My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash and Hera) novel Chapter 1936

"Hello? Mr. Melton?" Zaafea answered Clint's call, still half-asleep.

"What happened to you yesterday?" Clint shouted. "You just disappeared, and I couldn't reach you."

Zaafea yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I was just avoiding you to dodge the medical bills. I don't have any money, so I thought I should lay low for a while."

"Medical bills? Do you think I care about that? Where did you go? Let's continue!" Clint demanded excitedly.

"Please give me a break, Mr. Melton. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"No way! Do you realize what day it is? We need to hurry!"

"Huh? It's just been a couple of days. We still have more than ten days before the summit. There's no rush, right?" Zaafea said, confused.

"There are only 12 days left! How can you not be worried? Don't you care about the fate of the Drakonia?" Clint's tone was urgent.

"It's not that... What I mean is..." Zaafea thought for a moment, trying to come up with a reason to get Clint off his back.

"Think about it, Mr. Melton. You're the third son of the Melton family. If you suddenly run away from home, won't your family worry about you? They might even turn the city upside down looking for you.

"You should go back home and check in with your parents. Don't let them worry..."

"My parents?" Clint's tone had a hint of disdain.

"Yes. Just think about it. Your family dotes on you, and your parents love you dearly. If something were to happen to you, they would be devastated. Don't you think—"

"Devastated, you say?" Clint interrupted Zaafea.

"M-Mr. Melton?" Zaafea was taken aback.

"In your understanding, parents are supposed to care deeply about their children, right?" Clint said mysteriously.

Zaafea sensed something was off in Clint's tone. "Well... not always... But generally speaking, parents do care about their children, right?"

...

The Endless Horizon Sect was now in ruins. The sect master seemed to have aged overnight.

He stood hunched over, his eyes filled with sorrow as he watched his crazed disciple. His heart was heavy with guilt and regret.

"I have failed you and the other disciples of the sect... I deserve to die... But hold on, Deluca... You'll be saved soon..."

...

Meanwhile, Zaafea arrived at the Howard Hotel in a taxi.

A group of welcoming hostesses had been waiting for him for a while with flower baskets arranged at the entrance. Zaafea walked in nonchalantly, ignoring them.

Inside, there was a man in a suit, looking sincere and honest. He had glasses and a beard. He approached Zaafea with a friendly smile.