Chapter 250 - The Islet Mystery 66

The island guards who walked on foot inside the cave reached the exit frustrated. They did not see any signs of the old couple and the child.

"Let's go back! There may be an exit here, which we do not know. We could not fail Sir Ryan," one of the men suggested.

"I agree. We are only used to this route. There could be other passageways."

With everyone agreeing, they retraced their steps. Dividing themselves, some focused on the right and some on the left. Not far away from the shack, they spotted a crack on the wall. 

"Let's take a closer look! It could be another route towards the exit," a man shouted, focusing his light on the crack.

Everyone moved to check the wall opening. As one of them reached the rock wall first, he shook his head.

"The opening is too small for an a.d.u.l.t to pass through," he said, moving his flashlight from top to bottom. "And to enter through this opening, one needs to climb. Yanyan, perhaps, could pass through but not the elderlies."

Another man came to check and shook his head as well. "They perhaps escaped long before we got in. Besides, they wouldn't probably venture into an undiscovered route. It is too risky."

Ryan also checked it for himself, but he, too, concluded that his parents couldn't pass through it.

He then instructed the guards and the officers to go forward to the exit and meet the rest of them. All of them who took their boats were already there waiting for them.

"How did it go, sir?" an officer met Ryan as soon as they came out.

"They are not there," Ryan sighed, and the frown on his face told them his inner worries and frustration. "We only search inside the cave, how about trying to find them outside. They could have gone out to find water or vegetables."

"I have also sent our men there, sir," the head officer replied, "but they saw no sign of them."

Ryan took a deep breath as anger welled up inside him. He could never imagine how his old parents who lived comfortably on their hacienda before, or in their house inside the cove, survive a difficult life inside the cave. The most painful of it all was the thought that his son, whom he could have lavished with material comforts, suffered a kind of childhood that only beggars experienced. Scenes of him refusing to eat the food they distributed on the island and images of him selling his shells and corals one freezing night, revisited his thought and broke his heart again.

Just as he almost gave in to his inward impulse of throwing anything his hand could grasp or kicking anything to release his anger, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out angrily and read the message. It was from Joey.

"Meet me alone on the other side of this island."

Ryan looked up and ran his eyes through all of them. Then he turned to the head officer. "Sir, thank you so much for everything. I need time to be alone and think about this. I will keep in touch."

The police officer nodded. He understood what he felt. If he were in his place, he would have killed his father a long time ago. But then, he remembered that some of Marco's men assigned to this exit did not know yet about what happened to their companion. He glanced at them and back to Ryan, waiting for his decision.

"Take care of them and bring them to Isla Uno. You know what I want for all of them," Ryan said in a lazy tone, obviously drained and frustrated by their futile search.

Ryan climbed into his speedboat that one of the officers brought for him after the island guards and Marco's men disappeared from his sight. He also watched as soon as the officers followed through the fishing boat. When all of them were gone, he turned on the app, which pointed out Joey's location.

A few minutes after, Ryan arrived at the place. Joey waved at Ryan and jumped out of the boat as soon as he saw him. Ryan followed without asking where they were going. As soon as he received Joey's message, he knew deep in his heart that on that day, he's going to see his parents.

"What's this?" Ryan asked as he saw the downward path covered by shrubs.

"It's a hidden route towards the cave," the boatman behind him announced, startling Ryan.

"How do you know?" Ryan began to worry that some of Marco's men had been here already and took his family away.

"Ma'am Shiela and I were there a while ago to get Yanyan. We wanted to bring his grandparents with us, but Sir Joey did not allow us as it would arouse suspicion," explained the boatman to a gaping Ryan.

"Shiela was here? And you rescued Yanyan? And also my parents?" the load of information almost made his heart burst and shake in fear. Shiela made her own risky move despite how he wanted to protect her carefully.

"I also scolded Shiela, but it proves that her maternal instinct is right. She had been praying for the child, and in God's time today, He answers her prayer."

Ryan once again held back his urge to cry. He was right after all in remaining faithful to one woman, even in her absence. He was blessed, not just with a beautiful woman inside and out, but also a good mother.

________

"It's been a long while already, and Yanyan has not come back," Yanyan's grandma voiced out her worry. "What if something happened to him?"

"Don't worry. Yanyan would never leave us. He proves it for so many times already."

"It's not about doubting him. We are already old. I am afraid..." she stopped as an intense light blinded her.

"Yanyan, is that you?" the old couple asked almost simultaneously.

Nobody answered for some moments, and the couple started to get afraid. Who could they be? Did they mean harm to them? Did they capture Yanyan? 

After some more moments of silence as the strong light moved from one corner to another, the old couple heard a man sobbing. The light was too glaring that they couldn't see beyond. Just then, strong arms wrapped around both of them, coupled with a loud and bitter sob.

"Ryan? Is this really you?" the old couple blurted simultaneously again, as they hugged him tighter together.

"Yes, nay, tay. I finally found you. I had been looking for you for so long already."

"God is indeed so good to us because he allowed you to remember your nannies," Ryan's mother said, as her cries became louder.

"I already know everything, nay. I am your son; you are my parents, and Gerome is your adopted son!"

The old couple wailed together as they heard him. God is indeed good for allowing them to see this day where the truth was finally revealed.

"I hate him. He made both of you and my son suffer a life like this! He must swallow the bitter taste of my revenge!"