Leah originally thought she would have to persuade the man to agree to leg treatment, but the moment she mentioned it, Richard Shaw agreed. She was slightly taken aback; it seemed rather easy?

The two exchanged a glance from a not-too-far, not-too-close distance. The man’s gaze was deep and lingering, making Leah’s heart feel warm under his scrutiny.

Casimir Shaw had just woken up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and walked out in his cotton pajamas printed with little monkeys, curiously asking, "Mommy, Uncle Shaw, what are you doing?"

The two hurriedly looked away, inexplicably feeling as if they had been caught in the act.

Richard Shaw cleared his throat lightly and said in a low voice, "Leah, tidy up the table, it’s time for breakfast."

After speaking, the man turned to continue making soybean milk, and behind him came Casimir Shaw’s childish voice exclaiming, "Uncle Shaw, you’re wearing new clothes today."

Richard Shaw’s body stiffened slightly, catching Leah’s barely audible chuckle, and for a moment he wanted to tap Casimir’s head with a ladle, feeling the years of nurturing had gone to waste.

"Thomas, go brush your teeth and wash your face." Leah stifled a laugh, patting Casimir Shaw’s head, and led him out to the yard to freshen up.

The man unconsciously watched the yard through the window, seeing Casimir cuddling up to Leah, his lips curled upwards, and his gaze softened as he called out Leah’s name in a nearly inaudible voice.

After breakfast, Richard Shaw took them to clean the graves during the Qingming Festival. The next two days were rainy and gloomy, and Leah nestled in the small cabin watching the rain, not wanting to move, really feeling like she was on vacation.

She had completely made the small cabin her home, lazily daydreaming every day, then messaging Delphine to ask how she was. Griffith Squire contacted her once, saying he’d return to the South Seas shortly, but there was no news for three consecutive days, leaving Leah feeling a bit uneasy. After staying for a few days, she returned to the South Seas.

When the news of Griffith Squire’s accident reached, it was the monsoon season in the South Seas. During a downpour with rumbling thunder at dusk, Leah was watching the rain from the yard when Delphine’s call came in, her voice choked with suppressed sobs, "Leah, Griffith Squire had an accident in Europe." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Leah froze for a moment, stood up trembling slightly, wanting to go upstairs, but almost stumbled over the furniture.

Richard Shaw had already learned the news in advance. Seeing her lose composure, her face pale and tense, he grabbed her hand and said steadily, "Leah, don’t panic, I’ll go to Europe with you."

Yes, go to Europe. She bit her lip, her eyes moistening, she must go to Europe to find Griffith Squire.

Richard acted swiftly, sending Casimir back to the Imperial City that night, then he and Leah flew directly to Italy, to Vatican where Griffith had the accident.

A week had already passed since the incident. Griffith’s European trip was extraordinarily secretive and cautious. The military only realized something was wrong five days after he lost contact, and the Golden Triangle had some inklings but didn’t dare tell Leah.

After Leah arrived in Vatican, Cornelius also brought people there, initiating a thorough search, but Griffith had vanished as if into thin air. Even the military couldn’t trace his whereabouts, let alone the Golden Triangle.

"Major General, we just found that during Griffith’s disappearance, he had contact with Butler, a local Italian arms dealer. Recently, Butler monopolized several routes in the European black-market arms dealing, significantly increasing his strength," Shuangzi reported the findings, saying, "If our assumption is correct, Griffith’s route in the European arms black market was swallowed by him."

Richard furrowed his brows, his eyes deepening with worry. After searching for so many days, Griffith was likely doomed, but he couldn’t tell Leah.

Currently, Leah had amnesia, forgetting the past. Griffith was the only one who knew the feud between the Cox and Shaw families. If anything happened to Griffith, he and Leah might have a good ending. Yet, Leah’s bond with him was too deep, and who knew how long it would take for her to recover from this upheaval.

"Keep searching," the man ordered in a low voice.

Looking for someone in Europe involved in black-market arms dealing was like finding a needle in a haystack. Leah ended up staying in Europe for over two years during her search, undergoing her final surgery in Switzerland before staying there to recuperate.

Richard also stayed in Switzerland for his leg rehabilitation treatment.

"You’re sending Nicholas to the Imperial City to study?" After Leah’s surgery, she stayed in Switzerland for half a year. During that time, Delphine gave birth to a pair of twins and, after divorcing Ignatius Leclair, lived alone with Nicholas Carter in a small town in Southern France.

"That’s the plan, but Nicholas is still young. We’ll wait until he’s four," Delphine waved at Nicholas, smiling, "Nicholas, say hello to the pretty auntie."

Nicholas Carter, now three and a half, was a precocious little gem. While other children his age were crazy about toys, Nicholas was engrossed in various books.

"Hello, Auntie," the little one greeted in his sweet voice, then put down his book and looked seriously at Leah on video, "Auntie, Mommy stayed up very late again last night."

Being caught off guard and tattled on, Delphine paused, rubbing her forehead helplessly, "Nicholas, Mommy was studying last night and went to bed by midnight."

"Oh," the little one slowly said, "When Nicholas went to sleep, Mommy wasn’t asleep yet."

Leah burst out laughing, saying, "Delphine Carter, your son can keep you in line. You should listen to Nicholas and stop staying up late all the time."

"Yes, you’re both right," Delphine laughed as well, patting her son’s pretty face and giving him a kiss before letting the little one continue reading.

"I feel like your Nicholas is a little academic prodigy. At such a young age, he’s always engrossed in books," Leah chuckled, recalling Ignatius Leclair’s unpredictable nature and marveling that Delphine’s child was such a pure and gentle soul.

"Maybe he’s influenced by me. I’ve been busy studying these past two years and haven’t had time to play with him. He’s too quiet, not very lively," Delphine laughed. She was quiet by nature, as was Nicholas, who matured quickly. "It’s been almost three years, how are you and Richard Shaw? Considering marriage?"

Neither mentioned Griffith Squire. So much time had passed, and all they could do was hold on to the faint hope of a miracle.

"His leg treatment has seen some progress, but he still can’t stand for long," Leah said, her smile fading, adding softly, "Over these two years, instead of saying I accompanied him to treat his leg injury, it’s more like he accompanied me in searching for Griffith Squire. But as long as there’s no news about Griffith, I can’t settle down."