100 Days to Seduce the Devil

Day Twenty…

~~*****~~

Old Man Xu decided to pay a visit to his son and grandson. He just felt like seeing them today. After getting that package, he had a lot on his mind.

Old Man Xu's sudden arrival surprised everyone including Abigail. They were having dinner when Old Man Xu appeared.

"May I join you?" Old Man Xu asked them with a wide smile on his face. He was masking his troubles with that smile.

"Grandpa!" Little Ethan jumped off his seat and ran in his grandpa's direction. He was glad to see him.

Old Man Xu bent down and hugged his grandson. Then he glanced at his son, Nathan. He just nodded at him as they greeted each other through their eye-to-eye contact.

Abigail just remained silent in her seat. She suddenly felt uneasy with the Patriarch's presence. The two of them had a little conflict before involving Chef Min and Nathan's allergy incident.

Old Man Xu just spared Abigail one glance before he sat down next to Ethan's chair. The old man frowned as he watched the three of them together in one dining area.

'Why do I feel like they are a family of three?' Old Man Xu shrugged his shoulders at that thought. He didn't know why he got this weird idea. Oh well, the woman sitting with them was just an outsider. But Little Ethan was so fond of her.

'Oh, my poor grandson… he is longing for a mother's love. This might be the reason why he wants this strange woman to stay in the mansion with them.' Old Man Xu sighed deeply. He turned at his grandson and gently patted his head.

"You look so tired, Grandpa! You should eat more!" Little Ethan put some food on Old Man Xu's plate.

The old man could only smile, feeling so touched. His cute little grandson was very thoughtful. This was one of the reasons he loved spoiling his grandson. He loved him so much.

As he watched the little boy, Old Man Xu remembered the note of the mysterious sender. His expression changed, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

'I will not let that guy ruin my family with his lies!' Old Man Xu thought to himself.

"Grandpa, are you mad? Don't you like the food I put on your plate?" Ethan asked his grandpa when he saw his dark expression. He misunderstood his grandpa, thinking that Old Man Xu became unhappy with the food he served on his plate since the old man's expression grew hard.

"No! No! Grandson… I'm not angry. I just recalled some concerns in the company. That's what makes me upset." Old Man Xu said as an excuse.

Nathan tossed a look at his father. He was observing him. It seemed like he was troubled by something. 'Problem in the company? Why am I not informed about that?'

On the other hand, Abigail just continued eating. She avoided looking at Old Man Xu. She could tell that the old man was not in the mood so it was better to stay away from trouble. She chose to act invisible in front of the Mighty Patriarch.

'I wonder if I am the reason why he looks mad.' Abigail bit her lower lip. In her mind, she should get on the good side of Old Man Xu because he was Nathan's father.

"Okay, grandpa. Just forget about those concerns otherwise, you will lose your appetite. Let's enjoy our meal together!" Little Ethan continued to console his grandpa.

Old Man Xu could only bob his head obediently and smiled at his cute, sweet, and charming grandson… the apple of his eye.

With that, the four of them just enjoyed the meal. Fortunately, Ethan was there to entertain everyone. Without his presence, the atmosphere in the dining area would become so awkward once Nathan, Old Man Xu, and Abigail faced each other… just the three of them.

When the dinner was done, Old Man Xu summoned his son to the balcony. He wanted to talk to him alone. The father and son duo proceeded outside, leaving Abigail and Ethan inside the house.

"Are you worried about something?" Nathan asked his father, feeling curious. His father seldom visited them just to talk to him. He usually comes to Sparks Mansion to see Ethan, not him.

"Are you in trouble?" Nathan rephrased his question.

Old Man Xu just maintained his serious expression. "I heard you got hurt in Country F. Have you caught the culprit? Do you have clue about the culprit?"

"Axel is still in Country F, investigating. We haven't found out yet who the culprit is and the motive for attacking me. He would have killed me but he just left me after I fell unconscious. But he used a poisoned dagger." Nathan said truthfully.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?" Old Man Xu lamented.

"I could deal with it… so there was no need to inform you," Nathan answered blatantly.

"So you don't have a clue yet?" Old Man Xu asked again to confirm.

"Yeah… no clue yet. He is good at erasing his trace," Nathan added.

Old Man Xu fell silent. He already had clue. The culprit was the one blackmailing him, sending various notes related to Monica and his revenge.

He was contemplating whether he would mention or not the mysterious guy who knew something in the past. He had Nathan's pictures when he got hurt. It was proof that the same guy had something to do with Nathan's attack.

But deep down, Old Man Xu wanted to keep this a secret from Nathan. As much as possible, he would like to deal with this alone.

Well, like father like son. Just a while ago, he scolded Nathan for not telling him about what happened in Country F. But now, he was the one keeping a secret from him. Someone was blackmailing him using Monica.

Old Man Xu didn't want this to become the source of conflict and misunderstanding between Nathan and him. He knew Nathan well. When it came to Monica, he would never listen to him.

'Fine. I will be the one to catch this culprit. I must find him before Nathan does!' Old Man Xu had a resolution in mind.

"Now, tell me what's going on? Why do you look distracted… and problematic a while ago? I feel like you have something important to tell me but you are hesitating." Nathan's voice snapped Old Man Xu back to the present.

"It's nothing. I'm just worried about you and my grandson. Please heighten the security. Assign more bodyguards who will accompany Ethan at all times, including you! Be careful!" Old Man Xu reminded his son with a concerned look on his aged face. He held Nathan's shoulder.

Nathan just sighed deeply. He didn't force his father to say something more. He could tell that the old man was so determined to keep silent.

"If there is nothing more, then let's go back inside. Just sleep here tonight and accompany Ethan. He will be glad to bond with his grandpa."

At the mention of Ethan's name, Old Man Xu's expression brightened up. The light in his eyes came back and a gentle smile reappeared on his face.

"Yeah. Thank you for inviting me. I thought you would send me away without asking me to stay." Old Man Xu chuckled, patting his son's back.

Nathan just rolled his eyes. After a while, the father and son duo went back inside the house, joining Abigail and Ethan in the living room.

*****

Meanwhile, at Red Dragon Mafia's Headquarters, two men were also talking about a very serious matter.

Spade reported to Dragon Lord his interaction with Black Rose.

"My Lord! I finally talked to Black Rose. I offered her the proposal you've told me before," Spade said cheerfully to his Big Boss.

The Dragon Lord seemed so happy to hear that good news.

"So what did she say? Is she accepting our collaboration? Is she willing to become our ally?"

Spade bobbed his head frantically. "Yes, my Lord. She agreed but on one condition… we have to do something for her."

"Okay. I already expected that. What is her demand?" The Dragon Lord asked him expectantly, his eyes filled with anticipation. He was confident that he could give her what she wanted.

"Phantomflake! She wanted us to find out Phantomflake's whereabouts. The location where Syphiruz Mafia is holding her captive!" Spade declared to him.

The Dragon Lord was taken aback for a moment at the mention of Phantomflake's name. A whirlwind of emotions came flashing in his eyes.

"Phantomflake? What do you mean by that? She is already dead, right?"

"I am also wondering why. But Black Rose said we have to find out the truth. She wants us to find her… she believes that Phantomflake is alive and the Supreme Leader of Syphiruz is keeping her as a hostage?" Spade informed him.

"What? Phantomflake is still alive?!" Dragon Lord didn't know if he would feel glad or not.

"Yes, My Lord. We have to find her in Syhiruz's hideout. This is the only way Black Rose will help us out!"

The Dragon Lord didn't give his answer right away. He was still undecided about this. If she was alive then maybe the Syphiruz Mafia was torturing her… making her life miserable.

"Alright! Let's find her. If we have to get her out of the Syphiruz Hideout, then we will do it as long as Black Rose will work with us to bring down Syphiruz Mafia!" the Dragon Lord finally made his decision.