Beyond the Divorce by Third Blossom

"Yes. They weren't naturally mute. Their tongues had been cut out."

"How cruel!" I couldn't help but exclaim.

"I spent every day looking for an opportunity to escape. I didn't even know where we were or what time it was. But judging from the environment and vegetation, it seemed like we were in Southeast Torado."

"He really put a lot of effort into this." I gritted my teeth in anger.

"But to me, it didn't matter where I was. What was terrifying was that I didn't know what was happening outside those mountains. I didn't know if Clark's words were true.

"I didn't see Clark for a long time. I threatened those two guards later, saying I wanted to see him. I had no choice, so I resorted to a hunger strike. I had to find out what was happening outside.

"If it was true that Louis and Tammy were dead, how had their death been handled? And what about ATL Empire? To be honest, I was more worried about Lucille. I had no idea how she would have reacted to the news of my death. And you two..." My father's lips trembled violently.

I could hardly imagine how hopeless he must have felt at that time.

"Every day felt like an eternity to me. I didn't know how many days had passed, and they didn't even give me proper clothes to wear, let alone shoes. My hair and beard grew longer, and I looked like a wild man."

I looked at my father, feeling an overwhelming sense of pity. He must have lost all sense of dignity and pride.

"Clark is such a bastard!" I clenched my fists tightly.

Atlas's expression was grim. He had been listening silently to my father's story.

"My threats worked. I finally saw Clark after three days of my hunger strike. He brought me all kinds of reports about the incident, including pictures of the plane crash. I felt utterly hopeless, and I wished I were dead.

"I wanted to confront Clark, but he tied me up and taunted me, saying they couldn't find anything incriminating against him because everything had been orchestrated by Celine and had nothing to do with him."

I saw Atlas's hand clench involuntarily.

"He even said I owed him my life. If he hadn't taken me, I would have died along with Louis."

"That just proves that Celine had already bought him off. I refuse to believe Celine didn't know about this. If she hadn't known, how could the Non-Organization have replaced you? I can't believe that scoundrel dared to take credit for that!" I said angrily. Atlas hurriedly tried to calm me down. "Don't be angry. I'm here, and I'll make him pay."

"I was furious, and I cursed him, calling him shameless and despicable. But it was no use. I knew it too. He left me with a threat. 'You'd better behave yourself and stay alive. Otherwise... your wife, daughter, and that kid from the Pierce family will be in danger." "Why didn't Celine show up?" I asked Atlas.

"The plane crash has always been controversial The Hansen and Lively families were investigating it too. She didn't want to take any action, so she ordered Clark to hide your. father of things were exposed, she could easily escape any

consequences. I believe Clark hadn't realized your dad's true value yet."

Atlas's explanation made a lot of sense.

"But Clark's words made me suddenly realize something. Both Louis and Tammy had passed away, and the children were in danger. It was clear that they were afraid of me dying from the way they reacted to my hunger strike." My father's narrative perfectly matched Atlas's analysis.

I nodded. "Looks like Clark had a lot of autonomy back then. He could do anything as long as you stayed alive."

"Yes, his actions showed that they

wouldn't let me die. I'm sure they

wanted me to stay alive to find out more about ATL Empire, including the BZ plan. Celine might not have known about the BZ plan at the time, but she definitely wanted to disrupt APL Empire's business."

"Yeah, ATL Empire is Celine's sore spot."

"I was determined. I thought I needed to escape and take my wife and you kids together with me to somewhere safe, so I pretended to be indifferent. I saved my strength and worked out in secret, preparing to flee at any moment."