(Myra’s POV)

"Where are we going, Fabian? Is it too far?" I asked him. I was clasping his hand like a lifeline; my palms were sticky, sweaty. The blindfold was making me even more nervous. I trust Fabian, of course, I trust him, but~ ... I don’t know, something doesn’t feel right to me. I can’t describe why, but that’s how I am feeling.

"It’ll take just a minute," he replied. As most of my vision was obscured because of the cover, I felt like his casual answer came with a tinge of tremor. Or maybe I was projecting my own anxiousness over here. Anyways, with each passing second, the uneasiness only grew.

I was about to take another step when I heard someone calling my name, "MYRA~ ...." someone very familiar. This voice~ .... belongs to~ .... I quickly took off the blindfold and turned around to look at the person, and an involuntary gasp escaped me.

There was no mistaking it. My eyes contracted, then expanded. In front of me, there stood Brave Everests. The sun shone on his sharp brown eyes, making them look sharp. They met my hazels, and my breath got caught in my throat. He was giving me an expression I have never seen him make. A look full of hurt, wounded~ .... as if he was in pain .... something close to that. But why would he make such a face, why?

His gaze was fixated on mine as he marched towards me. For some weird reason, a tight knot formed in my stomach. ’Why am I feeling like this? Why do I feel as if I have done something terribly wrong? Why do I feel guilty for no particular reason?’ My mind raced, but I couldn’t avert his penetrating gaze, nor could I answer.

Then I heard Fabian murmuring next to me, "Impossible, how is he ..."

"Myra~ .... Fabian," Brave, now standing just a meter apart, called.

"What are you doing here?" Fabian asked, his voice betraying his earlier calmness. He leaned a bit towards his right, covering half of my vision as his grasp on my hand tightened.

My eyes flickered when I saw Brave’s eyes turn a shade or two darker. They were set on our interlocked fingers. Without realization, I instinctively let go of Fabian’s hand. And the storm bubbling in those sharp browns died down almost in a flash. He calmly took a step closer, looked at me, then at Fabian and said, "I came here to fetch you two."

"Fetch us, hahh? What do you mean?" Fabian sounded off to me. "No~ ... first tell me, how did you even know about this place, huhh? Have you been following us?" His eyes turned cold.

"Is this some secret place no one’s supposed to know?" Brave took another step, staring at Fabian.

’Are they on bad terms?’ The air, all of a sudden, feels stifling. ’Are they going to fight? I can’t let that happen.’ In a desperate attempt to soothe the tension, I stepped out of Fabian’s shielding posture and stood beside him. Once again, Fabian took my hand, giving me a reassuring smile. Then he turned to Brave and said, "Mr. Brave Everests, Myra and I are here to do something important. I don’t have the time to entertain you today. So, it would be better if you just return to the mansion."

"Ohh, really, Prof. Stephens. Apologies, but that can’t happen," Brave was blunt with his words.

"Brave Everests. Don’t cross the line," Fabian was truly angry. I could tell he wanted to throw a punch or two at him. But I can’t let that happen. I know how powerful Brave is. Fabian, a human like me, has no chance in front of him.

"Fabian, I think Brave must have a reason," I said.

"Myra~ ... you don’t understand, he is~ ..." Fabian mumbled.

"I brought him here, Fabian," another voice echoed as my eyes travelled to two distant figures. My eyes narrowed as I tried to make out who they were, and when I realised their identity, I froze on the spot. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Mr. Larson was walking towards us. Beside him, his secretary, Chris Shadow, supported him. Though he was using a cane, he marched commandingly. He looked a lot paler than I saw him at the banquet. After all, he had been a victim of such a ghastly crash. ’But~ .... what is he doing here? Wasn’t he bedridden?’

"Gra~ .... Chairman Larson," Fabian spoke, his voice filled with emotion. I glanced at him and saw the look of shock on Fabian’s face. His eyes were moist as he let go of my hand and started walking, his steps urgent.

The next second, he hugged Mr. Larson, saying, "You, how did you? Are you alright? Why did you come all the way? You were clearly resting this morning, then how?" He was clinging to Mr. Larson like a baby. In return, Mr. Larson stroked his back, comforting him.

I knew Fabian was Mr. Larson’s loyal subordinate, but I never expected to them to be so close. They looked like family to me, true family, with no ounce of a superior-subordinate relationship.

"I am fine now. Everything is alright. Secretary Shadow brought the medicine this morning," I heard Mr. Larson say as he pulled away from that intimate embrace.

"Why didn’t you call me? Why did you come all the way here? It is not good for your health. You just survived a massive accident," Fabian spoke, his tone scolding.

"We did. Actually, Gunnar did. But your phone was coming off, so~ ... we had no choice but to come," this time, Secretary Shadow was the one who spoke. Though he was answering Fabian’s question, I could feel his gaze on me. I gulped down hard. His staring, it was unsettling.

"Myra, you okay? You look a bit~ ... pale," Brave’s voice came from beside my ear as he leaned towards me. I raised my head to meet his eyes. He was way too close. He extended his hand and placed it on my cheek. "Should we go to the hospital?"

"Uhhh~ .... No. I am fine," I stepped back, creating a bit of space.

Soon, Fabian and the other two walked towards us. "If I remember correctly, you are Ms. Miracle, right? Ms. Myra Miracle?" Mr. Larson said, looking straight at me.

’He remembers me?’ I was literally stupefied. The Jacob Larson, CEO of Larson Group, the continent’s largest business empire, remembers someone like me?’ I was overjoyed.

To Be Continued . . . . . . . .