Love and Debt

"Young Master?" The man called.

Andrew sighed. "You heard my wife. Do what she says."

"Alright." The man simply answered.

Then Andrew looked at her again. At first, she didn't get what he wanted her to do, but she realized he wanted her to ask the man for further details.

"Oh, okay! What's your name?" She asked first.

"My name's Grayson, Mrs.Cross."

"Okay, Grayson. Tell me why Cross Realty couldn't get that property." She asked.

Grayson didn't answer for a moment. She looked at Andrew with a frown face. Andrew was beginning to be impatient when Grayson answered.

"Eleonor Cross owned that property. Young master's father didn't have the right to take it down."

Nina saw Andrew's expression become dark.

"Who's that?" She asked curiosity piqued.

"My mother." Andrew whispered.

After talking to Grayson, Belinda and Rev returned to their suite while Andrew was quietly sitting on the couch. He would occasionally let out a deep sigh, making Nina annoyed.

"Will you stop doing that and tell me what you are thinking?" She said in annoyance.

Andrew sighed again then pulled her closer beside him. He wrapped his arms around his waist, putting his chin on her shoulder.

"Will you listen to the story of my mother?" He asked.

"Of course. That's what I wanted to hear from you. I would love to know everything about you. No more secrets, okay?" She said in a gentle voice.

He nodded, then took a deep breath before telling her everything about his mother.

"Mom was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Do you remember when we went to Willow Green to look for Dr.Richards, Jayden's father?" He started.

Nina remembered that Luke mentioned something about Andrew's mom. She was also a patient of Jayden's father.

"Yes. I remember that. Luke said, you know the place well because you grew up there, right?"

Andrew nodded. "I was born in Willow Green. Well, me and my sister. Mom had schizophrenia even before we were born. They said it runs in her family, so my father took her far away from Northbay City. My grandparents arranged their marriage. You already know how rich people act, right? So yeah, my parents were the same. They never loved each other. It was just a marriage for convenience."

Andrew paused, then leaned against the couch's backrest. Nina did the same while his arm was on her shoulder.

"When my father learned about my mom's illness, he took her to Willow Green. Back then, she was already pregnant with my sister and me. Father didn't know about it at first and only learned about it when he visited her. We didn't see our father until we were age ten. After ten years of not showing himself to us, I thought he came to visit. But, he forcefully took me away from my mom and my sister. He never cared about Seira because she was born a girl and only took me so he could have an heir."

Nina remembered Seira telling that she was an introvert. And no one knows about her. Was that the reason? Was Seira like Sophie? Hidden from everyone?

"I know what you're thinking. She wasn't exactly like Sophie. Father didn't hide her or deny her. She was still free to do everything she wanted, and father would always say that he had a daughter, that I had a twin. It was Seira who decided not to show herself to anyone. Thinking about it, I never had a chance to ask her the reason, but maybe she wanted a normal life away from my father."

"Why did Seira suddenly decide to live in Northbay?" Nina asked curiously.

Andrew let out a deep sigh. "Mom moved to Northbay because Dr.Richard's wife was murdered, and he stopped treating her. Father had no choice. But I never knew where she lived. Father would always give me orders and promise to let me see my mother and sister. But it never happened. The last task he gave me was to get your ramen shop. But after acquiring your place, he only let me see Seira. That's the day you saw Seira and me together. Father told me where she lived, so I came to see her."

"Did Seira know where your mother was?" Nina asked again.

Andrew shook his head. "No. When I went to her apartment, it was the first thing I asked her. But she said that father took her away from mom three years after he took me. Until now, I couldn't find her."

Nina wondered why Andrew's father wouldn't allow their children to see their mother. It didn't make sense. Unless...

"What if your father didn't know where she was?" Nina exclaimed.

Andrew frowned. That's impossible. His father would always tell him that he was keeping his mom somewhere she could be treated. He said it would be best not to see her because she had a mental disorder.

"Nina, I don't think father would not know about it. He has been keeping her ever since he took my sister and me away. He didn't look like he was lying to me when he said she's being treated."

Nina stared into Andrew's eyes. "Look, there's a big possibility that he didn't know where she is now. Maybe, he took her somewhere but then she disappeared."

"What?" Andrew got confused. He couldn't understand what Nina was pointing at.

"What if she ran away? I mean, maybe she had a grudge with your father for taking her children away from her. So when she had a chance to escape, she just did. And what did Grayson said? There's a small clinic in the abandoned building before for people with a mental health condition. What if she was one of those people? She had nowhere to go and decided to stay there. What if she was the one sending you those messages? Maybe it wasn't a threat. Maybe she wanted you to find her."

Andrew was surprised by what Nina told him. It was all just speculations, but she had a point. He sighed again then dialed Grayson's number. She gave it to Nina so she could order Grayson.

"Grayson, go to that abandoned building and check if someone was living there. Bring some men.." Nina ordered.