He looked at me, full of heartache and urgency, and kissed my forehead.


    "That spot was right next to the cliff. He pushed me with all his strength, and his car rolled down the slope and exploded. You were thrown out on a steep bend, not near the sea.


    "After I fell, Ipletely lost consciousness. I didn''t know where I was when I washed ashore. I woke up in a fisherman''s vige.


    "They saved me. My leg was broken, and I couldn''t move. I begged them to help me look for you. They searched everywhere and couldn''t find you. I refused to believe it. Even if you were dead, there should have been a body." He said bitterly.


    "I was afraid they had deceived me, so I started to search for myself despite my injured leg. I copsed and fell unconscious, and my leg was infected after I was rescued again. The locals took me to the hospital."


    I looked at As, silently shedding tears.


    He gently wiped them away. "Don''t cry."


    I touched his leg gently, choking on my words. "What happened after that?"


    "The Cross family found the hospital in time. I told them I had found you. But due to a twist of fate, we missed each other by two days. They protected me and sent people to search for you. After much effort, we quickly confirmed that a little girl had been sent to the hospital with head and corbone injuries but had been taken away. Her whereabouts was unknown."


    "Why couldn''t they find anything?" I asked, puzzled.


    "Some immigrants in Nocturnia don''t have very stable lives. They get their children discharged before they fully recover because they''re not from wealthy families, so the information they leave with the hospital is vague. When we tried to find them, the addresses they provided didn''t exist. But we spected they might be new immigrants or temporary tourists. We made all kinds of spections."


    "The Cross family also tried many ways to find you but to no avail. But in my heart, I was convinced that you hadn''t died, so I was determined to find you," As said resolutely and confidently.


    I didn''t know what to feel.


    "After my recovery, the Cross family took me in, and things calmed down for a while. But I never stopped looking for you. You disappeared as if you had evaporated from the world since the car ident." He changed his posture, cradling me on hisp.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    I shook my head in disbelief. "Who could have taken me away?"


    He looked at my face, gently touching it as if it were delicate porcin. He was cherishing it as if he had regained something precious and lost. The joy in his eyes was palpable.


    "I didn''t care how long it would take. No matter the circumstances, my determination to find you never died."


    "Didn''t Celine trouble youter? I had


    Grayson look into it. Why did she never stop? Was it because she had the protection of the Cross family? I looked at As in disbelief and asked, "Was Celine so formidable that not even the Cross family could handle her?"


    "I was a thorn in Celine''s side, so she never stopped trying to get rid of me. I got into all kinds of trouble during those years. The moment I left the protection of the Cross family, would encounter problems. Later, the Cross family had enough, and joined forces economically with several major conglomerates to act against the Pierce family? They imposed sanctions on the Pierce family''s finances, putting Celine


    back in a situation worse than before my father took over.


    "They also intercepted all my father''s major projects and connections he had before his death. This forced Celine to retreat temporarily. I started developing my own power at the age of fifteen with the support of the Cross family. The Cross family provided significant support and education and helped me establish my own influence. Dn is one of those who fought alongside me


    during that time."


    From As''s tone, it was clear that he felt indebted to the Cross family. They clearly loved him too.


    "But beforeing to Foswood, I was attacked again. The one who targeted me had a serpent tattoo, and the Cross family''s investigation showed it had nothing to do with the Pierce family. I found that hard to believe."


    "You suspected that Celine was behind those attacks?" I asked him.


    He nodded without hesitation. "After investigating that tattoo and knowing the results, I understood something. They were the ones behind my parents'' ne crash. There was no way it was not rted to Celine."


    "How despicable!" I cursed through gritted teeth.