Chapter 68 The Memorial Day

Carla cautiously opened the little box. On top of everything, a black and white photo caught her attention. The edge of the photo had turned yellow and seemed aged. She could tell from the photo that it was taken when her mom and dad were very young. Beneath it, there were two colored photos of the day that they got married. The pictures were not so clear and colors weren't that saturated which indicated the age of the photograph, yet again.

Carla felt sad as she stared at the happy smiles on their faces. 'They were so young at that time, so beautiful as well, ' Carla drowned herself in deep sorrows and tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Over the past few years after Marian passed away, Carla hadn't allowed herself to recall the good old days when her mother used to be around. She knew herself so well that once she started thinking of her mother, she would become weak and would want to escape from the reality. She was just a little girl when she lost her mother but she had to bear all the responsibilities that were left behind--their home, and Sean.

Therefore, she refrained herself. She had to be strong for her brother and bring him up on her own.

Continuous stream of tears blurred her eyes. Carla took a deep breath and flipped her parent's photos to the back. Then she started to explore the inside of the box. While she was trying to sort things out, something hard and cold touched her finger. She picked it up gently and patiently.

It was a ring.

Carla took a close look at it and reckoned that the stone on that ring was emerald in a size of a fingernail.

Under the soft glow of the lamp, the emerald was glowing in crisp green light. The emerald was so transparent that Carla could effortlessly see through it. It looked ageless. 'When had mom bought this beautiful ring?' Carla wondered.

She had never seen her mother wearing this ring. 'It looked garish for mom since she preferred plain colors over bright colors, ' Carla mumbled from within.

She rolled the ring over and noticed a couple of letters carved onto the ring itself. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and took a close look at the letters. But they were too small for her eyes to see. She gave up soon enough.

Then she tried it on her fingers. Strangely, it fitted perfectly on the ring finger of her right hand.

At this moment, she felt intrigued and puzzled. She used to try on Marian's rings but none of them fitted her since her fingers were slightly thinner than Marian's. She could now confirm that this ring didn't belong to her mother. 'But... Who's ring is this then?' Carla furrowed her brows and guessed, 'Maybe it was a ring that had been passed over from generation to generation? Maybe it belonged to my great grandma or great great grandma, who knows?' Carla put aside her questions and continued her exploration.

Although many of the things seemed familiar to her, some of them were definitely a novelty to her eyes. Marian seldom took this box out in public so Carla didn't really know what else had been stored inside.

im. I will take good care of him until he doesn't need me anymore.

Mom, something happened accidentally and Sean was unable to go to school for a few days. But he is trying his best to catch up. That's why I didn't bring him with me today. I hope you don't mind and I promise you that he will be accompanying me the next time!"

For a long while, Carla continued to cry and laugh as she kneeled down near the grave. She told her mom a lot of things, including Terence and her trip to JA City. It was not until noon that she decided to stand up and return to the hotel.

Right after Carla left her spot, a man who was wearing dark clothes and a black hat walked towards Marian's grave with a branch of daisy held close to his chest.

He stopped in front of the gravestone and spotted some white roses lying on the ground. He leaned down and put the daisy right beside it and curled up his dry lips distastefully.

"What a coincidence, dear Marian. I have finally found something valuable from that old stinky man. I thought he has never left anything behind. It seems like he had hidden a diamond amidst this city.

Oops, too late.

I have found it now, ' the man spoke vengefully to the image of Marian with a crooked smile on his face.

He continued, "I have sacrificed all my life for this family. My blood has been spilled and my soul has suffered on the way. No one can take it away from me, not even his own blood! Not even her.

If any of them dare to come in my way, I will not show them mercy and cut their throats while they're made to watch.

With all due respect, Marian. Bye-bye."

The man finished his evil speech spreading venomous sinister intentions to a grave soon enough. He took off his hat and bowed slightly towards the grave. As he straightened his body, he narrowed his eyes and a sense of ferocity flashed across his eyes.

This man was a source of immense danger to the ones around him, just like a hungry wolf which was ready to strike its sharp teeth inside the throat of a new born sheep ruthlessly.