Chapter 16 Blind and Unforgiven Chapter 16 Blind and Unforgiven On the top floor of the Anexis Club office building , 49 +10 Free Coins Bastian sat at his desk , hands folded , forehead resting against his fingers . A stack of work in front of him needed handling , but he couldn't focus on a single thing . It had been several days now . He'd already sent his assistant to search for any trace of Azalea , but there had been no news at all . She had no money , was just a young girl , and had left home with nowhere to go . Where could she possibly have ended up ? Even the bodyguards he'd sent to wait outside her school hadn't seen a trace of her . Just then , his phone rang . It was his mother calling . " What have you been so busy with these past few days ? Sydney even came asking if she did something to upset you . If you've got time , come home , and we'll all go to the hot spring resort together . " Hearing Ivy's cheerful voice through the phone , Bastian felt a sudden , sharp pain in his chest . Azalea had been missing for days , and his mother still had the heart to take the whole family to a resort to relax for Sydney's sake . The shock faded into a wave of cold bitterness . So this was how Azalea had always been treated at home . " No , I've still got things to take care of ," he said flatly and ended the call . He almost wanted to go straight to the police , but his assistant knocked and walked in just then . " Sir , we found her . Ms. Azalea went to rent a room in Grey Hollow after she left the Larks . " " But … " the assistant didn't even get to finish . Bastian had already snatched up his car keys and was rushing out the door . When he finally arrived at Grey Hollow and saw the area , he was genuinely stunned . He hadn't even known a place like this could exist in Draywick . The alleys were narrow , dirty , and crowded . There was barely anywhere to park . His expensive car stood out like a sore thumb , instantly attracting attention like a caged animal in a zoo . He had no choice but to find a spot further away and walk back to the location his assistant had provided . For someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth , the toughest thing Bastian had ever endured was probably that month in Erlands , surviving on nothing but instant noodles . A wave of dizziness hit him as soon as he stepped into Grey Hollow . The air was thick with a stench he couldn't name . Trash was piled in corners , and shirtless men sauntered past without a care . Groups of yellow - haired punks loitered by the roadside , smoking and leering at every young woman who passed . < 1/4 Chapter 16 Blind and Unforgiven Azalea had been living here ? His face turned pale . He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of dangers she might have faced . A young girl . and such a beautiful one , too , how could she have possibly survived here ? Stumbling slightly , he jogged the rest of the way to the building she'd supposedly rented . After asking around , he finally found the landlord . " Excuse me , has a pretty girl , looks about 16 or 17 , ever rented a room here ? " The landlord could tell at a glance that Bastian wasn't just anybody . Remembering how a man in a sharp suit had slipped him a wad of cash not long ago - telling him to kick out the girl , he quickly figured this newcomer was probably here for her . With a warm , almost eager tone , he asked , " Yeah , was her name Azalea , by any chance ? " Bastian's eyes lit up . " Yes ! Where is she now ? " The landlord gave a greasy smile , eager to please . " That girl ? I haven't seen her since I followed your man's instructions and kicked her out . " " Kicked her out ? " Bastian was stunned . Who ordered her to be kicked out ? The landlord saw the change in his expression and knew he'd slipped up . He started backing away with a nervous laugh . " I don't know , don't know anything . " Just then , the assistant finally caught up . " Sir , I didn't get the chance to finish earlier . On Tuesday , Ms. Azalea was accused of cheating during the school's opening exams . Mr. Cassius went to the school to handle it , but it didn't go well . Afterward , he had his assistant pressure the nearby businesses to refuse her service . " Bastian trembled , his body seized with a mix of fury and disbelief . Cassius did this ? Cheating ? Seriously ? A girl who scored nearly perfect on every test cheating ? Tears welled up in Bastian's eyes . He was terrified that something might've already happened to Azalea . " Call the police ," he growled , the words tearing out of him . The assistant jumped at his tone . She was just a worker . She couldn't say anything , even if she thought he should've done this long ago . Then , something clicked in his mind . Bastian turned on his heel and rushed back toward his car , fury simmering under his skin . He drove straight to the Lark Group , stopping at the entrance without a second thought . He didn't even acknowledge the greetings from the front desk and took the elevator straight to the top floor . ||| O < 2/4 ཕ་ " A ་ Chapter 16 Blind and Unforgiven * .47 % 0 +10 Free Coins At that moment , Cassius was in an online meeting when the office doors were slammed open with a bang . He turned around , frowning , only to get punched squarely . Bastian grabbed his collar , yanked him from the chair , and roared , " Cassius ! Are you even human ! " The assistant quickly ended the video call in a panic . Cassius shook his head to recover , stunned . " Are you crazy ?! " " No , you're the crazy one ! " Bastian snapped . " Azalea's out there with no money , no home , and you not only ignored it , you broke her last lifeline ! " Cassius realized what this was about . His cheek still stung from the punch , and his face twisted . Without a word , he kicked Bastian hard in the gut , sending him staggering back and snapped , " You done throwing your tantrum ? " The blow to the stomach made Bastian double over , but the pain helped him calm down slightly . " Azalea switched to the academic class without permission and even got caught cheating . She embarrassed the Larks ! Worst of all , she laid a hand against me . What's wrong with teaching her a lesson ? She'll come crawling back after suffering outside for a while . " Cassius looked entirely unrepentant . Did she fight back ? He even laid hands on her ? Bastian was reeling . That punch he gave earlier was nowhere near enough . " Suffering ? Hasn't she suffered enough already ? " His voice cracked with emotion . " She should've grown up loved , spoiled , and safe , but she got kidnapped at five years old because of you ! She was trafficked . If it weren't for a kind couple on the road who helped her escape , she would've been sold off God knows where . She ended up in an orphanage , alone , for ten years . You don't think she's suffered enough ? " Cassius ' face darkened . The incident of Azalea going missing had always been his sore spot . He refused to accept that it was his fault . In his mind , raising Sydney as a stand - in was already his way of making - up for it . He had been trying with Azalea , switching her to art school , hiring tutors , and paving a new road for her . So why couldn't she just behave ? Why did she keep going against him ? He saw her rebellion as revenge for the past ; in his view , punishing her was simply putting her back in her place . But Bastian wasn't done . " If you haye time , maybe read the reports your assistant hands you . Cheating ? She shouldn't have switched to academics ? " He sneered , his eyes full of icy scorn . " Do you know that ever since she started at Draywick High School , she's scored nearly perfect on every test ? " Seeing the flicker of disbelief on Cassius ' face , Bastian's voice turned cold as frost . He laughed , but it was hollow , stripped of all warmth . This was the brother who'd sworn he'd make it up to Azalea ? 3/4 III O Chapter 16 Blind and Unforgiven And now , he didn't even dare to face his own mistakes . ||| O +10 Free Coins 4/4 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!