Chapter 1253
The large villa certainly had alcohol. “Yeah, I’ll get it,” Skylar said, rising to head for the well-stocked wine cabinet. Something had been weighing on her mind all day, and she hoped a drink would ease the tension.
Without realizing it, they finished two bottles. As he drank, Charles commented, “This is good stuff. It’s been a while since I’ve had wine this nice.” Skylar’s tolerance had improved, but she still felt a little hazy. Charles, however, remained sharp; his work often involved drinking, and his tolerance was high.
He noticed Skylar’s subdued demeanor. “Skye, you seem a bit off today. Is something bothering you? Come on, we’re siblings. Why not share it with me? There shouldn’t be any secrets between us.” Charles excelled at coaxing people to open up over drinks; it was one of his best skills.
Skylar fell silent for a moment, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m afraid something’s happened to Joe.” They had found Paul, but Joe remained missing. She was beginning to fear the worst.
Charles understood immediately. Skylar must have received bad news. He had initially believed she rushed back to Murida because of concrete information about Joe, but now… Skylar’s love life was more complicated than any of his TV roles. He felt sorry for her.
“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, we’ll face it together as a family. Besides, we still don’t know if anything has really happened to Joe. Either way, we’ll get to the bottom of it, right? Alive or… well, you know what I mean,” Charles said, immediately regretting his blunt phrasing. He’d probably had too much to drink.
Skylar nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah. I’ve been through so much, seen so many things…” But the pain in her heart was real.
“Exactly! We Sullivans face things head-on. If there’s something to deal with, we deal with it; if not, even better. Don’t worry, Skye. I’ve got a strong feeling that fate won’t be that cruel to you,” Charles said confidently. He genuinely felt it. For three years, while filming scenes of miraculous resurrections, he’d thought of Joe. Maybe Joe would return like that. It sounded crazy, but to him, it felt almost inevitable.
“Yeah, I feel the same way. I don’t think fate would be that cruel,” Skylar murmured, though her fear lingered. She worried that while fate had granted her a second chance, it had taken Joe’s. In the haze of alcohol, she felt herself drifting into a dream where Joe waited for her.
Charles noticed her sadness and remained silent. His phone rang.
“Isn’t today supposed to be a day off? What? You heard my sister’s back and want her to help authenticate something? Hmm… tell Mr. Kain to hold on. Let me check with her. She’s heading back to Murida in a couple of days, so I’m not sure if she’ll have time.”
After hanging up, he explained the situation to Skylar, who sat on the couch, her mind slightly clouded but still alert. “I rescheduled my flight for the day after tomorrow. I’ll have time tomorrow,” she replied.
“Great, I’ll let them know,” Charles said.
“Okay.”
Skylar now had another task for the next day. Charles added, “Since we’re both going to the set tomorrow, I might as well stay over at your place tonight. Saves me the hassle of running back and forth.”
Skylar didn’t object; Galaxy Villa had ample guest rooms. “When I was on the phone, I heard your phone buzzing with notifications. You might want to check your WhatsApp messages,” Charles mentioned.