Chapter 939: Defeated
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Two weeks passed with no meaningful results. Vega was missing without a trace.
In his entire life, Alaric never thought there would come a time when wealth and power would be meaningless. What good was all his wealth for if he could not even save his own daughter?
Everyone in the extended Schneider-Medici family felt broken and grieved. Their residences were quiet and filled with sadness. This had never happened in the history of the family before, after World War 2, which resulted in many people losing their loved ones.
Aleksis had been crying for days until she could no longer shed a single tear. Alaric was always loyal beside her. But her husband's condition was no better than her. The man was devastated and could not say anything.
Sophia was right to say that uncertainty gave greater suffering than death, and this was what Alaric felt now.
He knew he had killed so many people, both directly and indirectly, and he understood how much sadness was experienced by those who were left behind by his victims.
He had changed a lot over the past six years. He had turned over a new leaf. His anger at a handful of people who were fond of war and destroying nature had subsided as he was reunited with his family.
He understood that humans, in general, did not like war and wanted to live peacefully on sustainable earth. The ones responsible for committing all the crimes that resulted in war, and Luna being a victim of, were not humans in general, but only a handful of greedy rulers.
Now, when his life began to take turns for the better, events like this suddenly come to haunt him and destroy everything.
Alaric was willing to give all he had, provided Vega would be returned. But, unfortunately, even though they had put all their efforts in, no one had managed to find the girl.
***
While Alaric and Aleksis mourned for their missing daughter in Targu Mures, Nicolae returned to Grosseto to be with his family. Marie was very sorry to see her man's face tinged with sorrow. She knew how much Nicolae loved his goddaughter and blamed himself for not being in Paris when Vega was kidnapped.
They never talked about the wedding anymore because all of Nicolae's time was spent looking for clues about Vega's whereabouts. Marie did not want to add to his burden, so she never asked about continuing their wedding plans.
As much as possible, she did what she could do to help. Life in a new place, coupled with the problem of Vega's disappearance made her quite depressed, but Marie tried her best to always look happy and well in front of Nicolae.
"Luca is calling us for lunch," Marie said that afternoon. She approached Nicolae, who was still busy reading various reports coming in from people claiming to have seen Vega in Asia. The man dedicated 16 hours each day to check all the reports.
Many reports were false, some people saw the wrong girl, and they had begun to lose hope. However, he never gave up, always trying to sort information and hope that one of the thousands of messages that came in gave clues, no matter how insignificant.
Nicolae was still trying to spend some time with Summer. His daughter would play in his study, or sit on his l.a.p while Nicolae worked, so the little girl did not feel ignored.
"Oh, is it lunchtime already?" Nicolae asked, raising his face from the computer. He sighed and nodded. "Let us eat."
He got up and took Marie by the hand to walk into the dining room. There Summer was waiting for them with their butler, Luca, who was playing with her while waiting for her parents.
"Maman, Daddy..." Summer immediately ran to them when she saw Nicolae and Marie entered the dining room. Nicolae immediately lifted his child and kissed her hair.
"Let's eat."
They then had lunch quietly and did not talk about the progress of the case.
"Marie ... I want to talk," Nicolae said suddenly after they had finished lunch and he saw Marie about to leave and bring Summer to go out and play.
"Oh .. about what?" Marie asked. She put down Summer on the floor and whispered to her. "Go play with Luca, you can hunt rabbits in the garden. Maman and Daddy need to talk."
"Yes, Maman." Summer kissed her mother's cheek then approached her father and kissed Nicolae's cheek before she ran out looking for Luca.
"What is wrong?" Marie asked, approaching Nicolae. The man pulled her hand and hugged Marie suddenly, to her surprise. She didn't expect Nicolae would suddenly behave like this. She then asked in a cautious voice. "Did something happen?"
"No ..." Nicolae shook his head. He then let go of his arms and pulled Marie onto his l.a.p. "So many things should have happened, but they didn't happen. For example ... we should have been married in a few days."
"That's not important at all," Marie said softly. "There is a greater priority for us to do. I know you really want to find Vega."
"I know. But this is not fair to you," Nicolae said again.
"I don't mind. For me, being able to stay here with you and Summer already makes me so happy. I don't need anything else," Marie insisted. "Don't burden your mind with unimportant things."
Nicolae shook his head and looked at Marie lovingly. He still remembered how good this girl acted to hide her sadness when she lost her mother. He did not want Marie to pretend to be strong and happy in front of him, even though she actually felt depressed and ignored.
"Marie ... I'm sorry that, lately, I haven't paid much attention to you. I know that I have to look for Vega, but at the same time, I also realize that I don't want to lose you, not for the second time. So, please ... let me always know what you think and feel. Never pretend in front of me. Don't lie and act like you're happy, but you're not. I will feel very guilty ..."
Marie looked back at Nicolae and finally nodded. "I understand."
"I want us to get married. I will not delay formalizing our relationship and ask for the immortality potion for you and Summer. It's just ... maybe now is not the right time to hold a wedding ..." Nicolae said again.
"No ... I don't want a wedding," Marie said quickly. "I just want to be with you. If we can just have a small intimate ceremony, that's better. That's enough for me ..."
Nicolae nodded. "OK."
In fact, Nicolae felt very guilty for Marie for not being able to give her a grand wedding, which she deserved. But he really had no choice. He couldn't think of his own happiness amidst the tragedy experienced by his family.
Vega had been missing for a month. Nicolae realized that if he kept postponing his wedding with Marie, they would never get married. Therefore he decided to continue with the original plan.
The kidnapper's letter clearly said that they intended to punish Alaric by detaining his daughter for an indefinite period. Despite all their efforts, they still couldn't find any trace of Vega or her captors.
Now, they could only give up and hope that the kidnapper would not hurt Vega, then wait for its development. Nicolae still faithfully searched, but now he was slowly accepting the fact that they had been defeated by the kidnappers.
"Marie Honey... thank you for your understanding. I am so lucky to have you and Summer in my life," Nicolae said in a sad voice. "If you weren't here when we experienced this tragedy ... I'm not sure I would be able to survive. I love that child too much ..."
Marie sat on Nicolae's l.a.p and stroked his hair, to show support. "I'm glad that I am here with you. I don't have anyone in this world besides Summer and you. Vega is your goddaughter, which means she is my daughter too. Of course, I have to support you."
"Thank you," Nicolae kissed Marie lovingly and hugged her tightly.
They haven't kissed intimately like this for a long time. The dynamics of their relationship changed dramatically after receiving news of Vega's abduction.
After they met again in Paris and decided to return together to Grosseto to plan the wedding, the couple had always been intimate and never wanted to be separated. Their s.e.x.u.a.l life was on fire. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that completed each other. Unfortunately, that changed immediately when Vega disappeared.
It had been almost a month since Nicolae had touched Marie, and she had slowly begun to feel awkward because now she did not know how to respond to his touches. Marie had even decided to accept their situation and forget about the wedding altogether.
Fortunately ... as it turned out, Nicolae immediately realized that and reiterated his d.e.s.i.r.e to formalize their marriage. Their conversation this afternoon made the two of them reopen their hearts, and slowly, Marie's sad heart was comforted again.
They kissed again more intimately. Marie wrapped her hands around Nicolae's neck, and the man hugged her waist tightly. The longing Marie had held for a month finally found its release, and she kissed Nicolae more aggressively.
The man immediately understood that just like him, Marie was also sad, but they had been distancing themselves for too long and kept their sadness to themselves.
He remembered the events of six years ago when Marie had just lost her mother and sank into a deep sorrow that she attempted suicide. At that time, they were strongly attracted to each other, and Marie asked Nicolae to make love to her to make her forget her sadness due to her mother's passing.
Maybe ... they need the same distraction at this time.
Maybe... m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e to Marie would make Nicolae forget for a moment about his sadness due to Vega's disappearance ...
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Two weeks passed with no meaningful results. Vega was missing without a trace.
In his entire life, Alaric never thought there would come a time when wealth and power would be meaningless. What good was all his wealth for if he could not even save his own daughter?
Everyone in the extended Schneider-Medici family felt broken and grieved. Their residences were quiet and filled with sadness. This had never happened in the history of the family before, after World War 2, which resulted in many people losing their loved ones.
Aleksis had been crying for days until she could no longer shed a single tear. Alaric was always loyal beside her. But her husband's condition was no better than her. The man was devastated and could not say anything.
Sophia was right to say that uncertainty gave greater suffering than death, and this was what Alaric felt now.
He knew he had killed so many people, both directly and indirectly, and he understood how much sadness was experienced by those who were left behind by his victims.
He had changed a lot over the past six years. He had turned over a new leaf. His anger at a handful of people who were fond of war and destroying nature had subsided as he was reunited with his family.
He understood that humans, in general, did not like war and wanted to live peacefully on sustainable earth. The ones responsible for committing all the crimes that resulted in war, and Luna being a victim of, were not humans in general, but only a handful of greedy rulers.
Now, when his life began to take turns for the better, events like this suddenly come to haunt him and destroy everything.
Alaric was willing to give all he had, provided Vega would be returned. But, unfortunately, even though they had put all their efforts in, no one had managed to find the girl.
***
While Alaric and Aleksis mourned for their missing daughter in Targu Mures, Nicolae returned to Grosseto to be with his family. Marie was very sorry to see her man's face tinged with sorrow. She knew how much Nicolae loved his goddaughter and blamed himself for not being in Paris when Vega was kidnapped.
They never talked about the wedding anymore because all of Nicolae's time was spent looking for clues about Vega's whereabouts. Marie did not want to add to his burden, so she never asked about continuing their wedding plans.
As much as possible, she did what she could do to help. Life in a new place, coupled with the problem of Vega's disappearance made her quite depressed, but Marie tried her best to always look happy and well in front of Nicolae.
"Luca is calling us for lunch," Marie said that afternoon. She approached Nicolae, who was still busy reading various reports coming in from people claiming to have seen Vega in Asia. The man dedicated 16 hours each day to check all the reports.
Many reports were false, some people saw the wrong girl, and they had begun to lose hope. However, he never gave up, always trying to sort information and hope that one of the thousands of messages that came in gave clues, no matter how insignificant.
Nicolae was still trying to spend some time with Summer. His daughter would play in his study, or sit on his l.a.p while Nicolae worked, so the little girl did not feel ignored.
"Oh, is it lunchtime already?" Nicolae asked, raising his face from the computer. He sighed and nodded. "Let us eat."
He got up and took Marie by the hand to walk into the dining room. There Summer was waiting for them with their butler, Luca, who was playing with her while waiting for her parents.
"Maman, Daddy..." Summer immediately ran to them when she saw Nicolae and Marie entered the dining room. Nicolae immediately lifted his child and kissed her hair.
"Let's eat."
They then had lunch quietly and did not talk about the progress of the case.
"Marie ... I want to talk," Nicolae said suddenly after they had finished lunch and he saw Marie about to leave and bring Summer to go out and play.
"Oh .. about what?" Marie asked. She put down Summer on the floor and whispered to her. "Go play with Luca, you can hunt rabbits in the garden. Maman and Daddy need to talk."
"Yes, Maman." Summer kissed her mother's cheek then approached her father and kissed Nicolae's cheek before she ran out looking for Luca.
"What is wrong?" Marie asked, approaching Nicolae. The man pulled her hand and hugged Marie suddenly, to her surprise. She didn't expect Nicolae would suddenly behave like this. She then asked in a cautious voice. "Did something happen?"
"No ..." Nicolae shook his head. He then let go of his arms and pulled Marie onto his l.a.p. "So many things should have happened, but they didn't happen. For example ... we should have been married in a few days."
"That's not important at all," Marie said softly. "There is a greater priority for us to do. I know you really want to find Vega."
"I know. But this is not fair to you," Nicolae said again.
"I don't mind. For me, being able to stay here with you and Summer already makes me so happy. I don't need anything else," Marie insisted. "Don't burden your mind with unimportant things."
Nicolae shook his head and looked at Marie lovingly. He still remembered how good this girl acted to hide her sadness when she lost her mother. He did not want Marie to pretend to be strong and happy in front of him, even though she actually felt depressed and ignored.
"Marie ... I'm sorry that, lately, I haven't paid much attention to you. I know that I have to look for Vega, but at the same time, I also realize that I don't want to lose you, not for the second time. So, please ... let me always know what you think and feel. Never pretend in front of me. Don't lie and act like you're happy, but you're not. I will feel very guilty ..."
Marie looked back at Nicolae and finally nodded. "I understand."
"I want us to get married. I will not delay formalizing our relationship and ask for the immortality potion for you and Summer. It's just ... maybe now is not the right time to hold a wedding ..." Nicolae said again.
"No ... I don't want a wedding," Marie said quickly. "I just want to be with you. If we can just have a small intimate ceremony, that's better. That's enough for me ..."
Nicolae nodded. "OK."
In fact, Nicolae felt very guilty for Marie for not being able to give her a grand wedding, which she deserved. But he really had no choice. He couldn't think of his own happiness amidst the tragedy experienced by his family.
Vega had been missing for a month. Nicolae realized that if he kept postponing his wedding with Marie, they would never get married. Therefore he decided to continue with the original plan.
The kidnapper's letter clearly said that they intended to punish Alaric by detaining his daughter for an indefinite period. Despite all their efforts, they still couldn't find any trace of Vega or her captors.
Now, they could only give up and hope that the kidnapper would not hurt Vega, then wait for its development. Nicolae still faithfully searched, but now he was slowly accepting the fact that they had been defeated by the kidnappers.
"Marie Honey... thank you for your understanding. I am so lucky to have you and Summer in my life," Nicolae said in a sad voice. "If you weren't here when we experienced this tragedy ... I'm not sure I would be able to survive. I love that child too much ..."
Marie sat on Nicolae's l.a.p and stroked his hair, to show support. "I'm glad that I am here with you. I don't have anyone in this world besides Summer and you. Vega is your goddaughter, which means she is my daughter too. Of course, I have to support you."
"Thank you," Nicolae kissed Marie lovingly and hugged her tightly.
They haven't kissed intimately like this for a long time. The dynamics of their relationship changed dramatically after receiving news of Vega's abduction.
After they met again in Paris and decided to return together to Grosseto to plan the wedding, the couple had always been intimate and never wanted to be separated. Their s.e.x.u.a.l life was on fire. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that completed each other. Unfortunately, that changed immediately when Vega disappeared.
It had been almost a month since Nicolae had touched Marie, and she had slowly begun to feel awkward because now she did not know how to respond to his touches. Marie had even decided to accept their situation and forget about the wedding altogether.
Fortunately ... as it turned out, Nicolae immediately realized that and reiterated his d.e.s.i.r.e to formalize their marriage. Their conversation this afternoon made the two of them reopen their hearts, and slowly, Marie's sad heart was comforted again.
They kissed again more intimately. Marie wrapped her hands around Nicolae's neck, and the man hugged her waist tightly. The longing Marie had held for a month finally found its release, and she kissed Nicolae more aggressively.
The man immediately understood that just like him, Marie was also sad, but they had been distancing themselves for too long and kept their sadness to themselves.
He remembered the events of six years ago when Marie had just lost her mother and sank into a deep sorrow that she attempted suicide. At that time, they were strongly attracted to each other, and Marie asked Nicolae to make love to her to make her forget her sadness due to her mother's passing.
Maybe ... they need the same distraction at this time.
Maybe... m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e to Marie would make Nicolae forget for a moment about his sadness due to Vega's disappearance ...
Two weeks passed with no meaningful results. Vega was missing without a trace. In his entire life, Alaric never thought there would come a time when wealth and power would be meaningless. What good was all his wealth for if he could not even save his own daughter? Everyone in the extended Schneider-Medici family felt broken and grieved. Their residences were quiet and filled with sadness. This had never happened in the history of the family before, after World War 2, which resulted in many people losing their loved ones. Aleksis had been crying for days until she could no longer shed a single tear. Alaric was always loyal beside her. But her husband's condition was no better than her. The man was devastated and could not say anything. Sophia was right to say that uncertainty gave greater suffering than death, and this was what Alaric felt now. He knew he had killed so many people, both directly and indirectly, and he understood how much sadness was experienced by those who were left behind by his victims. He had changed a lot over the past six years. He had turned over a new leaf. His anger at a handful of people who were fond of war and destroying nature had subsided as he was reunited with his family. He understood that humans, in general, did not like war and wanted to live peacefully on sustainable earth. The ones responsible for committing all the crimes that resulted in war, and Luna being a victim of, were not humans in general, but only a handful of greedy rulers. Now, when his life began to take turns for the better, events like this suddenly come to haunt him and destroy everything. Alaric was willing to give all he had, provided Vega would be returned. But, unfortunately, even though they had put all their efforts in, no one had managed to find the girl. *** While Alaric and Aleksis mourned for their missing daughter in Targu Mures, Nicolae returned to Grosseto to be with his family. Marie was very sorry to see her man's face tinged with sorrow. She knew how much Nicolae loved his goddaughter and blamed himself for not being in Paris when Vega was kidnapped. They never talked about the wedding anymore because all of Nicolae's time was spent looking for clues about Vega's whereabouts. Marie did not want to add to his burden, so she never asked about continuing their wedding plans. As much as possible, she did what she could do to help. Life in a new place, coupled with the problem of Vega's disappearance made her quite depressed, but Marie tried her best to always look happy and well in front of Nicolae. "Luca is calling us for lunch," Marie said that afternoon. She approached Nicolae, who was still busy reading various reports coming in from people claiming to have seen Vega in Asia. The man dedicated 16 hours each day to check all the reports. Many reports were false, some people saw the wrong girl, and they had begun to lose hope. However, he never gave up, always trying to sort information and hope that one of the thousands of messages that came in gave clues, no matter how insignificant. Nicolae was still trying to spend some time with Summer. His daughter would play in his study, or sit on his l.a.p while Nicolae worked, so the little girl did not feel ignored. "Oh, is it lunchtime already?" Nicolae asked, raising his face from the computer. He sighed and nodded. "Let us eat." He got up and took Marie by the hand to walk into the dining room. There Summer was waiting for them with their butler, Luca, who was playing with her while waiting for her parents. "Maman, Daddy..." Summer immediately ran to them when she saw Nicolae and Marie entered the dining room. Nicolae immediately lifted his child and kissed her hair. "Let's eat." They then had lunch quietly and did not talk about the progress of the case. "Marie ... I want to talk," Nicolae said suddenly after they had finished lunch and he saw Marie about to leave and bring Summer to go out and play. "Oh .. about what?" Marie asked. She put down Summer on the floor and whispered to her. "Go play with Luca, you can hunt rabbits in the garden. Maman and Daddy need to talk." "Yes, Maman." Summer kissed her mother's cheek then approached her father and kissed Nicolae's cheek before she ran out looking for Luca. "What is wrong?" Marie asked, approaching Nicolae. The man pulled her hand and hugged Marie suddenly, to her surprise. She didn't expect Nicolae would suddenly behave like this. She then asked in a cautious voice. "Did something happen?" "No ..." Nicolae shook his head. He then let go of his arms and pulled Marie onto his l.a.p. "So many things should have happened, but they didn't happen. For example ... we should have been married in a few days." "That's not important at all," Marie said softly. "There is a greater priority for us to do. I know you really want to find Vega." "I know. But this is not fair to you," Nicolae said again. "I don't mind. For me, being able to stay here with you and Summer already makes me so happy. I don't need anything else," Marie insisted. "Don't burden your mind with unimportant things." Nicolae shook his head and looked at Marie lovingly. He still remembered how good this girl acted to hide her sadness when she lost her mother. He did not want Marie to pretend to be strong and happy in front of him, even though she actually felt depressed and ignored. "Marie ... I'm sorry that, lately, I haven't paid much attention to you. I know that I have to look for Vega, but at the same time, I also realize that I don't want to lose you, not for the second time. So, please ... let me always know what you think and feel. Never pretend in front of me. Don't lie and act like you're happy, but you're not. I will feel very guilty ..." Marie looked back at Nicolae and finally nodded. "I understand." "I want us to get married. I will not delay formalizing our relationship and ask for the immortality potion for you and Summer. It's just ... maybe now is not the right time to hold a wedding ..." Nicolae said again. "No ... I don't want a wedding," Marie said quickly. "I just want to be with you. If we can just have a small intimate ceremony, that's better. That's enough for me ..." Nicolae nodded. "OK." In fact, Nicolae felt very guilty for Marie for not being able to give her a grand wedding, which she deserved. But he really had no choice. He couldn't think of his own happiness amidst the tragedy experienced by his family. Vega had been missing for a month. Nicolae realized that if he kept postponing his wedding with Marie, they would never get married. Therefore he decided to continue with the original plan. The kidnapper's letter clearly said that they intended to punish Alaric by detaining his daughter for an indefinite period. Despite all their efforts, they still couldn't find any trace of Vega or her captors. Now, they could only give up and hope that the kidnapper would not hurt Vega, then wait for its development. Nicolae still faithfully searched, but now he was slowly accepting the fact that they had been defeated by the kidnappers. "Marie Honey... thank you for your understanding. I am so lucky to have you and Summer in my life," Nicolae said in a sad voice. "If you weren't here when we experienced this tragedy ... I'm not sure I would be able to survive. I love that child too much ..." Marie sat on Nicolae's l.a.p and stroked his hair, to show support. "I'm glad that I am here with you. I don't have anyone in this world besides Summer and you. Vega is your goddaughter, which means she is my daughter too. Of course, I have to support you." "Thank you," Nicolae kissed Marie lovingly and hugged her tightly. They haven't kissed intimately like this for a long time. The dynamics of their relationship changed dramatically after receiving news of Vega's abduction. After they met again in Paris and decided to return together to Grosseto to plan the wedding, the couple had always been intimate and never wanted to be separated. Their s.e.x.u.a.l life was on fire. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that completed each other. Unfortunately, that changed immediately when Vega disappeared. It had been almost a month since Nicolae had touched Marie, and she had slowly begun to feel awkward because now she did not know how to respond to his touches. Marie had even decided to accept their situation and forget about the wedding altogether. Fortunately ... as it turned out, Nicolae immediately realized that and reiterated his d.e.s.i.r.e to formalize their marriage. Their conversation this afternoon made the two of them reopen their hearts, and slowly, Marie's sad heart was comforted again. They kissed again more intimately. Marie wrapped her hands around Nicolae's neck, and the man hugged her waist tightly. The longing Marie had held for a month finally found its release, and she kissed Nicolae more aggressively. The man immediately understood that just like him, Marie was also sad, but they had been distancing themselves for too long and kept their sadness to themselves. He remembered the events of six years ago when Marie had just lost her mother and sank into a deep sorrow that she attempted suicide.At that time, they were strongly attracted to each other, and Marie asked Nicolae to make love to her to make her forget her sadness due to her mother's passing. Maybe ... they need the same distraction at this time. Maybe... m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e to Marie would make Nicolae forget for a moment about his sadness due to Vega's disappearance ...
