The Alchemists

Finland never stopped finding information about Jean when she was in America. She eventually obtained information that Jean lost his memory after he recovered from his coma. She suspected it was the result of the memory potion he took before being shot by Famke.

After recovering and returning to work, Jean quit modeling and decided to enter the movie industry. He started playing in several indie movies and Finland faithfully followed the development of his career. She hoped that one day she would have the opportunity to meet Jean in person and revive his memory.

Finland deeply regretted not storing all her contact details in a notebook or in her email. She used to take for granted Jean and Caspar's phone numbers. Now that she had lost them, she realized how difficult it was to get access to these important people. If she had kept Rosalind Marchal's contact, she would have been able to reach Jean.

Caspar had also given her Stanis' contacts, but she foolishly did not keep Stanis's business cards well. She was very sad because now she could not reach any of them.

Caspar still couldn't be traced on the internet. Heinrich Schneider was still as mysterious as before. Finland could not find any photos nor decent information. This made her very sad because she did not have any photos of Caspar to show to her child.

"Boss, I want to take some days off to return to Singapore..." Finland told Tony one day at his office. She was determined to find Caspar in Singapore. "I have something to do."

"Uhm... how about you go there for a business trip? The company will pay for your tickets and hotels. So, I want you to extend your leave to take care of some office projects. How does that sound? I need you to stop by in Hong Kong for a few days." Tony asked her, spinning his pen.

Finland was very tempted by the offer. Hotels in Singapore was very expensive, and if LTX could bear the cost of her accommodation there, that would be great. She wouldn't mind extending her leave to stop by in Hong Kong for work. But who would look after her baby?

"Think about it, okay." said Tony.

"OK..."

Finland had no idea that Rory would ask to come with her to Singapore when she told him of her plans.

"Well, either I join you to Singapore, or you leave Aleksis in San Francisco with me. It's your choice..." Rory said firmly.

"Seriously? You want to come to Singapore just to look after Aleksis??" Finland couldn't believe her own hearing.

"I can't believe you want to take her abroad without asking me," said Rory. "Do you want to take responsibility if I die because you leave?"

Finland swallowed hard. Rory sounded serious with his words.

"Uhmm... okay. But we have to stop by in Hong Kong first for three days. I have work to do."

"Very well. I will look after Aleksis while you work in Hong Kong. I know the city very well."

Finland finally agreed. She missed Caspar so much and wanted to find information about his whereabouts in Singapore as soon as possible.

There were only two places she knew could give her a clue: the Continental Hotel and Rose Mansion.

***

Aleksis was already one year old and she was getting beautiful every day. Her hair is light brown with curls that made her look like a little angel in Italian paintings. Her big round eyes now had a very bright blue green colors, making everyone who saw them spellbound.

Rory also often took off his glasses now and made him look more like Aleksis. He called Aleksis his beloved child, and when Finland and Rory who carried Aleksis walked together at the airport, many people stared enviously at the 'little family'.

"What a beautiful family ..." commented those who saw them.

In her heart Finland could not wait to see Caspar so that they could be reunited. She was very grateful for Rory's kindness so far, but he was still not Aleksis' biological father.

LTX bought economy tickets for Finland, but Rory insisted on upgrading her tickets to business class so that Aleksis could sleep more comfortably during the flight. Finland initially refused, but as usual, Rory did not want to listen. In the end they all flew business class to Hong Kong.

Upon arrival, again, Rory had already prepared accommodation for them; a beautiful and fancy two-room suite at the St Laurent Hotel, one of the most expensive hotels in Hong Kong. He insisted on this arrangement for the sake of his goddaughter's comfort.

"Uff... if I knew that you would cover the cost of hotels and plane tickets, I wouldn't have accepted Tony's offer and brought my work with me. I could just take my leave..." Finland mumbled as they checked into the hotel.

"What were you saying?" Rory asked.

"Uhm... it's nothing." Finland diverted his attention by pointing at a nice lobby room. "I like the decoration of this hotel."

"Thank you. I have shares here," Rory answered dismissively.

"Oh..." Finland never heard Rory talk about his business before. She immediately thought of Caspar, who also owned many hotels throughout the world.

"I like going on adventures, so I think it's only natural that I invest in hotels so that I have a home wherever I am in the whole world." Rory continued his explanation. "Everything that belongs to me will belong to Aleksis one day. So, you need to know my assets from now on."

"Eh...?" Finland gasped at Rory's words. "Wh... what do you mean?"

Aleksis doesn't need your inheritance, she thought. Her father is also very rich ...

"I have decided to adopt Aleksis as my daughter."

"You... you can't decide this one-sidedly," Finland said in protest. "She is my daughter. And she has a father."

Rory, who was carrying Aleksis, ignored her protests and gave a signal to the concierge to carry their luggage. He then walked towards the elevator. Finland had no choice but to follow behind them.

She knew that Rory was very fond of Aleksis, but this attitude of his was rather excessive.

She could not continue her protest because she did not want the concierge to hear their conversation. Finally, Finland remained silent until they arrived at the suite.

After the concierge finished organizing their suitcases and left the suite, Finland spoke again, "Rory... I am thankful that you are very kind to us. But, you cannot one-sidedly raise Aleksis as your child..."

"Why not? I'm not asking you to marry me. I just want to raise Aleksis as my daughter. I want to give her what I have and make her the heir of everything that belongs to me." Rory stared closely at Finland. "I don't have anyone else in this world, Finland... You must understand my situation. I only have you. Otherwise, answer my question, why was Aleksis' father not there with you during your pregnancy and when you gave birth to Aleksis? Why did he leave you alone like this?"

Finland felt uncomfortable with Rory's questions.

"He... he didn't know I was pregnant."

"How come?"

"It's a long story, but I can't tell you." Finland finally sighed. "Actually, my going to Singapore is to look for him..."

"Hmm... so, you are going to Singapore to look for him?" asked Rory in a thoughtful tone. "Who is he? Who knows, maybe I can help you find him."

"Uhm... there's no need, really. You won't know him, anyway..." Finland didn't want to reveal Caspar's identity to anyone.

"You will be surprised by the access I have. I can find anyone," said Rory calmly. His attitude reminded Finland of Caspar a little bit, and her chest immediately felt heavy when she thought about her husband.

Finland believed Rory when the mysterious guy said that he had good access to information, but she did not want to betray Caspar by revealing his identity to outsiders, so she could only bite her lip and refuse his offer.

"Thank you... I can find him myself."

"Alright then." Rory did not force her. He brought Aleksis to the window and busied himself by showing the waterfront to the child. Finland could only look at them with a deep sigh.

Caspar should have been the one to carry Aleksis like that...

She really missed him.

She hoped to get a clue at the Rose Mansion. She couldn't wait to show her child to Ms. Law, Kathrin, and John.

***

Finland worked for two days in Hong Kong. She had to arrange meetings with several clients who were visiting their branch office there. On the third day, her scheduled meetings finished earlier than expected. She returned to the hotel, but when she reached their suite, both Rory and Aleksis were not there.

[Where are you guys?] She asked quickly. [I'm home. Today's meetings ended earlier than expected so I'm done working.]

[I'm visiting an old friend. It so happened that he had just arrived in Hong Kong. You just rest. We have an early morning flight tomorrow.]

[OK.]

Rory put down his phone and knocked on a door.

The door was opened from the inside and a handsome man with dark hair and bright blue eyes welcomed Rory inside.

"Hey... Lauriel, it's been a long time..." Caspar was surprised to see Rory holding a child in his arm. "Who is this?"

"My daughter. This is Aleksis," Rory answered. He entered the spacious penthouse, sat on the sofa, and made himself at home.

"Oh..." Caspar looked at Aleksis with an envious look, then he took a deep breath. "Hello, Aleksis."