The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

Henry and Peter moved to the room next door. Henry settled into a chair, while Peter stood awkwardly until Henry waved him down. "Sit, sit!"

"Right." Peter took a seat, his voice urgent. "Dad, we can't put off dealing with mom's illness any longer."

Henry's gaze was piercing as he finally spoke. "Do you think you can get Anna to come back?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I'd say there's a seventy percent chance."

Nancy was Tania's mother, after all. She would not just stand by and watch her mother's health decline. If anything happened to Nancy, the guilt would haunt Tania forever.

Peter got Tania. She was the kind of girl who seemed to breeze through life, tough as nails and acting like nothing could touch her. However, deep down, her yearning for a real family connection was as real as it got.

Once upon a time, her foster mom and boyfriend betrayed her, and she went all out for payback. However, it was her foster dad, Christian, who helped her let go of the grudge. Christian did a stellar job raising her.

If it had not been for that big mix-up between them, Tania would not have ditched her kin and bolted to who knows where.

Peter figured that no matter how much Tania might despise him, she would not let their old mess-up keep her from checking in on Nancy.

She had stayed away those past three years partly to avoid him, sure, but also because she knew Nancy was in good hands with Henry.

Henry took a deep breath, his eyes shut tight, and let out a heavy sigh. "Look, I don't know what went down between you and Anna, but you really dropped the ball with her back then. If Anna does show up and she's not into... well, being with you, you can't push her." Peter's hands balled into fists, his brow knotted, and he stayed quiet for a good while.

"Peter, Anna's all grown up. If she doesn't want to..."

"Okay!" Peter cut in, nodding firmly. "As long as she comes back, that's all that matters!" He could not sweat the small stuff.

"You've probably heard from

Charles, my third uncle might be heading back, and with Anna out

there, I'm worried sick!" Peter paused, collecting his thoughts. "If she's somewhere I can keep an eye on her, I can make sure she's safe!"

Henry had some impression of Peter's third uncle. From what he remembered the uncle was not that much older than Peter. Word had it that backin the day, it was because

of Sir Lennon that he got is

in a romantic entanglement,

after that... Henry's memory was hazy, but he did remember the uncle vanishing. Then he was back,

probably because of some business

with the Lennon Group.

"How am I supposed to trust you? Anna was with you, and you couldn't keep her safe." That was the heart of Henry's beef with Peter.

Peter's brow creased with determination. "I'll give it everything I've got. As long as I'm around, Anna will be too!"

"Alright, I'll be waiting for your good news. But even Charles doesn't have a clue where Anna is, how will you..."

"I've got my methods." Peter stood, glancing at the clock. "It's getting late."

Henry gave a nod. "Head on back."

Peter had arrived with a heavy heart and left the same way.

His meeting with Henry had not been a showdown, but it had still drained Peter. He was not one to back down from anyone, but with Henry, he had to tread carefully.

Stepping out of the hospital, Peter

།

slid into his car and was surprised to see Charles still hanging around. He raised an eyebrow at him. "Got nothing better to do?"