CHAPTER 118: AFTER ALL... THEY ARE YOUR FAMILY!

Author’s POV

"Why are you here with me, too?" Alistair hissed, shooting a side glance at Asher, who sat right beside him on the plane.

"Do you want to get beaten that badly, you’re picking a fight now?" Asher muttered, rolling his eyes as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Alistair narrowed his eyes. "The plane’s about to take off."

"I’m going back home," Asher replied flatly, having no emotion in his voice. "Did you even think about Sera when you decided to leave?"

"But... I thought you were already there?" Alistair’s brows furrowed. "Don’t tell me—"

"Yes," Asher cut him off sharply and coldly. "What you’re thinking is right."

Alistair’s lips parted, but no words came out. His fists clenched on his lap as he looked hardened.

"I was supposed to be there..." Asher muttered. "Now that I’m seeing you here, I bet something must have gone wrong with her."

"She... she said she was fine." Alistair undid his seatbelt, grabbed his bag, and followed Asher out of the plane without looking back. The staff rushed to stop them.

"Sir, it’s dangerous for you to leave now, please stay..." the airhostess tried in a voice full of worry.

"It’s a family urgency." Asher pulled out his ID card and held it up in front of her face. "We must leave."

She hesitated for a while, not knowing how to act. But no one dared to stop them after that.

They pushed through the narrow aisle and finally stepped out into the terminal with hastened pace as anger simmered beneath their skin.

"What do you think might’ve happened to her?" Alistair finally spoke with clenched teeth.

They had already wasted four hours driving all the way to the airport and now... They had to do the same while going back.

"She wouldn’t have said a word against them even if they tried to harm her," Asher muttered with his jaw clenched. "She had always been like this..."

Silence stretched between them for a moment.

"It’s all her fault," Alistair said after a pause as his voice was shaking slightly. "Mom lied to us about Adrian, saying that he got into an accident. And we believed it foolishly."

"It wasn’t only her," Asher’s tone darkened. "His assistant acted with her and called, too, lying to us that he was in a critical condition."

Alistair inhaled deeply, tyring to control his fury. "How could they act against us!"

"They already did and if I had not seen you here... I’d have gone already" Asher scoffed. "He must either be paid off or manipulated... either way, they played us and we walked into their trap foolishly."

Alistair rubbed his face in frustration. The guilt was already eating him alive. "I swear! If they had done anything to her... I’m not going to spare them!"

"I should’ve known," Asher said coldly. "I should have went to ask you to take care of her!"

"But how did you end up on the same flight as me?" Alistair asked, confused. "I bet she wouldn’t be this sloppy enough to let us end up together like this? That’s just asking to get exposed."

"I had something to do and was late..." Asher muttered, jaw tight as he clenched his fists. "And I ended up missing the original flight she booked for me."

He let out a dry scoff as his gaze hardened.

"First time in my life I’ve ever been late for anything... and I’m not even angry for that! Even grateful."

Alistair didn’t respond. He just stared ahead, breathing heavy, praying that they had not touched Sera in any way.

"I kept thinking something felt off," Asher continued. "She was too calm when I asked about Sera this morning. She said Sera was still resting and she didn’t wish to disturb her."

Alistair’s brows furrowed. "Really?" He couldn’t believe it. "Mrs. Lancaster said we shouldn’t disturb her rest?"

"I must be dumb enough to believe that..." Asher muttered as they headed toward the underground parking. "But I had more faith in you than her... So I didn’t question anything."

His voice was dangerously calm.

Alistair stayed quiet.

"I should’ve known better," Asher added under his breath.

They reached the black SUV, and Asher clicked it open without another word.

"Let’s take my car," he said as he tossed his bag in the back seat. "I can drive us there at least an hour earlier."

Alistair didn’t argue. He just nodded and got in.

Neither of them spoke as the engine roared to life and the doors locked shut.

They had no idea what they’d find when they got back, but whatever it was, they just hope for Sera to be fine.

*******

Seraphina opened the broken cupboard and started rummaging things inside. As long as she remembered she had always kept an emergency kit here for her wounds.

And Asher had not bothered to take it away to her room, so she believed that it must be somewhere there.

She was still struggling to find that out, the room slowly pushed open and the maid from earlier entered.

"M... Miss," She was shocked to see Serpahin in such a sorry state that tears started to stream out of her eyes.

Seraphina didn’t look at her. Her hands kept digging through the broken cupboard, her breaths uneven and her body hurt with every small movement.

The maid rushed closer to her. "M-Miss... You’re bleeding," she said in a trembling voice.

"Shut the door," Seraphina muttered. Her fingers finally brushed against something inside the cupboard as she pulled it out. The small emergency box which was scratched and dusty.

"Miss, please let me help you—"

"I said shut the door!" She said coldy. Seraphina didn’t want the maid to get caught and bring trouble on herself.

Tears kept falling from the maid’s eyes as she knelt beside Seraphina. "I didn’t know she’d hurt you like this... I thought they were just angry... after all they are your family," she choked.