Silly Bride

Chapter 182

approach Sebastian to voice her suspicions about Yolanda wanting to harm Xavier, could she?It wasn’t long before the acupuncture needles were all applied, and it was time to leave them in place.Sebastian had wanted to use the opportunity to get Winnie familiarized with the various acupoints on the human body, but to his surprise, the latter had other plans in mind.“Old Mr. Xander, there’s something I need to tell you. It’s about your grandson, Harrison Xander.”Despite his initial shock, Sebastian soon became visibly excited.“What about him? Have you found any information? He’s still alive, isn’t he?”Seeing how happy and hopeful Sebastian was, Winnie suddenly couldn’t bring herself to break the news.After a while, she frowned and said, “No, Master. Didn’t I tell you before that I found out he has a property in Avenport? I had to stop the investigation back then for personal reasons, and it was only yesterday that I asked Xavier to help me with it. Thanks to him, I was informed earlier that we finally tracked down Harrison’s residence in Avenport. That’s why I wanted to share whatever information I currently have with you.”As disappointed as he was, Sebastian quickly recomposed himself. “Oh, well done! I didn’t even know he had a property in Avenport! Show it to me, then!”The truth was, he knew he had reacted too emotionally. After all, what were the chances of his grandson surviving when the latter had gone missing in the Arcvas Desert for two long years?That said, it’d still be a consolation to Sebastian if he could find out anything about Harrison, no matter how trivial.Now that she had gotten his consent, Winnie promptly took out the collated information and handed it over. “Here’s the property in question. The house got purchased five years ago, but Harrison didn’t use it often. In total, he probably stayed there for less than a year.”“Indeed! That’s because I’ve always kept him busy in the research institute, so he barely had time to head out,” Sebastian explained before looking through a stack of photos. “What about these? What are they supposed to be?”“These photos show the items we found in Harrison’s mailbox, which include utility bills and postcards. However, those postcards were all sent anonymously, so we have no idea who the senders were.”“Do you have a clearer picture of these postcards?”“Yes, I believe there are two more. Give me a second,” Winnie replied as she swiftly dug them out.Alas, the moment Sebastian held the photos up for a closer look, his hand started trembling.“That’s Harrison’s handwriting. I recognize it! Where are my glasses? Yolanda, fetch me my reading glasses! Hurry!”Yolanda, who was standing behind her grandfather, couldn’t help but sigh. “Grandpa, you’ve been wearing your glasses this whole time. Where do you want me to go?”Upon hearing that, Sebastian quickly felt his face, and only then did he realize his folly.He carefully studied the content on the postcards, and even though there weren’t any names, the dates on them were clear as day.Wait a minute. There’s something odd about this. The sign-off date on one of the postcards is after Harrison had been reported missing! “Take a look at this, Yolanda,” Sebastian piped up. “The date written on this postcard was after your brother had gone missing, and I’m sure that’s his handwriting. Furthermore, the postage stamp is from Epea! Do you think he could still be alive? He clearly wrote this to his future self, saying he wanted to drink his own homemade beer and watch his favorite movies two years later. Two years from the date on this postcard is this year! That means he must still be alive! He’ll be back, won’t he?”Yolanda took the postcard from her grandfather and glanced at it. Her reaction, however, was less than enthusiastic.“So what if he’s still alive? It’s been two years, Grandpa, but has he bothered to contact any of us? That shows he doesn’t want us to know anything related to him,” she reasoned. “Besides, the postmark and sign-off date are different. I think the sign-off date was merely an error, and he mailed the postcard before he went missing. He probably visited Epea before going to Alendor and felt happy enough to send himself a postcard to motivate his future self. Nothing unusual about that.”Naturally, that angered Sebastian. “Harrison’s your brother, Yolanda! Why can’t you wish the best for him?”“Ha! Is that what you think?” Yolanda scoffed. “In your eyes, your new student’s the only one who cares about Harrison, isn’t it? Fine! The two of you can continue playing detective to your heart’s content! I’m leaving!”Whenever anyone mentioned Harrison, Yolanda would always feel heavy-hearted, to the point where she’d find it hard to breathe. As such, she couldn’t bring herself to stay with Sebastian or Winnie for a minute longer.Tears started welling up in Sebastian’s eyes as he watched his granddaughter storm off.“Nini, am I overthinking? Do you think Harrison might still be alive?”“I don’t have an answer to that, Master,” Winnie replied with a frown. “What I do know, however, is that the truth is out there. I’ll get someone to look into this matter and check out the place where Harrison allegedly sent the postcard from.”“Thank you so much, Nini. I’m very grateful that you’ve helped me uncover so much. By the way, there’s a two-year period mentioned in the postcard, and that day is coming soon. I’m thinking of going to Avenport and waiting at his house to try my luck.”“Sure, I’ll make the necessary arrangements. Xavier and I live in Avenport, so you can depend on us once you’re there.”“Thank you. I’ll start packing up now,” Sebastian said before striding off.Unfortunately, he had barely left for a few minutes when Yolanda marched back into the room with a grim expression.“Winnie Garland. What’s the meaning of this?”Winnie furrowed her brows. “What do you mean by that?”“Did you persuade my grandfather to go to Avenport? Other people who had come to him to learn or seek medical treatment have had to stay in Yaleview. You, however, decided to make things convenient for yourself and lured Grandpa to your place. Tell me. Is that why you’re looking into my brother’s disappearance?”“That has never been my intention,” Winnie retorted. “Even before this, we’ve already made plans to stay here long-term for Xavier’s treatment. If Master wants to go to Avenport, I’ll arrange it for him. If and when he wishes to return to Yaleview, I’ll also be more than happy to make the arrangements.”“What makes you think I’ll believe that? It’s all just too much of a coincidence! Who knows what ulterior motives you have…”“Indeed, it’s very coincidental, but I can’t explain how fate can sometimes work in the most mysterious ways. If you’re worried about your grandfather, you can always tag along. Since you’re his granddaughter, I’ll make sure you settle in nicely in Avenport too.”Needless to say, Yolanda wasn’t willing to do as Winnie suggested.I don’t want to give in to her wishes, but then again, it might not be a bad idea to go to Avenport. Nate has been telling me he’s too busy to visit me in Yaleview, so why don’t I go to him instead? After all, he lives there! He won’t be able to run away from me anymore!Just like that, the plan of going to Avenport was finalized, and everyone began packing for the trip.Winnie and Xavier didn’t have much to pack, especially since the latter had bought a mansion in Yaleview where they could leave their luggage behind.They left Yaleview that afternoon and arrived in Avenport a little after eight at night.Even though Winnie had already booked a hotel stay for Yolanda and Sebastian, the latter was too eager to visit Harrison’s condominium.Not wanting to go against her master’s