The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean)

Hearing him say this, Chad and the others were somewhat surprised.

"Jean, are you implying you've got some sort of leverage on them?"

Jean just smiled without saying a word.

Seeing his confident demeanor, Chad immediately understood. “Don't tell me it's those people you caught at the border..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Shane understood. "So that's how it is. No wonder you insisted on capturing a group of them alive back then."

Once everything was settled, Adriana urged Neera to go upstairs and rest.

Neera still had something on her mind. After returning to her room, she rummaged through her bedside table, then headed to Zephyr's room.

Zephyr had heard her return quite some time ago, but due to his guilt and self-reproach, he had not gone downstairs. He didn't know how he could face her again.

Upon hearing the knock at the door, his heart tightened. Feeling flustered, he nearly tumbled off the bed.

Neera stood outside the door. She heard some movement inside but no one calling out for her to enter, which left her somewhat puzzled. Hence, she knocked on the door again.

"Zephyr, are you there? May I come in?"

Inside, Zephyr hastily steadied himself. After moving his lips a little, he finally spoke. "Please come in, Ms. Garcia."

Upon getting a response, Neera opened the door.

When she entered, she saw Zephyr standing upright, his head slightly lowered. He glanced at her briefly, then quickly lowered his gaze again.

"You've returned, Ms. Garcia..."

As soon as he woke up, he heard that Neera had been rescued, and he also knew that she had been seriously injured.

In that moment, he despised himself to the point of wishing for death, feeling that death might be a better fate.

Seeing Neera's wounds still unhealed and her noticeable weight loss, he felt even more distressed, taking all the blame upon himself.

Neera noticed his serious demeanor and knew that he was still blaming himself. She quietly sighed in her heart.

"Yeah, I'm back. I wanted to see how you were doing, plus I wanted to say thank you."

Zephyr seemed taken aback. He hadn't expected her to say that to him. He froze for a moment, then looked up at her, his eyes slightly dazed.

After a moment, he came to his senses and quickly shook his head, his face filled with shame.

"Ms. Garcia, you shouldn't be thanking me. I failed to protect you, so it's only right that you punish me."

Neera's lips curved into an exasperated smile. "Why do you always think that you need to be punished? Zephyr, you didn't do anything wrong. In that situation, you did what you had to do and did your best. I want to thank you for doing everything you could to protect me. Thank you for disregarding your own life and death just to stop them from taking me away."

Zephyr felt a bitter knot in his chest and said hoarsely, "But in the end, I still failed. I let you suffer such great harm..."

"But you can't be blamed for that, can you? The ones at fault are those who intentionally hurt me, not the ones who go to great lengths to protect me. We can't shoulder everything ourselves, let alone take on the mistakes of others. Zephyr, do you understand? You're a good person in every way, but you're a bit stubborn. You're clearly hurt, yet you still insist on receiving punishment. If your health deteriorates because of this, I will be upset.”

Upon hearing her gentle words, Zephyr couldn't quite pinpoint what he was feeling inside.

He moistened his lips, paused for a moment, then asked in a soft voice, "Ms. Garcia, are you really not angry? You really don't blame me?”

Neera nodded with a smile, her expression soft and gentle. She was treating him as if he were her own younger brother.

"Of course it's true! When have I ever lied to you? You've been with me for quite some time now, Zephyr, so you should know what kind of person I am. I don't want you to fall into a pit of self-blame because of this. The past is the past. You did everything you could for me. I saw your dedication and loyalty, and that's enough. Besides, aren't I right here, safe and sound? Your efforts weren't in vain. That's all that matters. Do you understand?"

After hearing everything, Zephyr didn't know what to say for a moment.

He had been an orphan since childhood and had no siblings. Despite being only a child of five or six, he had to beg for a living.

Even at the very bottom of society, there was still a hierarchy, and beggars would form their own small groups too.

And he, due to his solitary nature and unpopularity, was always bullied by the other beggars. Nonetheless, he always endured it in silence.

Once, some beggars surprisingly banded together and snatched away the pitiful amount of money he had managed to beg for.

At that point, he could bear it no longer. He finally lost his temper and started to fight with them.

It was at this moment that Chad, who was passing by, saw what was happening and stopped his car. After finally driving away the other beggars, he stepped forward.

"Little one, where is your family?" This was the first thing Chad said to him.

At that moment, Zephyr was looking down, counting the coins he had snatched back. Upon hearing the words, his gaze swept over the man's clean, expensive leather shoes, moving all the way up before finally resting on Chad's face.

His intuition told him that this person was very wealthy.

In that instant, he made up his mind.

Suddenly, he threw away the money he had begged for, gazing at Chad. In a tender voice, he said, "Sir, I have no family. Would you be willing to take me with you? I can do anything for you."

Chad didn't expect him to say that. Looking at the boy's serious expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Child, what does 'anything' encompass? Does it include life and death?"

Zephyr didn't respond immediately. He pondered for half a minute before making a decision. "Yes, including life and death, sir. As long as you take me back, I won't let you down. From now on, my life is yours."

Staring at the child who had uttered words far beyond his years with a serious expression that was completely uncharacteristic of a child, Chad's smile faded from his lips.

He fell silent for a moment, then laughed again. "Are you sure? Do you realize that if I take you with me, life may not be so peaceful?"

After hearing this, there wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation in the little boy's eyes. "It's okay. As long as I can have a full meal, I will do anything."

In the end, Chad took him to the car.

Looking at the luxurious seat, Zephyr hesitated for a moment. "Sir, I'm quite dirty, so it might not be appropriate..."

Chad didn't show the slightest bit of disdain. He waved his hand and said, "Come up."

Unable to refuse any longer, Zephyr obediently took a seat, sitting quietly by his side.

Chad asked him, "What's your name?"

Zephyr paused, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't have a name.'

Chad raised an eyebrow, looking out at the cold street outside the window. The harsh wind blew mercilessly, sweeping away the last few remaining leaves on the treetops.

"From now on, you'll be called Zephyr. Is that okay?"

After a brief silence, the little boy obediently nodded. "All right, sir."

Ever since then, Zephyr had been by Chad's side, personally nurtured by him. Gradually, Zephyr grew bigger and stronger, becoming Chad's most trusted and valued companion.