From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea )

Lost in thought, Sherman exhaled a stream of smoke, squinting his eyes slightly, the depths of his gaze as dark and unfathomable as an ancient well.

This was Anthea's home.

The spot where he'd parked was right under the apartment complex where she lived.

Was he taking a special interest in Anthea?

No.

That was impossible.

How could he possibly be smitten with such a young girl?

His admiration for Anthea was purely professional.

Admiration for her strategic mind in chess.

Admiration for her tech prowess.

Admiration for her insights.

He'd never really dealt with women in his life, and suddenly being this close to a young girl was bound to feel a bit unfamiliar, stirring up some strange emotions within him.

But with time, he'd grow accustomed to it.

It was nothing to do with romance.

Certainly nothing to do with love.

With that thought, Sherman breathed a sigh of relief, snuffed out the half-smoked cigarette, and tossed the butt away.

What seemed like a casual throw landed the cigarette butt perfectly into a trash can ten meters away.

The car window rolled up, sealing Sherman's stoic profile inside the vehicle.

With one hand on the rosary hanging from the rearview mirror and the other on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed forward, he started the engine.

The black car departed, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust behind.

Once the dust settled, all was calm again.

Who would even notice that a luxury car had been parked there for nearly an hour?

In the days that followed, Carole and Nanson took up studying French whenever they had a moment to spare.

Their family's daily interactions were now all in French.

The events that had transpired back in their hometown seemed to have no significant impact on them.

On the eleventh day of February.

Gerard secretly purchased a ticket to Cloudcrest.

He had planned to arrive in Cloudcrest on the eighth of February but was delayed by unforeseen events.

He brought nothing but his cell phone, laptop, and a few changes of clothes.

The temperature difference between Cloudcrest and Capital City was stark.

Capital City could get as cold as negative eighteen degrees Celsius, while Cloudcrest's lowest was around one or two degrees.

Though not as cold as Capital City, the chill in Cloudcrest was different, and it was a dry cold.

Stepping off the plane, Gerard shivered.

Cloudcrest was unfamiliar territory for him. Pulling out his phone to locate his hotel, he hopped into a cab.

The driver, a chatty middle-aged man, glanced at Gerard's attire in the rearview mirror and struck up a conversation, "You're not from around here, are you, young man?"

"Yeah," Gerard nodded. Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

"Where are you from?" the driver continued.

"Capital City," Gerard replied.

The driver expressed his surprise, "Capital City is thousands of miles from here. A four-hour flight at least. What brings you to Cloudcrest, sightseeing?"

Cloudcrest was a tourist city, but in winter, there weren't many attractions.

It was usually busier in spring, summer, and fall.

"No," Gerard said, stepping onto Cloudcrest soil with an indescribable feeling, "I'm here to find my mom."

Were he and his mother breathing the same air under the same sky at this very moment?

Would he be able to see her as he hoped?

Gerard leaned back in his seat.

Ignoring the cold, he rolled down the window and took a deep breath of the chilly air.

"You feeling car sick, young man?" the driver asked.

Gerard didn't deny it, "Yeah."

"Is your mom from Cloudcrest?" the driver inquired further.

"Maybe," Gerard's voice was faint.

The driver laughed, "You don't even know where your mom's from?"

Gerard shook his head gently, "I've never met my mother."

The driver's smile froze on his lips as he turned to look at Gerard, apologetically saying, "I'm sorry to hear that, young man."

"It's okay."

The driver added, "Don't lose hope. I believe that one day you'll find her. What's her name, by the way? I've been driving a cab in Cloudcrest for twenty years. Tell me, I might know her."

"I don't know."

"What?" The driver was taken aback, and then asked, "Do you have a picture of your mom?"