Captive Hearts: The Tycoon's Ugly Bride

Chapter 38 He Went Missing Before

Chapter 38 He Went Missing Before

Blanche glanced in Tammy's direction and realized that Tammy was actually looking at her. Blanche took the drink halfheartedly and held the glass as she took a few steps absent-mindedly.

By chance, she noticed Eric finishing up a conversation with someone his own age, so she changed direction and walked toward Eric.

"Hi, Blanche."

"Eric, I want to ask you about something. Is Louis at odds with Henry?"

Eric put his hand in his pocket and, upon hearing her question, hesitated for a moment before looking at Henry who was socializing.

"You mean that guy? He's not only at odds with Louis but also with me. Well, we can say that he hates our guts."

Blanche was bewildered and wondered, "That guy? Eric is so nice to Louis, but he called Henry that guy. Why?"

She asked, "Why? You're cousins of the same family, aren't you?"

"Blanche, why are you asking about him? He's just trash. You know what? When he was three years old, he got lost. He didn't return to the Herbart family until he was sixteen, and when he came back, he brought all the bad habits back with him. My brother and I both have bad tempers, but that guy is just worse."

Eric's face twisted in conflict as if he really didn't want to talk about Henry. However, seeing Blanche's curiosity, he continued.

"Grandmother felt guilty towards him, thinking that he went through a lot of hardship while he was away. She wanted us to get along with him. At first, we tried to accommodate him as much as possible."

Blanche was puzzled. "He got lost? How did that happen?"

"When Aunt Flora was pregnant with him, Uncle Bernart couldn't control his impulses and had an affair with another woman. Aunt Flora was very angry and made a scene, thinking that her son caused her to lose Uncle Bernart's love. After that guy was born, Uncle Bernart still didn't change his ways, so Aunt Flora became increasingly uninterested in her son. When that guy was three years old, Aunt Flora took him to a mall. She saw Uncle Bernart hugging another woman and then left her son alone to argue with Uncle Bernart. When Aunt Flora came back, that guy was gone. He was lost for thirteen years after that."

Blanche widened her eyes in shock. Henry had actually gone missing when he was only three years old. She had heard many stories about lost children, and all of them were heartbreaking.

"It's really strange. As soon as he went missing, our family began the search for him. They spent enormous amounts of money and resources, but it took them a whole 13 years to find him in a small border town."

Something came to Blanche's mind as she glanced over at Henry, who was in the distance. The Herbarts were so powerful and well-informal. It was really strange that it took them 13 years to find a person. She thought that perhaps Henry never wanted to return to the Herbart family in the first place.

Eric scratched the back of his head and continued, "When he came back, he was a troubled teenager. He had marks all over his body from fights and hatred in his eyes when he looked at us. Grandmother told Louis and me to be more accommodating toward him, and we went along with it. After all, it was obvious he had experienced a lot of hardship outside."

Blanche nodded, listening intently.

"But it turned out that it was all for nothing. Our relationship deteriorated completely in the end because of my stupid mistake. When he came back to our family, he brought a broken bowl that he treasured and used to eat every day. One day, I secretly picked up the bowl to take a look out of curiosity. Tragically, he suddenly appeared and stared at me with a withering look. I was so scared that my legs went weak, and I dropped the bowl, shattering it into two pieces. Before I could have a chance to apologize, he came over and kicked me in the ribs as hard as he could."

Eric's face darkened increasingly as he spoke and recalled the painful experience of having his ribs broken.

"Unfortunately, the elders weren't home that day. If Louis hadn't heard the commotion and rushed over, I would have been killed or seriously injured. When Louis arrived, my ribs were already broken, and I was writhing in pain on the ground. Then, Louis and that guy fought each other with chairs. Only then did I realize that it was such a fierce scene when two skilled people fought against each other. I lay on the ground, watching as they fought each other and refused to yield. Even when one of them was down, they would grit their teeth and get back up to continue the fight, like two lions in the forest."

"When the servants found it out that day, the two of them were rolling around on the ground, glaring at each other, and grabbing each other by the necks. The servants tried hard to pull them away."

Eric sighed, "In the end, all three of us were sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, and from that moment on, I knew that both of them were extremely domineering and wouldn't give in."

One hill could not shelter two tigers, and the Herbart family was bound not to be peaceful.

Blanche became more and more engrossed in listening to the story. She couldn't believe that these three young men almost lost their lives because of a bowl.

"Later on, I accidentally overheard a conversation between my grandmother and the butler and got to know a little bit about that guy. After he went missing, a woman found him and took him in. But that woman wasn't exactly a respectable woman; she made a living by having sex with men and drank heavily. However, she treated him quite well, not only providing him with food and clothing but also sending him to school."

When it came to Henry's foster mother, Eric lowered his voice, perhaps considering her embarrassing profession.

"But all he did at school was make money by fighting for others. I guess that no matter how well that woman treated him, under such circumstances, his mindset was already distorted."

"Shortly after he came back, the woman fell ill and sent him a letter, which my grandmother intercepted. But he still saw the letter and went crazy, wanting to find that woman. My grandmother refused, even when he went on a hunger strike for half a month. One day, he suddenly changed a lot and began to work very hard. I have to say that he had a lot of talent. He braved all difficulties and entered a famous medical university. During his internship, he was so remarkable that he was highly regarded by the hospital director and became his favorite student. But I still can't understand him. A year ago, he left the hospital and returned to our family."

After listening to Eric, Blanche was stunned. A year ago, Henry suddenly stopped being a doctor.

"Is his foster mother still alive?" asked Blanche.

Eric shook his head. "She passed away a long time ago. However, he only found out about it a year ago because my grandmother had been keeping it from him."

Blanche sighed. It seemed that Henry's decision to study medicine was related to his foster mother. After he found out that she had passed away, all his beliefs crumbled.

"I told you to go and deliver the wine. Why are you still here? You're just utterly useless. Hurry up, or I'll ask Mrs. Herbart to come and teach you a lesson!" Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Cathy suddenly appeared, with her arms crossed in front of her chest, bossing Blanche around. "Blanche is really annoying. I asked her to deliver the wine to Louis, yet she has been chatting with Eric for a long time here. Although this woman married Louis, she doesn't seem to care about him at all," thought Cathy.

Blanche rolled her eyes and was very annoyed. "What's wrong with her? If she's in such a hurry to deliver the wine, she should go and do it herself. Why does she push me?" complained Blanche silently.

She looked at Eric and said, "I'll go and deliver the wine first."

Blanche had hoped to learn more about Henry's story, but Cathy was there, so, she decided to deliver the wine as Cathy asked first.