304 What Went Wrong

The reason Harvey came here was just to speak with her grandfather about a few things, they invited him for lunch which he graciously accepted.

Her plan was well thought, most of their visitors would always started despising Russel every time Gwyneth were to be hurt and started crying but what happened now? Why is it that Russel was the one being taken away while she was left there sitting on dirt?

Russel was even more bewildered by this person, she was used to people suddenly pointing fingers at her whenever her sister would do that. Yet why did this man choose to help her even taking her away from that place?

By the time she realized it, she was already sitting in his car being handed with a tissue to wipe away the sweat in her forehead.

Harvey drove to a nearby coffee shop and brought her in with her notebooks.

"In this hot weather, I think it would be best for you to study in a cozy cool place instead of a hot place like the garden, right?" he said with a smile as he handed her all of her things.

He had already bought some medicine for the wounds in her arms so before letting her continue her homework and before ordering, he helped her clean them up and placed band aids on them.

"Why?"

Finally, Russel found her voice and her question was choked. Other than her father, no one has treated her so kindly not even their servants who treats her like she was not a young miss of the house.

Harvey looked up at her small face and smiled, wiping the tear that fell from her confused eyes with his thumb.

"I don't know myself," he answered honestly.

He was devoted to their Empire that most of the time people finds him cold for not bothering with other things. Even his friends would sometimes tease him into marrying his Empire instead.

But this one made him do something that was not like him.

Though he knew her. In reality, he knew her. He was after all tasked of monitoring their major shareholders and that is why he somehow watched her grow since five years ago. She had seen them mistreat her and her father remained oblivious of it.

Though today when it was done in front of him, he just moved without thinking.

"But, can I protect you?" he then continued gaining another confused look from Russel.

Harvey smiled, "I would like to protect you while your father is not around, who knows you might become someone great that our Empire would be hiring."

"You…"

She couldn't ask him but she felt like he knew, he knew she never said anything to her father.

"So relax for now, while you are with me. No one would come and hurt you, I can tell as much," Harvey once again smiled just as his order arrived.

(End Of Flashback)

"Of course I was not left unscathed when I got home but at some point, they treated me better. Though I was still not accepted, at least I was no longer being hurt or was no longer being made to study in such a hot place," Russel then continued.

"Then? What went wrong?"

Russel smiled sadly, "He was sent to replace his brother in studying in Celestial country. He told firsthand that it might take him three years or so. Though he did say that he will contact me."

Both ladies looked down when they saw the new arrival.

"Why is he here?" Russel frowned and asked.

"It is about time for you to be off duty after all," Amber shook her head and said.

Russel sighed, "Well he was like that back then. Arriving at the right time and helping me out. Just so happens that when he left we lost contact. My father fell sick and by the time he lost his life I was still unaware of the will."

"I was… tortured."

Amber's eyes grew wide, this was a piece of news that she never knew of.

"I… don't know what to say."

Russel shook her head, "It is fine that was already in the past. Not like we can turn back time to change that."

"Anyway, after that I runaway though I did send him a lot of messages but I guess he was unable to read them. And then he returned," Russel chuckled looking down at Harvey who was eating while waiting.

He hasn't seen them yet.

"I met him actually a year after he returned and that is why I was really angry. He promised me to protect me, he gave me hope but in the end, he forgot about me. I never asked him to really protect me but back then I was searching for someone to rely on."

"When I saw him, I was delighted yet he looked at me like I was a stranger and he just walked past through me. That was why I was mad, because he chose to forget about me."

"He didn't say anything to you? When he returned he didn't contact you?"

Russel shook her head, "He must have gotten the news of me being tortured but I don't know how he reacted for by the time I met him again he no longer knows who I was. Did he perhaps lose his memories?"

She actually had this feeling, maybe he had lost his memories or something but with his reaction yesterday, Russel was able to tell that he just chose to forget her face and her name.

Amber sighed, such a story is really something though she was not in the place to reprimand any of them nor to give half assed advises as if she knew the feeling, for she don't.

"This might be too much of me but why not give yourselves a chance this time? Try him? What really happened to him back then? What did he really feel?"

"Maybe someday, who knows. I just didn't want to talk about it with him right now. I was young and was given hope only to be crashed just like that. Quite traumatizing you see," Russel answered.

Amber just nodded.

The two of them finally went down and finished all their jobs before Harvey drove back with Russel.

No one said anything, both have their own thoughts and have their own internal struggles.

When Russel realized it, they were already in the mall.

"We should probably buy a few things that you would use," Harvey said as he went down.

"Was my house ransacked?" she asked when he said that as she too got down.

"I went there this morning and found it in a complete mess. Do you have anything there that is of importance?"

Russel was complete stupefied she didn't expect that in just a night, they would have already turned her house around.

Just then Amber called.

"They got the ones who break into your house, they are already in custody though it seems that they were just paid to do this. No information could be get on them," was what Amber said.

"How did they enter?" she asked.

"It seems someone dressed up like you before I could even go home yesterday and came in. No wonder I didn't even notice it. And I am glad that we chose for you to be with Harvey instead."

Russel sighed, there really was nothing important in there. All her files were in a safe somewhere else and the documents for the share was already with Amber.

"Well, then there is really nothing we can do about it," was all Russel could say before they bid each other goodbye.

"It would be a whole load of things, that I need to buy," she then said looking at Harvey.

Harvey just nodded.

And so the two of them went around the mall buying everything she needed and even though she really didn't want to, Harvey took some of what she bought for she herself wouldn't be able to carry it on her own.

"Russel," came a voice she never wanted to hear behind them as they walked to the next shop.

She tried to ignore it and keep walking but then a hand gripped her arm and even their nails are digging at her skin.

She winced at this but Harvey was fast enough to put down whatever he was carrying and grabbed the hand that was grabbing Russel.

Gwyneth's eyes turned wide upon seeing him.

Harvey didn't say anything and just threw her hand off before picking up the things they bought and started walking off.

Even though she herself was startled, Russel followed after him no longer minding Gwyneth.