Love Began with the First Meeting

Jerry took a gulp of air and reflected on Edgar's words. Well, it did made sense when he really thought about it. After all, Edgar did give them two thousand dollars. While Jerry was lost in his thoughts, Edgar began conversing with Henry's father excitedly. For a very short time, Edgar finally got a good grasp of everything that happened to Henry from the cradle up to his admission to the army. They talked about Henry's changes when he had grown from a rookie cadet into a veteran.

They all merrily ate lunch. The couple told them that it was the first time they had such a lively meal ever since Henry joined the army. Henry's two years of compulsory military service was coming to an end. They didn't want their son to stay in the army any longer. They believed that it would be best if Henry could switch into a voluntary soldier, which would help him land a good job after leaving the army.

The couple's words brought sternness upon Jerry's face. Switching into a volunteer soldier wasn't the point. There was a chance that Henry could be spared from criminal liabilities but it was very likely that he would be expelled from the army. A good job? Really? What good job was waiting for a deserter? He could only sigh heavily.

Edgar and Jerry had bidden the couple goodbye right after lunch. They didn't say a word until they were a few blocks away from the couple's house. Jerry sighed, "Edgar, you have a gift for probe. I'll give you that." They managed to get some information about Henry through one meal. Usually, parents were blind to their children's faults. But there was no clear distinction between Henry's personality in his parents' eyes and in Jerry's eyes.

Henry was certainly a good soldier. Jerry couldn't understand why a good soldier such as him chose to be a deserter.

Edgar stopped in his tracks and looked around their surroundings. "We can't let Henry get home. We need to stop him here." There was a reason why Henry had deserted. Whatever it might be, Edgar decided to keep Henry's desertion a secret from his parents for now. Jerry was internally applauding Edgar's investigative skills so he had no qualms with Edgar's decision, although they didn't exactly go by the book.

Edgar and Henry had explored the area and found a place to stay for the night. Somewhere they could immediately see Henry if he ever appeared. They waited for two days and there was no trace of Henry, not even his shadow.

"Something isn't right." Edgar frowned. "He took the last train that day. He should have arrived here last night, at the very least."

"I'll look into it," Jerry said, trying to hide his worry.

Edgar nodded. Jerry was transferred to the armored brigade ten years ago. Before that, he used to be a scout. Henry was his soldier. If Jerry wanted to find him, it couldn't be that hard.

"It'd be better if we split up," Edgar said, his eyes looking through the window in the direction of Henry's house. "There are three possibilities. One, Henry didn't come back to B City, which is very unlikely. Two, he is too mortified to see his parents. Well, we still need to consider another possibility." He turned to look at Jerry. "Third, He had sensed that something was off so he didn't show up."

"Wait! How could that be?" Jerry asked in disbelief. His eyes widened.

Edgar simply smiled, "Well, you tell me. You, of all people, should know that. He's your soldier." With that, he went to the sofa and gathered his coat and cellphone. "Keep me informed." Then before he left, he told Jerry, "Don't involve the police or the military. Keep it between us. I don't want any accidents to happen.'

Jerry nodded, "Got it. He's my soldier. I don't want anything bad happen to him either."

At the same time, Cain swiped his screen to unlock his phone and read the message. His calm demeanor didn't change at all.

Maggie tucked the boy in carefully. Then she looked at Cain with suspicion. He had been looking at the same message for a long time but he didn't reply. Maggie was keen for detail. What she had noticed sparked her interest for this enigma of a man. Cain was a puzzle to her. She was darting to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together to get the whole picture. She wanted to know everything about him.

"The hospital abroad is ready to take them in," Cain said flatly. "If everything goes smoothly, the boy and his mother will be transferred there by tomorrow morning."

"Why are you so nice to them, Cain?" It wasn't the first time Maggie had asked him that question.

Cain's eyes darkened a bit and he shrugged. "Maybe they just remind me of myself." He rose and put his phone back into his right pocket. "If someone had given me a hand at the time, I wouldn't have been fostered."

Maggie knew very well that Cain's parents were from Y Country. Judging by their appearances, it was easy to tell they couldn't be his biological parents. "So, are you saying..." Maggie gave Cain a questioning look. She didn't expect an answer when she asked. Then she covered her mouth and looked away in embarrassment. "I apologize. If it's too personal, no need to answer me. I'm just, you know, making a conversation with you."

"Ah. Never mind," Cain said indifferently and turned away. "I'll get their visas ready." He was already out of the ward before he could even finish his words.

Maggie could only stare blankly at the closed door for a while. Then she turned her attention back to the boy in the bed. Thank goodness that his injury wasn't that serious. He survived the accident with only a few scrapes. His mother did her best to protect him. Unfortunately, he had been mentally unstable after the accident. This didn't sit well. His trauma might haunt him and make him unstable for the rest of his life.

Fortunately, Cain had decided to send them abroad for a better treatment. One was physically injured and the other had emotional trauma. A different set of surroundings would be best for the both of them.

Maggie clasped her hands together and prayed for their well-being. Life just seemed too fragile that anything could happen so fast. She had no idea would happen in the next second.

She sat down in a chair and pulled her phone from her pocket. She wanted to call Edgar but immediately stopped herself. She would be breaking the rules and it would be inconsiderate of her. A sad smile flashed on her face as she stared at Edgar's name on her phone. For a moment, she had thought of what Cain said. She shook her head to collect her thoughts and her fingers tightened around her phone. Her heart was starting to be filled with fear and worry.

She shouldn't be swayed by Cain's words or else, she would turn out to be a terrible woman. A woman could be willful but she shouldn't distract men with such trifles when they were working.

Maggie put her phone back into her pocket without removing hand. A battle of emotions raged inside her. 'Should I call him or not? Maybe I am being a bother but I miss him so bad!'

Finally, she got her resolve and took out her phone again. She didn't call Edgar but sent him a text message instead.

'I love you, Edgar, I miss you.'

It was a short message but it was full of love and longing. At this very moment, she had no idea how many surprises the message would bring her in the future and how she would be affected by these surprises. Meanwhile, Edgar stealthily approached a house.

It didn't took too long for him to find out where Henry was hiding. He managed to get a clue within half a day. He took a deep breath, held it down, and pressed his ear tightly against the door. Silence. Just pure eerie silence. He had observed that the lights and TV in the living room were on before he got up here.

Edgar frowned and squinted to get a better look. He took out a paperclip from his pocket, straightened it, and then pushed it into the door's keyhole.

With a small click, the door was finally open. Edgar pushed it slowly and was shocked when he slid inside the room.

At the middle of the hall, Henry had his hands and feet bound to a chair, his mouth covered with duct tape, and his eyes bulged widely when he saw Edgar, as if they were screaming "Help me!"

Edgar didn't rush up towards Henry and checked around. There was uncertainty in the air even if the house appeared to be safe.

Everything seemed normal, as if nothing was around. Edgar felt his heartbeats quickened as he went to Henry's side. He ripped the tape off Henry's mouth and asked, "Who did this to you?" Henry was gasping for air as he replied, "It was..."

BANG! Henry's words were cut off. His eyes widened with fear as a bullet slammed into his body.

Edgar quickly grabbed his gun from his holster and turned around. ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐