Alaric contacted those people online and volunteered to be trafficked.
On one condition: he had to be sent to a wealthy family with no children.
The other party quickly agreed and everything was going according to his plan.
However, I ruined it all.
So he hated me so much that he wanted me to suffer for the rest of my life.
The cheat note was something he slipped to me.
The nerve-damaging drug was something he administered.
Every relationship of mine was sabotaged by him.
Every miscarriage was his doing.
The stillbirth was the last vicious plot he used to crush me.
He wanted to watch me fall apart, to see me broken and barely surviving.
He even wanted to personally end my life.
"Why is Alaric taking so long in the bathroom? Did she sneak off to buy snacks again?"
My parents' voices pulled me back to reality.
I glanced at my watch. Only fifteen minutes had passed.
I volunteered to go look for my younger brother.
In fact, I was wandering around to delay time, making sure that the van had gone far away.
Then I hurried back.
"Mom and Dad! Alaric seems to be missing! I searched the entire scenic area but couldn't find him!"
My mother swayed and almost fainted.
My father stayed relatively calm and called the police right away.
Over twenty years ago, there weren't many security cameras. All they captured was my brother leaving the restroom and walking toward a snack stall.
So, the search focused on the snack stalls.
Only I knew he didn't get in a car near there.
He had deliberately taken a long route around the snack area and exited through the park's back gate.
He did all that to avoid being found by our parents.
Moreover, who would pay attention to an ordinary boy in such a crowded scenic area?
A whole day passed with no news.
My parents were exhausted when they got back to the hotel.
I pinched myself, forcing out tears as I wailed loudly.
I said it was my fault for not finding my brother.
My mother hugged me tightly, heartbroken.
"It's not your fault, not your fault. You're all we have now, Thalia."
Five days passed and still no news.
However, I had to go back to school. So, we returned home.
My parents blamed themselves entirely for Alaric going missing.
My mother doubled her love for Alaric and gave it all to me.
My father, drowning in guilt, threw himself entirely into work.
He worked day and night.
Soon after, he caught the opportunity and founded a company.
In just a few short years, I became the sole heiress of the Blackwood Enterprise.
I was showered with love and affection.
We moved from a small county town to the provincial capital.
We went from living in a walk-up apartment to a three-story villa.
I often woke up laughing in the middle of the night.
Alaric, I really should thank your "big opportunity to rise" plan.
Otherwise, I would never have become a young lady of a wealthy family.
As for whether Alaric became a rich kid, I have no idea.
I didn't think human traffickers were so kind as to send him to a wealthy, childless family.
Who knew which remote mountain village he was sent to?
My parents never gave up searching for Alaric.
Because of this, my father was named one of the country's top ten most inspiring entrepreneurs.
Reporters kept lining up to interview him.
No matter how many times he recounted the events of that day, he would always be moved to tears.
Alaric's childhood photos also graced the front pages of major news outlets.
I had a premonition that if Alaric wasn't dead.
He would be found soon.
I didn't want him to die; if he just died like that.
It would be too easy for him.
Finally, two months later, Alaric, who had been missing for ten years, returned.
A servant led him in.
The T-shirt he was wearing was dirty and greasy.
His hair had not been washed for a long time and was tangled together.
