Chapter 6 A Strange Reunion

• "WainWarrior, can you send me some skins? I love Celestial Angela, Frostbite Empress, and Mystic Enchantress! They're so cute and beautiful—I want them so bad!" a flirty voice echoed from the room.
• Troy's thoughts raced. What the hell? Forget the skins—who's this girl? Did the old man really stash away a young mistress in his place? Did he really go down that path after getting rich?
• Overhearing the conversation, Lia instantly turned frantic. She clearly had the same suspicion as Troy. As a cop, there was no way she was letting this go.
• She shoved the door open and stormed inside, Troy right behind her.
• They both froze in their tracks. There wasn't a young girl anywhere in sight. Instead, Donald sat there, grinning at his phone.
• Troy peeked at the screen. Wait a minute. The old man's just playing Battle of Storms and chatting with a girl gamer named BadBunny.
• The girl's flirty voice came through the phone again. "WainWarrior, what's all that noise? It's so loud over there."
• Donald glanced up at Lia and Troy, shrugged, and went right back to his game, totally unconcerned.
• Troy stood there in shock. He thought, Where's the emotional reunion? The tears? The big moment when a father figure sees his lost son after ten years?
• Once Donald ended his game and sweetly said goodbye to the girl on the other end, he finally looked at them. "Lia, what brings you back today?"
• Then, he added, "By the way, who's this ugly guy you brought?"
• Troy was floored. Ugly? Me? Are you serious?
• "Old man, it's me," Troy spoke up, trying to jog his memory.
• Donald squinted at him like he was trying to place his face. Then, his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
• Troy saw a glimmer of recognition and thought, Finally! This is it—the tears, the hug, the big reunion moment!
• Surprisingly, Donald just stated, "Oh, you're the game booster I owe ten bucks to. How'd you end up following me home?"
• Troy was left completely speechless. He doesn't even recognize me and won't even pay up the ten bucks he supposedly owes. B*stard!
• Lia sighed and stepped in. "Old man, he's Troy."
• "Troy?" Donald looked puzzled for a second before his face lit up with recognition. "Oh, you mean the kid who used to eat crap!" He turned away with a disgusted expression.
• Troy's blood was boiling. "I'm Troy! The one who went missing a decade ago!"
• Donald gave him another look and shrugged. "Ah, the little creep. That explains why you seem familiar."
• Without skipping a beat, he turned back to his phone and started another game of Puppet Master.
• Troy could barely contain his frustration. "Old man, after ten years, you won't even hug me or show some emotion? You're really making this awkward for me!"
• Donald didn't respond until his character got killed in the game. Then, still glued to the screen, he muttered, "Ugh! I'll kill you!"
• After some nudging from Lia, the three finally sat down to talk. Yet there was no warm reunion, no emotional catching-up. Donald threw out a couple of questions about Troy's life before going quiet.
• Feeling awkward, Troy eventually asked, "Aren't you even a bit interested in what I've been through over the past decade?"
• Donald sipped his drink and shook his head. "Not really. Don't care."
• Troy, who had been ready to share his wild stories, was completely shut down. He began to mock, "You know, I'm starting to think you're the one who arranged for me to be sent away ten years ago. How else could you be this calm?"
• Even though Troy had no solid proof, something about Donald seemed incredibly skeptical.
• Donald raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense! You brat, do you need me to teach you some respect?"
• Troy shot back, "Old man, do you want me to teach you some manners?"
• Lia quickly stepped in, stopping the argument before it escalated. "Enough! Both of you! Can't you just sit down and have a normal conversation?"
• After a tense pause, Donald finally spoke again, "Look, whatever went down over the past ten years, I'm glad you're back. Life's about learning from what happens. Leave the past behind and focus on what's ahead. Eldoria's the place for a fresh start."
• The words seemed genuine on the surface, but something about Donald's tone made Troy uneasy. He caught an odd glint in the old man's eyes, making the whole thing feel off.
• Troy had been around enough people to sense when something wasn't right. He reflected, The old man is definitely hiding something. I didn't come back to Eldoria just to reunite with everyone—I came to find out the truth. Donald knows more than he's letting on.