Chapter 386 Tough as Nails
I asked, "Hey, I haven't seen you in days. Where've you been?"
Adam's face twisted with anger. "It was that jerk Ryan. I hurt him, and he went crying to my grandpa. So, I got dragged home and dealt with under our family discipline."
Was family discipline really about getting whacked on the back with a thick rod, leaving scars and bruises? Did Adam get hurt all over?
I looked at him with sympathy, especially at his back. I figured they wouldn't aim for the head, so his back and butt must've taken the worst of it. I wondered how bad it was. Since Adam was here cursing Ryan, he probably wasn't too messed up. Adam could really take a beating.
Adam noticed my stare and got annoyed. "What are you looking at? My grandpa loves me the most. He just wanted to give Ryan's dad an explanation. I only got three lashes; it's no big deal."
I nodded. So, family punishment could be adjusted. The severity depended on the head of the family. That seemed pretty humane.
"But Ryan got ten lashes," Adam said with a smug grin. "You should've seen it; he was crying and screaming the whole time."
I pictured the usually dignified Ryan kneeling and crying out in pain. It was pretty satisfying. I had to tell Amelia about this later.
I asked, "By the way, why'd you help us?"
Adam didn't answer, just complained that I was walking too slow and wasting time. He said if we didn't hurry, it would be too late.
As I checked the time, I noticed his neck was unusually red. I didn't get what he meant by "too late."
That evening, I told Amelia about it after dinner. She wasn't surprised. She just calmly said she never wanted anything to do with Ryan again; she only wanted to focus on her job now.
Amelia had landed a job. She was a martial arts expert, aced her legal studies at university, and was top of her class. Her impressive resume, spotless record, killer combat skills, sharp mind, quick reflexes, and high loyalty got her a special appointment by the police department. After passing her probation and observation periods, she'd be officially instated as an officer.
Amelia, now with a job, seemed happier. She often smiled and confidently said she'd be the best officer. The hurt Ryan caused her seemed to be fading. It wouldn't be long before Amelia, like Mia, would completely start a new life.
I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things, but I always felt like Adam had a thing for Amelia. Meanwhile, Amelia seemed pretty cold and kind of dodgy around him.
Something felt off between them. I asked Amelia about it a couple of times, but she just brushed it off.
And then there was Brad. Still no word from him. His phone was always unreachable.
Whenever I had some downtime, I'd just stare at Brad's Facebook page until my eyes hurt. It felt like my heart was being fried in oil and roasted over a fire.
Brad seemed to have vanished. I had no clue where he was. I wanted to see him but couldn't find him. I didn't even know who to ask for help.
I even swallowed my pride for Brad. No matter how humiliating, I was willing to endure it. I called Jenny, but her assistant answered, saying she was busy and that I could leave a message. He'd pass it on.
I begged him to let me talk to Jenny, but he refused. I asked if he knew where Brad was, but he just hung up on me.
I called back, but no one answered. Eventually, I think they blocked me.
My only lead on Brad was gone. Countless nights, I cried myself to sleep and woke up still crying, surrounded by the same emptiness and cold loneliness.
I thought about calling the cops. No matter how connected Jenny was, she couldn't ignore the police and get herself into trouble. But then I realized that reporting a missing person had certain conditions. Whether Brad's situation met those conditions was another story. Brad was on a business trip for the school. If I reported him missing without the school's consent, it could have serious consequences.
So, I couldn't act rashly. But if it came to an emergency, I wouldn't care about any of that.
For now, I could only endure the anxious waiting. The worst part was not knowing when this would end.
Brad had told me not to worry, that he'd be fine. But with no news at all, how could I not worry?
I felt miserable all day. I wanted to call Helen and talk about it. My parents were getting old; if they found out, they might come to help me. The journey wasn't short, and they both had work. I didn't want them to go through all that for me.
I also thought about asking Emma, setting aside any past issues, if Brad had returned or at least called home to say he was safe. If they didn't know about Brad's business trip, it would only make them worry more and wouldn't help.
Finally, I couldn't hold it in any longer. After much deliberation, I decided to go see Professor Evans.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
