As Landon entered the living hall, his eyes reddened from the emotions swelling within him. Everything


    appeared unchanged, as if nothing had urred.


    A gentle voice, once a source offort, broke the silence. "Mr. Landon, you''re back."


    "I''m back," he choked out. His smile, though warm, faded as he realized there would be no reply to


    follow.


    With a heavy thud, Landon''s knees buckled beneath him. He crumpled onto the floor, his once sturdy


    frame folding inward. Silent sobs wracked his body as he curled into a ball.


    "Landon!"


    "Mr. Landon!"


    Jasper and Jordan rushed to his side; concern etched on their faces. But the only response was the


    quiet sound of wet tears hitting the ground.


    Landon buried his head in his arms, his body wracked with silent cries.


    "Landon, Jordan and I will help you gather Angelina''s belongings. You don''t have to force yourself to do


    it," Jasper said, holding Landon''s trembling shoulders, his own eyes red with emotion.


    "I-I''m fine," Landon insisted, wiping away his tears forcefully as he struggled to rise, using his arms for


    support as he made his way upstairs.


    Watching his friend''s stubborn yet fragile form ascend the staircase, Jasper''s heart constricted with


    anguish.


    He recalled a time when mentioning Angelina would always bring a mboyant grin to Landon''s face.


    She wasn''t just an employee; she was family—a loyalpanion through thick and thin.


    They reached the room where Angelina had stayed.


    The room was pristine, with only a bed, a wardrobe, and a table. Its simplicity belied the fact that it had


    once been upied by a young woman.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Jasper and Jordan, hesitant to disturb the sanctity of the space, remained by the door as Landon gently


    brushed his fingertips across the desk''s surface, sensing the lingering scent of Angelina on the


    unwrinkled bedsheet.


    Opening her wardrobe, Landon beheld each luxurious evening gown, carefully preserved in stic as if


    untouched by time. Tears welled in his eyes as memories flooded his mind.


    "Angelina used to apany me to every business party I needed a date for," Landon said, his voice


    tinged with emotion as he lifted out a chili-red evening gown. "I''ll never forget how stunning she looked


    in these gowns.


    "Those creeps wouldn''t stop staring at her. Every time I brought her out, I''de home seething with


    anger. I didn''t love her romantically; I just couldn''t stand the thought of other men ogling someone I


    considered my sister."


    His voice cracked with self-derision. "A good-for-nothing like me didn''t deserve a sister like her."


    Jasper''s heart twisted in anguish while Jordan silently shed tears.


    As Landon prepared to close the wardrobe, his gaze fell upon a brown leather box nestled at the


    bottom of the clothes. Intrigued, he retrieved the box and ced it on the bed.


    Slowly opening it, he revealed a pink diary adorned with a bunny hugging a carrot, its pages secured


    by a stic lock requiring a password.


    Although the lock could have been easily broken, Landon hesitated, pondering for a moment before


    impulsively entering his birthday.


    The lock clicked open.