• She thought Finneas was saying that on purpose to trick her into eating one as well as a joke.
• Even though she said the ribs were good, deep down she knew they were likely horrible!
• “It really is delicious, I'm not kidding you.”
• Finneas proceeded to grab a few more pieces of ribs and eat them.
• Upon witnessing that, Kelly and Alyssa exchanged glances. Then, they simultaneously picked up a piece of rib.
• However, after taking just one bite, they couldn't help but spit it out.
• “Pah, you're lying! This tastes awful!”
• Kelly's face was filled with rage as she was convinced that Finneas had deceived her.
• Alyssa couldn't help rolling her eyes, her face filled with a look of silent resentment.
• “Really? I think it is quite tasty, much better than what I've had before.”
• Finneas chuckled.
• “What have you eaten before?” Kelly asked curiously.
• After giving it some thought, Finneas responded, “As long as it's edible, I'll eat anything.”
• Upon hearing those words, Alyssa felt her heart squeeze. Her eyes gradually welled up with tears.
• However, she didn't say anything. Instead, she lowered her head and started eating the food in her bowl.
• Kelly seemed to sense something off about the atmosphere, hence she chose to remain silent.
• Around eight at night, Kelly bid farewell with a smile and drove away in her pink car.
• The old house was once again left with just the two siblings.
• Finneas took the initiative to pick up the dishes and wash them in the kitchen, only to find that Alyssa was staring at him the whole time.
• Thinking of the scene from last night, he sighed inwardly.
• However, a faint smile still appeared on his face as he reassured, “Don't worry, I'll wash the dishes and then leave. I won't stay the night without your permission.”
• “This is also your home, there's no need for you to leave,” Alyssa replied.
• Shaking her head, she then added, “Finneas, I think we need to talk.”
• “What would you like to know?”
• “Ten years ago, you said you were going to see your girlfriend, and then you never came back! What on earth have you been doing these past ten years? Have you been with Natalie all this time?” Alyssa asked.
• After some thought, Finneas said, “I went to cultivate immortality. I was forced to do so.”
• Upon hearing those words, a wave of disappointment washed over Alyssa's face.
• “Finneas, are you still trying to keep secrets from me and deceive me? And here I am, thinking that you did not have a choice!”
• Finneas casually extended his right hand. In an instant, a warm flame burst forth from the center of his palm.
• “This is called the spiritual flame, generated by the combustion of spiritual energy. The core temperature can reach up to several thousand degrees. One can say that it has the potential to effortlessly incinerate ninety-nine percent of the things on Earth. Lyssie, I understand that the concept of immortal cultivation is hard for you to grasp, but it truly exists! I'll teach you more about it in the future! Ten years ago, I was taken away by a powerful immortal cultivator, who forced me to cultivate immortality. After a decade, he passed away, and only then I was able to return. “To be honest, I owe you and our parents an apology! So, no matter how much you resent me, I won't get angry, because I know you feel wronged.”
• “Finn... Please, don't say anymore!”
• Suddenly, Alyssa covered her mouth. Tears were brimming in her eyes.
• Even though the concept of cultivating immortality was truly astonishing, she ultimately chose to believe in it.
• Perhaps, the truth of Finneas' immortal cultivation wasn't really that important to her!
• All she needed was a reason that would allow her to forgive her brother, nothing more.
• The reason she had acted so irrationally before was due to the hardship she had endured over the years. She felt deeply wronged, so when she saw Finneas return, she couldn't help but vent her frustrations.
• Now that the anger in her heart had subsided, she realized Finneas was still the same brother she had.
• “What... What did you just call me?”
• Finneas' voice trembled slightly.
• “Finn... I called you Finn! I misunderstood you. I was reckless and unreasonable! Finn!”
• Unable to contain herself any longer, Alyssa threw herself into Finneas' arms, her tears pouring down like rain as she began to sob uncontrollably.
• At that moment, all her grievances, indignations, heartaches, and sorrows surfaced, transforming into tears that soaked Finneas' chest.
• Finneas gently patted Alyssa's back. A faint redness was also visible in his eyes.
• Finally, Alyssa's sobs gradually subsided at midnight.
• After having a good cry, she nestled in Finneas' arms and slept soundly.
• Ever since her parents passed away eight years ago, it was the first time she had slept so soundly.
• “Sleep now, sleep! From this day onward, no one will dare to bully you again. I will not let anyone who dares to harm you off!”
• Gently, Finneas laid Alyssa on the bed, his eyes filled with tender affection.
• As the night grew deeper, Finneas found himself alone outside the door. Gazing at the stars in the sky, he felt lost.
• After Alyssa mentioned it just now, the woman he had once pined for surfaced once again in his mind.
• That radiant smile...
• That endearing girl who used to bounce around cheerfully in front of him...
• He thought he could let go of her, but at that moment, he realized he simply couldn't.
• With these thoughts in mind, he couldn't help but take out his newly purchased phone and log into his Facebook account, which he hadn't accessed in a decade.
• The moment he logged in, he received notifications of various messages.
• Some of them were classmates from the past, good friends from those years, and there was also Natalie...
• Finneas scrolled down.
• Most of the messages were sent over a decade ago!
• Classmates and friends were all asking him where he had gone, and why he had disappeared as soon as he graduated from university.
• Some were asking if he had become rich and decided to ignore his old friends.
• There were also a few who sought him out to borrow money.
• When he didn't reply to the message, he was blocked!
• Natalie had sent quite a few messages as well: Where are you? Where are you? Are you still going to come and marry me?
• Finneas, if you don't come over soon, my father is going to marry me off to someone else.
• Finneas, please don't ignore my messages. I'm scared.
• The most recent message was from three years ago: Finneas, I truly regret ever meeting you!
• Upon seeing those messages, Finneas felt heartbroken.
• He had attempted to type a response several times, but he didn't send anything at all in the end.
• After all these years, what was the point of replying to the messages now?
• It would only end up disturbing the peaceful life that Natalie had finally managed to achieve!
• Taking a moment to calm his emotions, Finneas secretly accessed Natalie's Facebook profile.
• Finneas came across some photographs of Natalie in her profile. There were some solo shots of her, but most of them were pictures where she was accompanied by a little girl around five or six years old.
• This little girl must be Natalie's daughter, right?
• In the photo, Natalie's face appeared significantly aged, suggesting that life had not been kind to her. She was no longer the bubbly, sweet and innocent girl she once was.
• “Natalie...”
• Finneas gripped his phone, feeling so distraught that it seemed impossible to breathe.
• He was truly, deeply in love with her, but what did that matter?
• A decade!
• A whole decade had passed!
• How many decades did one have?
• “I was fortunate enough to encounter you in this lifetime. Even if it was tinged with sorrow, it was still love! Natalie, I truly hope you find happiness in the future!”
• Under the moonlight, Finneas's figure appeared rather desolate and forlorn.
• Though their relationship was impossible now, he decided that once he had arranged Alyssa's admission, he would go to Yiefmery to find Natalie.
• Providing Natalie with a fortune that she could never exhaust in her lifetime was the only thing he could do!
• Meanwhile, a middle-aged man appeared in front of the ruined mansion.
• The man had a long face and a hawk-like nose. His sinister features gave off the feeling that he wasn't someone to be messed with.
• “What a bold move. Was this done using explosives? Who dares to mess with the Trident Gang?”
• The middle-aged man observed the scene before him, his expression icy cold.
• Then, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The call connected almost immediately.
• “Mr. Saganey, Howard is dead! The mansion where he resided was destroyed by a bomb. There were probably no survivors.”
• As soon as these words were spoken, there was a prolonged silence on the other end of the line.
• “Dave, I recall that Howard had a hidden surveillance camera installed in the banyan tree to the right of his mansion. Go and see if there are any clues!”
• Upon hearing that, Dave immediately scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, he spotted a banyan tree and found a pinhole camera.
• He opened the video recording and watched.
• The scene revealed a young man with long hair and a melancholic expression.
• When the young man nonchalantly waved his hand, the entire mansion crumbled to the ground. Then, he walked out of the surveillance area.
• “Indeed, it was bombed!”
• Dave's eyes narrowed slightly.
• Naturally, he couldn't possibly believe that the young man could bring down a mansion with a mere wave of his hand!
• He simply assumed that the young man was holding a detonation button, and his waving motion was just him pressing the button.
• “Well?”
• “It was the work of a long-haired young man! He planted bombs around Howard's mansion and then blew the whole place up!”
• “Very well. Find out his identity for me immediately! I'd like to see who dares to mess with my people!”
• “Yes, Mr. Saganey!”