Monique signaled to her men, who were hiding behind her, and pressed her hand on Nelsonâs shoulder.
Her men came out and fought with the intruders, successfully driving them out in the end.
At the sight of that, Nelson became even more convinced of his own judgement.
Monique would certainly not believe anyone that easily. All of that had just been to gauge whether he would truly stand by her side.
As he was thinking about that, Monique had already hugged him from behind.
âThank you, Nelson.â
A hint of disgust flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed it.
He stepped back a little inconspicuously, saying, âAre you okay? Donât get me wrong. Itâs not that I was eager to save you. Iâm just doing so because we are partners now, and partners should help each other.â
If he appeared to be too affectionate at that moment, he would look pretentious.
He might as well play hard to get. Perhaps that way, Monique would think that he was being sincere.
As he expected, Monique did not get angry, and she even seemed thrilled.
âI will hold you to that as we will be a family in the future. As for the way to leave this place, I have come up with a good idea.â
He asked, âWhat is it?â
Nelson suppressed his happiness.
They were in a basement, and Nelson had no idea about its location. In addition, he didnât know where the exit was, therefore it would be hard for him to pull off an escape.
It would be favourable to him if Monique wanted to go out.
When they were outside, it would be easier for him to find a solution.
âIâve sent out several people to keep an eye on whatâs happening outside. Just now, they sent a message back, saying that they have bought tickets to Country M. Weâll be leaving in three days. Coincidentally, that day will also be the day when the annual marathon of Rosaville City is held.â
âAt that time, everyoneâs attention will be on that event, and that would be the best chance for us to leave. There wonât be any problems by then!â
Nelson nodded and said, âOkay!â
â¦
Meanwhile, the Granger family received the news as well.
After learning that Nelson had been kidnapped, Amos sent an enormous amount of people to find him.
Unfortunately, it had been a futile attempt.
Naomi and Eudora sat in the living room, waiting for news. It had been a few hours since the incident had happened.
Eudora glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already midnight.
She said, âGo and have a rest! Iâll let you know if thereâs any news.â
Naomi hadnât slept well for several days to prepare for the engagement ceremony. She had gotten up extremely early in the morning, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
Naomi shook her head as she replied, âThereâs no need for that, Mom. You should be the one resting. Iâm fine.â
Eudora sighed. It turned out that both of them were not in the mood to rest at the moment.
âThen, Iâll sit with you for a while. Donât worry about me!â
Naomi put on a straight face as she said, âIâm not fretting about him. Iâm just worried that the people he has hurt before wonât be present to see his fall!â
Eudora let out a sigh again. Naomi could deceive the others, but she could never deceive her own mother. She was such a kind girl, and Eudora knew that she wouldnât treat someone whom she had truly loved so mercilessly.
It was obvious she was still in love with Nelson. She was just in denial.
Seeing her reaction, Eudora no longer persuaded her. Instead, she decided to change the subject.
âYour father should be back soon. Heâs been busy all day. Iâm going to make some desserts for him. Why donât you join me?â
She thought that it might be a good way to draw Naomiâs attention away from Nelsonâs issue.
Naomi nodded and followed her.
Eudora had never taught Naomi how to cook before. Since Naomi was a child, she had gone through a lot of hardships along with Eudora. After she grew up, she had no interest in those typical girly hobbies.
Eudora had grown used to that, and she didnât want to inculcate those habits in Naomi in a forceful manner. Hence, she just let her do whatever she wanted.
It was the very first time that she asked Naomi to practice baking with her.
âDonât you like to eat cakes? Well then, Iâll teach you how to bake a cake today!â
Naomi nodded and followed Eudora to prepare all the ingredients.
Eudora took out a recipe booklet, which displayed a picture of a completed sample, and showed it to Naomi.
âDoesnât it look nice?â
Naomi nodded in agreement and said, âYes, it does! There is so much chocolate and cream on it. It must be very sweet and delicious.â
Eudora smiled faintly as she thought to herself, âYouâll know whether itâs good or not when itâs completed.â
Baking was one of the most difficult areas of cooking. Naomi was a rookie at baking. Although she was being guided by Eudora and following the recipe, she was still making a terrible mess.
It didnât take long for her to turn the kitchen into a battlefield.
At the very least, she managed to produce the batter and put it into the oven.
After that, she took it out according to the oven timer. Then, she began to trim it, spreading a layer of whipped cream and arranging chocolate slices to decorate it.
When the final product came out, it looked nowhere near what she had imagined.
Naomi took a bite out of curiosity. The cake was so tough that one of her teeth almost broke.
She looked at the cake in frustration. âAlas, Iâve failed!â said Naomi.
Eudora stretched out her hand to wipe away the cream on Naomiâs face.
âWill you give it another try?â
Naomi nodded and said, âYes, I wonât stop trying until I master it!â
Eudora beamed at her and said, âThatâs right! Actually, the process of baking a cake is just like building and maintaining a relationship, isnât it? All the sweet outcomes are obtained through constant effort. Sometimes, what awaits us at the end of the process might be failure. Nevertheless, it doesnât matter if we have failed. Our lives will still continue as usual, wonât it?â
Suddenly understanding, Naomi said, âMomâ¦â
They had gotten busy all night. In fact, Eudora had just wanted to teach her a life lesson. She wanted Naomi to stay strong and never give up despite all the misfortunes that had happened.
âI get it now!â
As they were talking, they heard footsteps coming from outside.
Amos walked in with dew on his face, not looking too happy.
Eudora asked softly, âHe hasnât been found yet?â
Amos nodded. He cast a glance in the direction of the stairs and asked, âWhereâs Naomi?â
He was not an affable father. However, it was undeniable that he loved his children.
What Nelson had done to Naomi really infuriated him.
In addition to being angry, he was also worried that Naomi would take the matter to heart and would not be able to move on.
Eudora pointed in the direction of the kitchen and said, âShe isnât as vulnerable as you think.â
Before her voice died away, Naomi had already come out with the cake that Eudora made.
âDadâ¦â
Gratified that Eudora had consoled Naomi well, Amos gave her a thumbs-up sign.
âDid you and your mother make that? It looks delicious. Let me try it.â
He rarely ate sweet food, but he was delighted that day, thus he ate a few pieces of it in a row.
Naomi waited for him to finish eating before saying, âDad, I want to look for him myself.â
Amos paused and replied, âYou donât need to do it personally. Charlie and Clint have been handling it, and Sugar Bun has gone with them too. You can be rest assured that theyâll take care of the matter properly.â
Naomi insisted, âNo, Iâm going to do it myself! This is my own affairs. I canât just bother my own younger brother and uncles with it while Iâm sitting here idly.â
Amos looked up at her and asked, âAre you sure?â
Naomi answered firmly, âYes, Iâm sure! Iâm your daughter, Naomi Granger, not some loser who hides behind other people!â