Seven Years

I'm back

After walking a short distance, Gillinan Flynn suddenly received a call from an unknown number. At first, she thought it might be a sales call for real estate, English lessons, or stock trading, so she intended to decline, but somehow she found herself answering.

On the other end of the line, a man's enthusiastic voice rang out, "Gillinan Flynn, it's good you haven't changed your phone number."

The voice sounded familiar, but Gillinan Flynn couldn't place it immediately. She blinked, trying to guess who was calling her.

“Still haven't recognized me, have you?” The man asked.

"I'm really sorry, but..."

Not letting Gillinan Flynn finish her sentence, the man cut in, "I'm Philibert Oscars. I've returned to the country."

"Philibert?" Gillinan Flynn's voice couldn't hide her surprise.

"Don't ask who Philibert is, okay?"

Of course, Gillinan Flynn remembered her younger neighbor, two years her junior, who used to follow her around after school. She laughed and asked, "When did you return?"

"As soon as I got off the plane, I called you right away. Where are you? I'll fly over to meet you."

Gillinan Flynn arranged to meet Philibert Oscars at a café near the apartment building where she lived.

Philibert Oscars went straight from the airport to the café, while Gillinan Flynn stopped by her house to put away her belongings before arriving. When the two met, Gillinan Flynn couldn't help but be surprised to see her younger neighbor, once dark-skinned and skinny, now grown up and impressive, becoming one of the most striking men she had ever met: tall, handsome, and robust.

As soon as he saw Gillinan Flynn, Philibert Oscars recognized her immediately. She seemed to have changed little from years ago. Still as beautiful and pure as he remembered.

Philibert Oscars reached out to embrace Gillinan Flynn. His unexpected hug startled her slightly.

Burying his head in Gillinan Flynn's glossy hair, inhaling the familiar cool peppermint scent emanating from her hair, he whispered softly, "It's still that scent. You haven't changed at all. Still as beautiful as you were years ago."

Gillinan Flynn pushed Philibert Oscars away shyly. She looked at him and said, "But you've changed a lot. If we happened to pass each other on the street, I probably wouldn't recognize you."

"My appearance may have changed, but my heart remains the same. It still only holds the image of one girl, Gillinan Flynn."

Philibert Oscars's words made Gillinan Flynn feel embarrassed. Even though he used to jokingly say that he would marry her when they grew up, back then they were just kids, and she didn't take his words seriously.

Now that they were both adults, there were things that could be said and things that couldn't. Moreover, Gillinan Flynn was still bound in marriage to Joe Purdue. No matter what, she was legally recognized as his wife.

Philibert Oscars and Gillinan Flynn sat down at a table, ordered drinks, and chatted happily with each other. It seemed that the five years apart hadn't made their relationship distant.

"Are you planning to return to the country this time?" Gillinan Flynn asked.

"It depends on the situation."

Gillinan Flynn remembered that in the past, Philibert Oscars always spoke very politely when talking to her. But now, his way of speaking had changed a lot. He wasn't as obedient as before, even speaking bluntly and teasing her.

Gillinan guessed that perhaps living abroad had changed Philibert somewhat, making him more liberated.

"What do you mean by 'it depends on the situation'?"

Instead of directly answering Gillinan Flynn's question, Philibert Oscars asked her another question: "Do you know why I suddenly came back to the country?"

Gillinan Flynn shook her head honestly, admitting that she truly didn't know. During the first two years after Philibert Oscars went to England, they still frequently communicated with each other.

However, in the third year, he gradually sent fewer texts and made fewer phone calls to her. By the fourth and fifth years, they had completely lost contact. Gillinan assumed that Philibert was busy with studying and dating, so she didn't bother him. Therefore, when she received his phone call this morning, she was extremely surprised.

"If I told you I came back to the country because of you, would you believe me?" Philibert asked Gillinan while looking at her.

Seemingly not believing what she had just heard, Gillinan had to confirm: "You came back to the country because of me?"

Philibert nodded. Despite living and working abroad for the past few years, he had always kept an eye on Gillinan Flynn's movements back home. Two days ago, while scrolling through Twitter, Philibert accidentally stumbled upon a photo of Camille Fauque affectionately embracing Joe Purdue, posted on her Twitter.

Feeling suspicious, he immediately scrolled down through Fauque's tweets and discovered that for the past six months, she had been consistently posting photos flaunting her romantic relationship. Of course, Philibert was smart enough to figure out who the main character was.

Realizing that Joe Purdue had deceived Gillinan Flynn, Philibert Oscars couldn't stay calm. He promptly bought a plane ticket back home that very night.

Philibert Oscars looked ahead, grasping Gillinan Flynn's hand with her slender fingers resting on the table. He looked at her and said, "You know about Joe Purdue's betrayal."

Gillinan Flynn stood stunned by Philibert Oscars's words. How did he know about that? Who had told him? Even Gillinan Flynn 's own parents didn't know, so how could Philibert possibly know? Before she could gather her thoughts, he straightforwardly asked, "When are you planning to divorce?"

"Um... I..."

Seeing Gillinan Flynn faltering, Philibert Oscars quickly suggested, "Do you want me to find a lawyer for you?"

Gillinan Flynn had planned to quietly handle this matter alone, but after everything that had happened, she felt overwhelmingly exhausted. Unable to confide in her parents and lacking close friends to share her burdens with, it felt like her energy was draining away.

Not expecting Philibert Oscars to be able to help her, but after some consideration, she decided to briefly explain her current situation to him as a way to relieve the heaviness in her heart.

Of course, while recounting, Gillinan Flynn omitted some details that she deemed unnecessary, such as the horrifying night when Joe Purdue had tormented her body, humiliating her like a cheap p********e.

Despite Gillinan Flynn 's lengthy narrative, Philibert Oscars succinctly summarized the main issues. First, Gillinan had sent divorce papers to Joe Purdue's office, but for some reason, he hadn't signed them. Second, Camille Fauque had orchestrated the miscarriage to frame Gillinan Flynn.

"Don't be afraid! With me here, no one will dare to harm you," Philibert Oscars reassured Gillinan Flynn, gently patting her hand to calm her down.

Gillinan Flynn, despite feeling grateful for Philibert Oscars's support, understood more than anyone the power and influence of the Purdue family, especially Joe Purdue. In this city, he was the undisputed ruler. With his wealth and status, it could be said that Joe Purdue held absolute control.

Anyone who dared to oppose him was essentially signing their own death warrant. Gillinan Flynn didn't want to escalate the situation and involve those around her, so she was willing to endure suffering in exchange for peace.

Though the previous night, Gillinan Flynn had been determined to investigate and uncover Camille Fauque's scheme to frame her, now that she had regained her composure, upon careful consideration, she deemed it unnecessary.

After all, Camille Fauque was the woman in Joe Purdue's heart; he loved and protected her like a treasure. Whatever she said, he would believe, and he would follow her lead without question.

If Gillinan were to find evidence proving her innocence in the matter of Camille's miscarriage, it wouldn't guarantee that Joe Purdue would stand by her.

Over time, Joe Purdue has had less-than-favorable impressions of Gillinan, so there's hardly anything to prevent him from misunderstanding her even further.

When Gillinan has resolved to abandon this matter, Philibert Oscars suddenly speaks up: "I will investigate thoroughly, determined not to let anyone wrong you."

"No need!" Gillinan shakes her head gently.

"What do you mean no need? It's about your dignity. Your honor."

Philibert Oscars's somewhat forceful reaction startles Gillinan. In her memory, he has always been a gentle and amiable neighbor, never once raising his voice like this.

“Are you afraid of Joe Purdue?”

Gillinan remained silent, so Philibert Oscars took it as an admission. In the city of Thien Hai, not only Gillinan but everyone had to tread carefully, fearing Joe Purdue.

Who is Joe Purdue?

Joe Purdue is known as one of the tycoons in the fashion industry. He is the CEO and chairman of the board of directors of the prestigious ATM Fashion Group, renowned for its high-end products and international standards.

Under his leadership, ATM has become the most promising company in the domestic fashion industry. Moreover, ATM has been highly regarded by many international fashion conglomerates and chosen as a long-term cooperative partner.

Furthermore, Joe Purdue is known as a savvy real estate investor with upscale shopping centers and six-star resorts that meet international standards...

"In particular, he is one of the few entrepreneurs who have been trained in various fields worldwide, such as organizational management or e-commerce."

Philibert Oscars knew all of this. He had thoroughly researched Joe Purdue 's biography before returning home.

"Don't be afraid! Despite his wealth, power, and status, Joe Purdue is just an ordinary person like us. There's nothing intimidating about him."

Gillinan thought that Philibert Oscars spoke confidently because he had not yet met Joe Purdue in person, nor had he witnessed the overwhelming presence that could silence the opponent, characteristic of the CEO of the ATM Fashion Group.

“If I have to fight against Joe Purdue despite being at a disadvantage, I will do it for you. I will make sure to restore your innocence,” Philibert Oscars said earnestly.

Hearing Philibert Oscars's words, Gillinan Flynn burst into laughter. She couldn't help but wonder how much Philibert Oscars earned each month with his current job as an IT engineer, and yet he was willing to challenge Joe Purdue, whose wealth was valued in the billions. Suddenly, Gillinan felt the urge to pat Philibert's head as she used to do in the past.

Despite the passing years, Gillinan Flynn still remembered vividly the first time she saw Philibert Oscars. She was fifteen at the time, and he was thirteen.

It was on a summer afternoon, while walking home from school, that Gillinan witnessed a group of classmates surrounding and beating Philibert Oscars, hurling insults like "Orphan," "Fatherless," and "Son of a prostitute." Observing from a distance, Gillinan noticed that all of the boys bullying Philibert Oscars were older and bigger than him.

After mercilessly tormenting Philibert Oscars, they gave him a chance to be spared. All he had to do was lick the shoes of the ringleader and beg for forgiveness, and he would be let go.

But the monster had already possessed Philibert Oscars's mind, and he defiantly responded with a barrage of the most vile and venomous words he had ever heard.

His indomitable spirit did little to help in that moment. Because there were four of them, and Philibert Oscars was alone.

If Gillinan Flynn hadn't gone to find an adult for help, Philibert Oscars might have been beaten to the point of being unable to walk for many days.

Not only did Gillinan Flynn help Philibert Oscars escape the terrible verbal abuse, the kicks to his ribs, and the punches to his face from the gang of boys, but she also kindly escorted him home. It was then that she was surprised to learn that he was the son of their new neighbors.