Kain didn't notice that when Bridge's voice elevated in the loud hallway, the heightened senses of a passing beast-tar picked up on what was said on the phone.
Nor did he notice that at the na 'Heather Frost' the passing person's cold blue eyes flickered slightly with recognition and so other unnad emotion before they stopped at the entrance to the hallway to continue listening.
"I don't know why. Cherry should never have had an opportunity to make contact with Heather." Bridge continued. "But…you know Cherry. There are very few things she loves more than a good secret. If she found out sothing about Heather that she wasn't supposed to know and got into trouble… Kain I'm worried. Heather's parents may not live in Brightstar City, but they are still 6-star beast-tars, so it's not easy to investigate her! And if we do cross them, while they can't do much to us under the protection of the College, especially to you, that wouldn't prevent them from retaliating against the orphanage once we're gone."
The reason Heather Frost, who is supposedly a distant branch of the prestigious Storm family, was sent to a school in a third-tier city, instead of settling into the first-tier Starfire City with her parents, was a longstanding mystery for everyone.
But considering that she treated all the locals as beneath her, and so never got close with anyone, nobody had any clues as to the reason behind her apparent banishnt to the fringes of high-society.
"Just calm down, Bridge. I'll head over first thing in the morning and help you look for her. We will definitely find her."
After appeasing Bridge a little longer, Kain hung up the phone with shaking hands and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
'God Cherry, just what have you gotten yourself into…'
Storming out of the hallway to go and tell the others that he'd be heading back to the hotel room early—he obviously could no longer continue celebrating with this weighing him down. But he also couldn't head back to Brightstar City right this second since there were no trains leaving at this ti, and he would need the help of the College staff in the morning to teleport closer to his ho since a train ride from the capital may take over a week—a week that he did not have.
However, once he left the seclusion of the hallway he bumped into an unexpected figure—Serena Storm. However, his mind was too preoccupied to care about why she was loitering alone outside of the hallway.
"I will help you," she said coldly.
However, over the noise of the bar and his own chaotic thoughts, he couldn't hear her. When a small, pale hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and prevented him from moving forward, surprisingly strong, he finally snapped back to reality in confusion.
"What?!" He snapped, not in a conversing mood.
"I said that I will help you," She calmly repeated.
"Help with what?" He asked in confusion. Had he asked for her help with sothing before taking the call? He had had a few beers and now his thoughts were so scattered he couldn't even rember much of what was said prior to finding out about Cherry.
"Look for your sister."
Kain's eyes snapped open in shock. She had heard! But why would she want to help him? She didn't seem like the type to ddle in the search for a missing child that had nothing to do with her, and may even just be a misunderstanding.
Likely seeing the confusion and skepticism on Kain's face, she continued, "I promise that my skills will be extrely helpful in the search for your sister."
"And why exactly, would you do that?" Kain asked in suspicion, they weren't exactly close. Nor did the Storm family live in the Southern region. And with most of their sumr vacation spent preparing for the National Tournant, there were only a little more than 2 weeks left before the start of the new sester, so if she were to go to Brightstar City with him, she'd have no ti to go see her own family and, depending on how long the search for Cherry took, may even risk returning to the college late, which will have severe repercussions.
After biting her lip briefly in hesitation, for the first ti Kain saw sothing remotely resembling fragility on Serena's face, "I can't tell you why exactly I need to co. However, I heard you ntion the Frost family, as relatives I can definitely help you in your search and also ensure that they won't retaliate against your family."
Kain froze, his sharp brown eyes narrowing as he processed Serena's unexpected declaration.
"You're saying you want to help because of Heather Frost," he said, crossing his arms. "Your cousin. If that's the case, then do you know sothing and are trying to cover up for your family?"
Serena hesitated, her icy composure wavering for just a fraction of a second. "Heather and her branch of the family have been... estranged for so ti. But if her actions have brought harm or danger to your sister, that's sothing I can't ignore. The Storm family has a reputation to uphold. And despite our estranged relationship, their action still reflect on our family."
Serena's blue eyes t his, and for once, there was sothing vulnerable in her gaze. "It's not just about your sister," she admitted quietly. "Heather's been a problem for years, and her family has ignored it. If she's involved in this, it's my chance to address sothing that should have been dealt with long ago. After all, we also bear responsibility as her relatives for how she turned out."
There it was—a flicker of truth. Kain wasn't sure if that was the full story, but he could sense the weight behind her words. Whatever Heather Frost represented, it was deeply personal for Serena.
"And if Heather's parents retaliate against the orphanage?" Kain pressed. "You can't just wave the Storm na around and expect everything to be fine."
"They won't," Serena said firmly. "I'll make sure of it. The Frost family owes the Storm family far more than you realize. They wouldn't dare jeopardize their positions or risk further estrangent by going against ."
"Fine," he said finally. "You can co. But this isn't about settling your family's issues—it's about finding Cherry. If you have another agenda, you can leave it behind."
With a cool nod of agreent, she turned and strode away, her usual indifferent confidence back in place.
Kain exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know if letting Serena get involved was the right choice, but with so many unknowns, he couldn't afford to turn down any advantage.
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