“Mom! Dad!” When Hailey saw that her parents were safe. and sound, she threw herself at them in joy.
Conversely, the sight of his daughter’s return had Santiago thunder with fury lining his face, “Didn’t I tell Autumn to take you away? Why did you come back?”
“Exactly! Why did you come back? I just tricked Brad to leave a moment ago. Hurry up and flee!” Roanna likewise urged. “Mom, Dad, I returned with Jared.”
No sooner had she said that than Jared walked in with Cecilia and the others. Santiago was a touch taken aback to see the man, perplexed about the reason for his visit to Gate of Thunder’s secret realm.
“Why are you here at Gate of Thunder’s secret realm, Jared?” he questioned in puzzlement. “I’m here to look for my mother,” Jared answered frankly.
Hearing that, Hailey was wholly stunned. She had thought that the man was there for her. Even Santiago wore an expression of mystification, not quite comprehending why Jared would come to Gate of Thunder’s secret realm in search of his mother.
“To look for your mother? Who’s your mother?” he asked. “My mother is Beatrice Deragon. She’s here at Violet Cloud Palace, isn’t she?” Jared replied..
Boom! The moment Santiago heard that, it was as though he had been struck by lightning. He froze on the spot. Never had it crossed his mind that Beatrice would be Jared’s mother. On the contrary, Hailey interjected in bemusement, “There isn’t anyone named Beatrice Deragon here at Violet Cloud Palace, no?”
While she was oblivious, the same could not be said for Roanna. The latter knew that Santiago once wanted to marry someone else, and that was none other than the heiress of the Deragon family, Beatrice Deragon.
She bore her eyes into her husband. Meanwhile, Santiago’s mind had gone blank right then. A long time passed before he gathered his wits about him and exclaimed incredulously, “I never thought that you’d be Beatrice’s son. How unexpected!”
“Where are you confining my mother?” Jared demanded icily, the look on his face grim. He had no idea about his mother’s life at Violet Cloud Palace. For that reason, he had been harboring a sense of hostility toward Santiago. Santiago glanced at his wife. When he met her chilly gaze, such terror struck him that he trembled violently.
However, things had already come to the point of no return. Jared was already at his doorstep, and he would no longer be able to protect Beatrice with Violet Cloud Palace facing the threat of destruction. Thus, he gritted his teeth and uttered, “Come with me.”
With that said, he strode out. Jared followed behind, inwardly excited beyond words because he would soon see his biological mother. Ever since he learned about her identity, he dreamed about her and fantasized about the scene of meeting her multiple times..
He was finally going to be able to see his mother. Due to his emotional state, slight tremors ran through him. Cecilia stepped forward and held his hand lightly. She said nothing, for she merely wanted to soothe his emotions by doing so.
Roanna and Hailey tagged along as well. Santiago led them out of the Violet Cloud Palace before heading southwest. As they went further away from Violet Cloud Palace, a snowcapped mountain gradually came into view.
Shortly after, they arrived at a cave that was obviously man-made. A piece of land had been artificially cleared in front of the mouth of the cave. In a corner, there was also a hot spring with steam wafting out. Coming to a stop, Santiago turned to Jared and murmured, “Your mother is in there…”
After saying that, he fell to his knees before Roanna. “I didn’t do anything, Roanna! Back then, Beatrice was sent here by the Deragon family, and I later arranged for her to stay here. I’ve never come over.”
The fact that he knelt down to his wife in public was evidence of his fear of her.
Nonetheless, Jared had not the presence of mind to watch the show. Trembling slightly, he slowly walked toward the cave.
