Chapter 20
Not long after I left, Jason’s phone rang. It was his father, Gideon. The moment the call connected, a furious voice barked through the line.
“You worthless brat! Bring Timmy back home immediately!”
“Do you even realize where you’ve been poking around? All this for a woman? Are you trying to drag the entire Gardner Family down with you?”
Jason answered in a low voice, “Father, I know what I’m doing.”
Gideon’s voice grew even louder. “You know nothing!”
“I’ve already received warnings from people behind the scenes, telling me to keep my descendants in line, or they’ll show us what it feels like to be wiped out overnight!”
“Jason, we can’t afford to mess with Scarlet anymore. She’s built a new life. Stop clinging to the past, it’s no good for either of you. Come back already.”
But Jason refused to listen. “No. I can’t give up.”
Hearing his stubbornness, Gideon’s anger boiled over. “If you’re so set on dying, do it alone. Don’ drag Timmy into it!”
“All these years chasing Scarlet, you’ve ignored the company completely. And now you’re running headlong into death. You’re useless to me. I’m done wasting my energy on you.”
“From today, Timothy is the heir of the Gardner Family. Send him back immediately.”
This time, Jason didn’t argue. He quickly arranged for a private plane to take the sobbing Timothy back to the country. But he himself stayed behind, determined to keep trying.
That night, I was at the shooting range for extra practice.
“Take a break. Rushing only sets you back,” Sean’s voice came from behind me.
I didn’t realize how long he had been standing there. I put down my gun and walked over speaking softly. “Sean, you must have heard everything today, right?”
“It’s my fault. I should have noticed the micro-tracker. That’s how Jason found this place.” “As an agent, I’ve been completely careless.”
I knew Sean had followed me and heard my entire conversation with Jason and Timothy at the secure gate.
His expression stayed stern as he said, “You deserve punishment.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words.
Then he gave a faint laugh. “You’ve been out of the field too long. It’s normal for your alertness to slip.”
“I’ve already reported this to the commander. He said it’s fortunate nothing serious happened. But if there’s a next time, the consequences will be severe.”
I immediately promised that there would never be a next time.
Under the starlit sky, we sat together on the ground, looking up at the stars.
“So, were you following me today?”
Chapter 19
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1:55 pm P p pp.
Sean’s eyes lit up with a rare hint of surprise when I mentioned it. “I… I wasn’t following you on purpose. I just… I was just afraid he might hurt you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh upon his answer. “What? Shadow Eagle is worried someone might hurt a battle-hardened agent like me?”
Hearing that, he found his own behavior a little ridiculous too, but his tone soon softened. “With you, I always lose my composure.”
I turned to him, seeing the deep emotion in his eyes. “Sean… you’ve seen everything now. You know I was married, that I even had a child. You really don’t care?”
He smiled faintly. “I’ve known all that for ten years.”
I stared at him, confused. But his face was calm, his eyes full of quiet affection.
“When you suddenly left the team to get married, I had to find out who had taken the woman I had secretly loved for years, right?”
Hearing this, my shock only deepened.
“So I kept track of you in secret, without telling anyone.”
He went on, his gaze faraway as if looking back through time. “I didn’t just know you married and had a child. I know everything you’ve been through these past years.
“Every time I learned you’d been hurt, I wanted to tear that father and son apart. But I hated myself even more for not confessing my feelings sooner. Maybe then the Gideon wouldn’t have tricked you away under the pretense of gratitude.”
His voice carried the weight of regret, like someone mourning a priceless treasure. But soon, it softened into tenderness.
“So, Scarlet Blaine, don’t ask if I care. As long as it’s you, I’ll take it all gladly.”
Tears blurred my vision. My voice shook as I asked, “Sean, when did you start liking me? How long has it been?”
He smiled, his gaze soft under the stars. “The year I joined the team at sixteen. I saw you holding two guns and fell in love at first sight. From then on, I could never stop. It’s been twelve years
now.”
At this point, I broke down to tears completely.
Twelve years-a secret love held in silence that long.
I had no idea how he had endured it. Guarding his feelings in silence, watching me marry someone else, have a child and finally come back.
Thank God he had been waiting all along and I had finally turned back.
I leaned in and kissed his lips softly, whispering, “From today on, it’s my turn to love you.”
For a moment, he froze at the touch of my lips, then he responded fiercely, taking the lead and deepening the kiss.
Beneath the starry sky, two lost souls finally found their way home to each other.
1:56 pm P P P P
