Capítulo 12: Chapter 12 A Chance Rescue
"What's there to be embarrassed about? I scared you," Felix said with a smile.
Felix always gave off a warm feeling, completely different from Allen, who exuded a predatory pressure… Blanch shook her head, trying to shake off thoughts of Allen. Stop thinking about him!
"What's wrong?" Felix asked.
"Nothing, just feeling a bit uncomfortable."
"You've probably been on the ship too long. We'll reach the coastal city the day after tomorrow; just hang in there."
Blanch nodded.
"I don't know your name, Miss. You know mine, but I don't know yours. That's quite unfair," Felix said.
Blanch pursed her lips. She didn't want to tell Felix her name, but not saying anything would raise more suspicion. "You can call me Shelly."
"Shelly" was a common enough name that it wouldn't raise any doubts.
"Alright, Shelly." Felix poured a glass of water for Blanch. "How did you find out about this situation?"
"I overheard it by accident." Blanch knew what Felix was referring to.
"Then you must be quite clever, Miss Shelly." Felix studied her.
Just from their conversation, he could tell there was a conflict between Barnett and her. It seemed she had some experience in the business world and understood design. Looking at her demeanor, she was not an ordinary person.
"It's not that I'm clever; I just happen to have good deductive skills. Besides, they were speaking so plainly that it would be foolish not to understand."
Felix couldn't discern her true identity, nor could he find out more about her, but since she had helped him, he expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Miss Shelly. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Felix vaguely remembered she had mentioned needing his help.
"Of course," Blanch looked at him. "I hope you can give me a false identity so that others can't find me."
"Uh?"
"I owe some money and am currently hiding from my creditors. I'm afraid they might find me, and I have a child with me. Paying them back is a bit tricky, so I want to find work under a different identity and slowly repay them. I hope you can assist me."
This explanation was quite reasonable and wouldn't lead to misunderstandings.
"Alright," Felix agreed.
The two continued to chat casually, while not far away, a cold camera captured everything.
When Allen received a call from Blanch's father, the tension on his brow had not yet dissipated.
"Speak," he said tersely.
Blanch's father ingratiated himself, "Mr. Allen, do you have any news about my daughter?"
"None."
Blanch's father felt a flicker of joy in his heart but pretended to be troubled. "That's too bad. We have no news about Blanch either. However, Leslie just contacted us, saying something about throwing Blanch into the sea to feed the fish, and mentioned leaving a complete corpse. Mr. Allen, what does this mean? Could it be that she intends to harm my daughter…"
Fear seeped through Blanch's father's words, and Allen's brows furrowed deeply, his voice heavy. "She dares!"
Blanch's father felt even more delighted. He knew Allen cared for Blanch deeply.
"Of course she wouldn't dare, but listening to her tone, I'm really a bit scared. Mr. Allen, you must hurry and find my daughter!"
Allen closed his eyes and didn't respond, instead hanging up the phone. Matthew had already come in, holding some documents.
"President, here are the activity logs of everyone over the past few days. I've sorted through them, and only a few people have shown suspicious movements."
"Hand them over."
Allen's sharp gaze could pierce through any fog. Leslie's words indicated that she must have learned something, and the fact that Allen didn't know meant there was a traitor among them.
"Bring those few people in. I want to interrogate them one by one."
Allen didn't believe that Blanch had gone abroad, but he still got on a plane in front of Leslie, just to see what she would do. Moreover, with no one to disturb him, he could focus entirely on finding Blanch.
"President… President…"
Everyone was afraid of Allen, and just being called in made them tremble uncontrollably.
"I don't like to hear nonsense, nor do I like to waste words. Bring them in one by one, or you know the consequences."
With Allen around, who could escape? The traitor soon confessed.
"President… I was just following Leslie's orders and handed over the surveillance to her. I don't know anything else."
Allen nodded. Matthew knew that Allen had already gotten the information he needed, so they didn't need to stay there any longer.
Leslie… so it really was you.
"Keep a close eye on Leslie. I want to know everywhere she goes and everything she says."
"Understood," Matthew replied.
The Smith family and the Qiao family had always been on good terms, but that didn't mean Allen would tolerate Leslie. Since she had touched his sore spot, she would have to pay a painful price.
Jason, having spent too long on the ship, was feeling weak and unwell. Blanch looked at her baby's pale little face and couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
"It's all Mommy's fault. I shouldn't have brought you here."
Jason held her hand and comforted her, "It's not Mommy's fault. I'm happy being with Mommy. Don't blame yourself. I heard the uncle say the ship will stop soon. Once it does, I won't feel so bad anymore."
Though Jason was young, he was always very understanding. Blanch felt a pang in her heart. What kind of mother was she, making Jason suffer so much alongside her?
"Mommy, I want to eat candied hawthorn. Can you make some for me?" Jason often craved something sour to ease his nausea.
Blanch nodded. "Alright, sweetheart. Wait for me here for a bit; I'll make it for you right now."
Blanch hurried to the kitchen. Seeing her hurried expression, Felix quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"Jason isn't feeling well. I'm going to make him some snacks he likes."
Felix liked Jason's cuteness and obedience very much. "I'll go with you."
"No need," Blanch instinctively refused.
Felix felt a sinking feeling at her rejection. The delicate and charming woman in front of him seemed to slowly tug at his heartstrings.
"I like Jason very much too; it's only natural to care for him," Felix said.
Seeing how persistent he was, Blanch didn't want to refuse him, so she went to the kitchen with him.
Jason loved candied hawthorn. Whenever he was sick and had to take bitter medicine, Blanch would always feed him a piece of candied hawthorn, and over time, he grew fond of it. Felix watched as Blanch's delicate white hands washed the bright red hawthorn, the red and white blending together. As her soft fingers removed the hawthorn pits, Felix swallowed hard.
"I'm looking forward to it now," Felix said. "I'm sure it'll taste great."
Blanch was momentarily taken aback and didn't respond.
When she was with Allen, she had learned to make all sorts of snacks and dishes, and it was during that time that her cooking skills had improved so much.
"I wonder who Jason's father is," Felix asked. "With such a smart and beautiful wife like you, how could he bear to leave you both behind?"
Blanch bit her lip; she didn't like it when others brought this up. "The initials on your necklace must be the abbreviation of your fiancée's name, right?"
Blanch knew a little about Felix's fiancée.
Felix seemed reluctant to discuss this, as it was a matter of his private life. However, realizing that he had just asked Blanch something he himself didn't want to talk about, he felt it was quite rude.
"I'm sorry, I just…" Felix began to apologize.
"It's alright; everyone has their curiosity, which is understandable. But I'm just an ordinary person who got divorced; there's really nothing to ask," Blanch replied.
Felix smiled apologetically.
Blanch had always maintained a slight sense of distance. She just wanted to live an ordinary life; now that she had left New York City, she wanted to let go of everything.
Before long, Blanch finished making the candied hawthorn. The hawthorn was stuffed with red dates, and the syrup coating was crystal clear, making it very appetizing.
Felix praised, "It looks great."
Blanch handed him one, "Give it a try."
Felix put it in his mouth, and the sweet and sour flavor made him nod in approval. "Very good."
Blanch felt satisfied; it seemed she had succeeded, and Jason would surely love it.
As Blanch picked up the plate to leave, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a bright light, as if something had flashed. She looked around, but there was no one taking pictures; where could the flash have come from?
"Sir, you have a phone call."
Felix's assistant approached with a phone, the screen flashing. It must be the phone screen, Blanch thought.
She stepped out, feeling cheerful as she looked at the rosy candied hawthorn. Jason would surely feel better after eating it…
Just as Blanch pushed the door to her room open, a figure suddenly flashed by. Instinctively, she bent down to dodge, narrowly avoiding the person.
The newcomer had a deep scar across his face, looking fierce and menacing. Blanch's heart sank; realizing the danger, she abandoned her plan to return to her room, dropped her things, and took off running.
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