Chapter 509

Eight years ago, Ventropolis was nothing more than a run–down district. Unruly elements and motley crew filled the streets. There were no eyewitnesses or surveillance footage of the events from that time.

However, Zach had never stopped searching for them for the past eight years. Sending Jadie abroad was not only because of her asthma but also to let her leave, allowing her to forget everything and start anew.

“Ah!” Jadie let out a piercing scream. When Zach entered the ward, he found Jadie holding her head and huddled in a comer, trembling and with a vacant expression.

“Z–Zach, where are you?” Jadie’s voice quivered.

Zach crouched ahead of her and gently held her in his arms, saying, “It’s okay.”

Zach’s voice provided warmth, stabilizing Jadie’s emotions. Smelling the tobacco on his body, her grip around his waist tightened even more. “Z–Zach, I had a terrifying nightmare. I’m so scared. I dreamed that I was covered in blood. It was so painful. I tried to find you, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find you. The orphanage director said you didn’t want me anymore.”

“It’s just a dream, not reality,” Zach said as he pulled open the curtain beside her. It was already daylight. “It’s already morning, and I have arranged for your discharge. I’ll take you home now.”

Jadie shivered, clutching at Zach’s shirt. “But I feel like that dream happened for real. It was terrifying.”

Zach caressed her hair, comforting the trembling girl in his arms. When Jadie calmed down, her complexion had improved significantly. She quietly held Zach’s hand and walked out of the hospital with him. Sitting in the passenger seat, Zach helped fasten her seatbelt. The car then drove smoothly to Grand Court.

Zach cleaned up the bloodstains on the floor. Exhausted after the eventful night, he only managed to get four hours of sleep before going to the company. Rosario was still hospitalized for chemotherapy, leaving no one to care for Jadie at home. So, Zach had no choice but to bring her along to the company.

Madelyn arrived at school and was surprised by Jadie’s week–long absence. Yvonne had also become one of the two absent individuals along with Jadie.

Yvonne came from a wealthy and successful family in business. Her family groomed her as the heir, so studying was just an extra task for her. Moreover, she had a natural talent for studying, just like Kennedy. Madelyn had no other strength apart from her diligent memorization and extensive practice of exercises. Besides drawing, she knew nothing else.

Kennedy and Lemn provided Madelyn with a list of potential questions that might appear on the college entrance exam. Plus, Kennedy was a top scorer. With their help, the exam became much easier to handle. As Lem said, she might really become the top scorer in this year’s college entrance exam since Kennedy was not planning to participate.

Time passed quickly, and life remained unusually calm. The entrance exam for the Ventropolis College of Art was about to begin. Only a few people at school knew about her participation in this exam.

Except for Kennedy and Lem, she had also informed Mya.

The two–hour break at Ventrocloud High School coincided with Madelyn’s exam time. She took this exam as a trial. Besides, Professor Leonardo himself recommended her for this test. It was because of the competition she participated in that she happened to meet him. She might not have had this opportunity if she did not take part in that competition Ventropolis College of Art had stricter admission criteria than other schools and did not accept just anyone Kennedy drove her to the school gate for the exam.