Chapter 446: The Places Of His Youth
Because of Ruediger’s revelation regarding Martin’s former mistress, Lariette had to prepare herself mentally as they headed to Norvonna a few days later. She was afraid of saying anything about it once she met Madeline there.
It was the twenty-ninth of December. Ruediger and Lariette bid farewell to the Campbells early morning before heading to the airport.
Now, the pair were already sitting comfortably in the business class. The flight was at cruising altitude. The clouds drifted in endless white layers beneath the bright winter sun.
The hum of the engines filled the cabin, as soft and steady as a lullaby. The spacious business class was calm. Only a handful of passengers were scattered across the rows.
Lariette sat quietly beside Ruediger, her gaze unfocused on the window. Her brows furrowed slightly as she couldn’t help but think of Madeline’s father one more time.
As far as Lariette knew, Martin Alvord was indeed one of the scums of society. Madeline’s mother, Felicia, insisted on divorcing after the man kept failing to honor their marital bond.
Ruediger’s explanation from the other day rang again in Lariette’s mind.
"She’s one of Martin’s mistresses. I heard he dumped her once she got pregnant. She miscarried right after. She planned to abduct Maddie, but her accomplice convinced her that I was more valuable as the supposed heir."
"I’m not entirely sure why they kept me for months. They always fought about when to demand a ransom. She sounded desperate but that man seemed very cautious. He insisted on waiting for the right time."
"He killed her when they fought again. If you remember, he was very drunk that day."
How could she not?
Before learning the truth, she simply thought the boy’s ’father’ had accidentally murdered his own ’wife’ during a drunken rampage. It turned out, they were kidnapping accomplices who couldn’t see eye to eye.
According to Ruediger, only Felicia was aware of the woman’s identity. Both of them protected Madeline from the knowledge.
Thankfully, the ones who knew the truth within the Alvords had also kept it under wraps.
Lariette was enraged once Ruediger told her everything. She was mad at the mistress for involving an innocent child in her conflict with a married man, and she was mad at Martin for disregarding his wife and daughter.
Also!
Matthew Alvord!
The ones who caused his wife’s death and his eldest son’s kidnapping were others! But he put all the blame on his own innocent child!
Thinking of them had dampened Lariette’s mood. She tried to act cheerful before Ruediger, but he could easily spot her lies. He had even apologized for ruining their holidays by revealing the truth behind the kidnapping case.
How could she bear it? Her man was too soft-hearted when he was never at fault.
Lariette blinked, abruptly pulling herself out of a trance. She mentally scolded herself for letting her thoughts stray again. Doing so would just worry Ruediger again.
As she turned toward the man by her side, she leaned closer before looping her arm through his. Her tone was playful when she looked up at him, eyes bright.
"Honey~"
Ruediger shifted his gaze from the magazine, heart softened by Lariette’s endearing tone, "Yes, sweetheart?"
He had realized that once again, her mind wandered elsewhere again. Instead of pointing it out, he simply waited. Fortunately, it was very brief this time.
Lariette tilted her head, "Where will you take me after our New Year celebration? You mentioned some places from your youth before."
To divert her attention, she purposely asked about one of the things she looked forward to the most during this trip. She was eager to learn more about her man’s younger days living abroad.
Ruediger chuckled softly, touched to see the clear enthusiasm in Lariette’s eyes. He brushed his thumb lightly over her hand, even grazing the sapphire on her wedding ring.
"Hmm... let’s see," his eyes softened as he began listing them, each word colored with nostalgia, "It’ll take you to my old high school. Also, my university."
She blinked, "We can walk around campus, mm?"
"We can. It’s usually open even during the holidays," he grinned, "You might even get to see the library where I used to nap between classes."
She laughed at that, her laughter soft and musical, "Well~ I can imagine that. You, sleeping under a pile of books."
"Guilty as charged," he replied, chuckling, "Though, to be fair, I did study sometimes."
The pair exchanged laughter. Then, Ruediger resumed, "I’ll bring you to the river where I used to fish and go boating. I heard it’s even more beautiful now."
Lariette’s curiosity sparked, "You mean, the one where you met Uncle David[01]?"
"Yes," he said, smiling at the memory, "That Uncle David. I owed that old man so much. He taught me how to row a boat, cook, carve wood and even survive the wilderness. I’ll bring you to his house too. Also... to visit his grave."
Uncle David departed this world before Ruediger returned to Velondia more than five years ago. Because the old man didn’t have any children and close relatives, Ruediger handled everything regarding his funeral.
Before leaving Norvonna, Ruediger had arranged for someone to keep Uncle David’s house in a good condition. At the same time, a few areas of the house were turned into a library and workshop.
Uncle David had a large collections of books, vinyl records and other olden yet precious items.
To keep the old man’s memory alive, the neighbors and interested parties could drop by and use them. But they needed to abid to the rules of preserving everything well.
Lariette lifted her other hand, gently patting Ruediger’s chest. He rarely talked about his times in Norvonna, but every time he did, he would bring up Uncle David.
Hoping to ease his heart, she said teasingly, "He’d surely praise you for getting a loveable wife like me, right?"
He raised his brows, "Most likely, he’d say you’re too good for me."
The pair shared a quiet laugh, their voices mingling with the low hum of the engines. Outside, the flight continued flying toward Norvonna, the place where new memories waited to be created by them both.
----------
Reference:
1 - 123