Presently, Charles'' lost memories flooded back, and silent tears streamed down his aged face. His fingers trembled as a voice echoed in his ears, and slowly, he
opened his eyes.
As his vision cleared, he took in the faces of those around him. His emotions surged uncontrobly, and he wept.
"Marcus, I remember everything now." His voice trembled. "I remember everything."
Tears fell freely down his face. "It was Cassie. It was all her doing.
"That wretched bitch! Everything was her doing! All these years, Laura suffered because of my failure as a father. I raised that twisted monster."
Wiping at his tears, he choked out, "I have wronged Laura, I have wronged you... I have wronged our entire family."
"Charles, have some tea first." Hector handed him a cup of the calming tea he had prepared in advance. "Don''t let yourself get too worked up."
Charles turned to look at Marcus, who stood in silence. "Marcus, do you me me?"
There was so much Marcus wanted to say, yet so much he couldn''t.
Charles sobbed uncontrobly, wracked with guilt and regret.
Some mistakes could be undone, but some wounds, once inflicted, could never truly heal.
Laura and Marcus had been the most innocent victims in all of this.
"I forgot everything from back then. I even forgot Adam. In my memories, Elijah and Noah were orphans whom Sheldon and I brought back to be raised alongside Marcus to be trained as his most loyal men.
"But in truth, it was Adam who saved the Holden family at the most critical moment. And yet, I don''t even remember what happened to him. I don''t remember where he went."
His voice broke as he spoke, and Marcus stepped forward, handing him a tissue. "Grandpa, this isn''t your fault. Don''t me yourself." His own voice was hoarse, the weight of everything pressing down on him.
"Marcus, this was my failure. I failed to discipline Cassie. I allowed her to grow into a monster capable of such unforgivable acts. I will have her captured immediately. I will make this right for you and Laura."
He reached for his phone, but before he could dial, Marcus ced a hand over his.
"Cassie has already left Dithoria."
The moment Marcus had suspected her, he had sent Ethan to track her down. But
by the time Ethan arrived, Cassie had already left the city days ago. Her whereabouts were unknown.
"Let''s wait for now. Lucy is already on her way back."
Marcus helped Charles onto the couch. "Drink some more tea. Hector prepared this in advance. Drink it. Calm yourself.
"Even though your heart is fine now, Nat said you still can''t afford to get too emotional."
Having regained hisposure, Marcusforted Charles with a steady voice. Slowly, Charles'' breathing evened out, and he eventually settled down.
"Marcus, we need to find Elijah and Noah''s father. If not for him, the Holden family might not have survived."
He gripped Marcus'' hand. "Elijah and Noah''s father-his name was Adam Harris. He arrived just in time and stopped Cassie.
"I don''t know if he struck some kind of deal with her, or if he used some means to threaten her, but he saved us. We must find him and repay his kindness."
Adam had taken it upon himself to handle everything, choosing a path that was best for everyone. Not only that, but he had left both of his sons behind to serve Marcus.
Over the years, Elijah and Noah had remained fiercely loyal to him-so much so that even Charles, as the head of the family, could notmand them. They only listened to Marcus.
Thinking back, it was likely that Adam instilled that loyalty in them from the very beginning, ensuring they would dedicate their lives to serving the Holden heir, Marcus.
"Yes, Grandpa. I will find Adam." Marcus agreed without hesitation. "For now, I''ll have Noah switch ces with Sheldon."
"Very Sheldon here. My memory alone may not be entirebet
urate. We need him to rega
his
memories too and verify everything."
"Understood."
Marcus took out his phone and sent a message to Noah. Shortly after, Sheldon arrived.
"Hector, I''ll need to trouble you again."
Hector nodded. "No worries. We''re family. Sheldon, let''s get ready and begin the process."
"Alright." Sheldon didn''t hesitate. His loyalty to the Holden family and Marcus was absolute.
In truth, he was relieved. He had always feared that one day his loyalty would be questioned. Now that there was a way to restore his memories and prove himself, he weed it.
"Hector, I''ll go check on Laura. I''ll leave this to you."
Marcus now understood the truth behin Charles'' memories. As for Sheldon, he
no longer needed to stay and dig into everyst detail.
Hector stood firmly on their side. Marcus knew that much, and that was enough for him.
Stepping outside, Marcus realized that night had already fallen. The hypnosis had taken hours.
Just then, his phone rang.
ncing at the screen, he saw it was Ethan.
He swiped to answer it. "Ethan."
"Mr. Holden, Lucy has been brought back. She just arrived at Dithoria Airport.
Should I take her straight to Amberton?"
Ethan''s voice was calm and professional. "She tried to run during transport. As
per your orders, I sedated her for the journey."
"I''ll send you the location. Bring her directly to me."
"Yes, Mr. Holden."
Marcus ended the call. Lucy had
been found, along with her assistant, Julie, as well as the postpartum centre staff member and the
Critionist involved.
Flipping through his contacts, Marcus found Jessy''s number on his blocked list.
As he raised his hand slightly, one of his bodyguards immediately stepped out of
the shadows.
"Mr. Holden."
"Give me your phone."
"Yes, Mr. Holden."
The bodyguard handed it over without question. Marcus took the phone and
dialed Jessy''s number.
It rang only once before it was answered.
"Hello, who''s this?"
"Jessy Maine, has Cassie contacted you?"
The voice on the other end made Jessy freeze. "Mr. Holden?" She recognized
Marcus'' voice instantly, and shock rippled through her.
"Mr. Holden, is it really you?" Her voice trembled with excitement. "Are you calling
me because you''ve finally forgiven me?"