“You’re right. I can do anything for Christopher.” I placed my hand on my heart and cast a gentle gaze downward. My eyes were smiling. “Having met Christopher is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. He’s the one who made me realize the purpose of this life. He’s my source of hope, my motivation. Come what may, I’m not afraid. I’ll do anything for him.”
Lyle was astounded. He guffawed at my expression. “I’m jealous of Christopher. Maybe you’ll find this amusing, but I really envy him. Yvonne, would you do the same if it was me who had gone missing?”
Why is he asking another hypothetical question? If he had asked me the same question back then, I’d refute him without any hesitation. However, he has helped me tremendously this time. Christopher and I owe him one. I changed my tone of voice and answered politely, “You don’t understand. You probably have never tried to get to know the real me.”
I added, “I’m kind to whoever that’s kind to me. Just like how you saved me when I was pushed into the pool. At that time, I told myself that I’ll treat you with utmost gratitude because you saved me when I hit rock bottom.”
I continued, “When Crystal set me up, resulting in me being abducted, Christopher was the one who saved me right before I was assaulted by the thugs. Without him, I don’t exist. I won’t get to be a new school artist nor have the chance to produce the Autumnal Panorama. Lyle, thanks for everything. Let’s continue to be friends henceforth.”
Lyle looked up and gulped down a bottle of water. He held the back of his head and chuckled. Moments later, he said, “Forget about being friends. Let’s do something more practical. Once we get Christopher out of here, you can get him to offer the Smiths more profitable projects as a way to repay me. It’s nice to be a businessman. One can do anything that benefits him.”
Lyle probably doesn’t want to befriend me for I’ve seen him at his worst. Oh well, let it be. This may be the best for both of us. I nodded. “Sure. You’re Christopher’s savior. I bet the Lane family will undoubtedly give you a satisfactory response.”
“What about you?” Looking at me, he suddenly changed the topic.
I froze and frowned at the same time. “You know how much I have. What else can I give you? List it all down.”
He fixed his gaze at me. “Paint me a portrait. Didn’t you paint one for Christopher at the National Youth Art Exhibition and Contest? I want one too. His was entitled ‘Hope’. Mine shall be called ‘Surreal’.”
“Okay!”
The remaining journey was extremely challenging. We had to walk on uneven ground; some were hard whereas the others were soft sand. Each step required a lot of effort, especially when night fell. I had lost count of how long I had been walking.
Before arriving at the last oasis, I heard a few gunshots. I stopped in my tracks. I recalled Sean mentioned something about Christopher being chased by a rival, but the latter was like a headless chicken in the desert.
Our luck was much better, and our direction was accurate. Yes, Christopher must be there at the oasis! I ran toward it as fast as I could, but Lyle stopped me at once. “Hang on. You’re going to get killed if you act rashly. Let’s wait and see.”
I was so anxious. I could not wait another second! Anyhow, Lyle was right. I took a peek at the situation far ahead and strode a few steps forward. The gunshots were no longer heard, so I presumed the fight had ended.
Shortly after, I saw a few loud men retreat from the hill. They were speaking in a dialect that I did not understand. Hence, I had no idea what was going on. I decided to hide behind a huge rock. Right when I stuck my head out to check my surrounding, a gun was aimed at my forehead. The cold muzzle then moved to my temple. As I looked up, I was met with a pair of ferocious eyes.
