REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 95: Why are you doing all of this?

The drive to Crelou took about an hour and a half. For most of it, Adrian sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the window as the city slowly gave way to quieter roads and smaller houses.

Harris was unusually silent behind the wheel. Every so often, he glanced over at Adrian, then quickly looked away again.

When they finally drove into a street, Harris slowed down and checked the address again, his eyes moving between the characters on the gate and the one on his phone. After confirming it, he brought the car to a stop in front of a modest house that looked peaceful and green.

They both got out of the car and Harris moved ahead to open the gate. They walked up the short path toward the front door but before they could reach it, the door suddenly opened and a small girl peeked out.

The moment Harris saw her, his expression changed immediately. His brows pulled together and his lips pressed into a thin line as if he had just seen something very bothersome.

The girl looked at him for a long time, her eyes scanning his face carefully, and then she made a strange little face at him before turning her attention to Adrian without hesitation.

"Scary Suit Uncle," she said brightly, as if she had been waiting all day to say it. "You’re here. Grandpa said you were coming, so I made you tea."

Harris stepped forward quickly, clearly offended. "You this naughty girl, move aside."

The girl ignored him completely. Her eyes shifted past him and landed on the car behind the gate, her attention was fully taken by it.

"Zia," a voice called from inside the house.

"Okay, coming," she answered quickly, then turned back to them and stepped aside. "Come in."

As they walked in, she glanced at Harris again. "Why do you like disturbing grandpa with calls?" she asked casually.

Harris stopped mid-step, his eyes widening a little. "You–"

"You talk too much," she added without waiting. "Grandpa says you talk more than necessary."

The room went quiet for a second.

Harris slowly turned his head toward the sitting room where Mr. Gorden was seated on a couch. When their eyes met, the old man gave a small knowing smile before looking away again as if he had said nothing at all.

Zia rolled her eyes and turned away. "Let me go bring tea."

"Who’ll drink your tea." Harris huffed and stared at her back as she walked away, clearly holding back several words that he decided not to say.

Adrian had already moved ahead and stepped into the sitting room. His steps slowed, then stopped completely as his eyes settled on the man sitting on the couch.

Mr. Gorden looked smaller than the last time but his eyes were still the same. "Sit down," he said calmly.

Adrian’s gaze shifted a bit, then he walked forward and sat on the couch opposite him. Harris stood rooted to the ground for a moment longer, before finally walking over and sitting at the far end of the couch.

Zia returned shortly after with a tray of tea. She placed it carefully on the small table in front of them. She then moved to the corner of the room and sat on a small stool, picking up a doll beside her.

"Zia," Mr Gorden said looking at her with a knowing look but she had already shifted her attention to the doll on her lap.

"I’m just playing with Princess Zibby." she said immediately.

"Your mom might need you at home. Quickly go meet her."

"No she won’t, she is busy and told me not to bother her." she said, adjusting the doll in her hands.

Mr. Gorden looked at her and shook his head lightly, then simply turned back to Adrian without arguing further.

Zia continued playing quietly, though it looked as if her ears were paying attention to everything.

Mr. Gorden picked up his tea, took a slow sip, and set the cup down again before looking at Adrian. "Thank you for coming," he said.

"You asked," Adrian replied calmly.

"I half expected you to send someone," Mr. Gorden said, gesturing toward Harris but Adrian said nothing.

A faint movement touched the corner of Mr. Gorden’s mouth, something close to amusement. "But you came yourself," he said. He then reached beside his chair and lifted a cloth bag that looked old but well kept. He placed it on the table and opened it, taking out a folded blanket. The fabric was worn at the edges and its color faded with time, yet it was still perfectly intact.

"You know what this is," he said, looking at Adrian.

"Hmm," Adrian replied.

Mr. Gorden nodded and slowly flipped the blanket over. Inside a fold, he showed a spot where the stitching looked messy and bumpy. "I found it two weeks ago when I was going through the things. You know,"

He reached into the bag again and brought out a small folded piece of cloth, placing it beside the blanket. "I opened the stitching." He said and shook his head lightly. "I had seen this blanket for years, but I never thought to look closely."

Adrian leaned forward and picked up the small fabric. He unfolded it carefully. It was small, no larger than his palm, and the material matched the blanket exactly. Faint characters could be seen on it, worn but still visible.

Harris leaned slightly to the side in curiosity.

"Can you read it?" Mr. Gorden asked.

"Some of it," Adrian said quietly. "There’s a seal."

"A seal?"

Adrian studied it with a concentrated expression for a long moment, then he opened his mouth a bit. "I’ve seen this before." he muttered.

"Where?"

"In some documents." He replied casually.

"Someone might have put it there on purpose," Harris suddenly chiped in. "Probably.. whoever wrapped her in this blanket wanted this to be found one day."

In the corner, Zia had stopped playing. The doll rested on her lap as she stared at them with bright eyes.

Not long after, Harris’s phone rang and he stepped outside to take the call. Zia followed him almost immediately, curiosity pulling her along.

Mr. Gorden picked up his tea again and took a small sip. His gaze moved over to Adrian who was still holding the fabric.

"Can I ask you something?" he said while Adrian gave a small nod in reply.

"Why are you doing all of this?" He asked.

Adrian looked up at him.

"The hospital. The arrangements. Coming here. Looking into her past," Mr. Gorden continued. "Why?"