Chapter 35

In that chilling photo, unimaginably cold, only Nathan wore a slight smile on his lips. Jona's father had a stern look in his eyes. Jona had a similar stern look and only one person had a different facial expression. And that was the mother, who neither wore a smile nor had the same sternness in her eyes, but Carlie could see a hint of fear behind her calm demeanor. As if she was intimidated by something.

"But what?"unconsciously, Carlie spoke to the photo itself. "Your child calls out to you in his sleep with a face full of pain,"Carlie was even surprised to find herself talking to the mere photo. "What happened to him? What happened to you? To both of you?"

Carlie reached out, touching the stiff little photo of Jona's face. An expression that was a hundred and eighty degrees different from the expression he wore in the midst of his dream, two weeks ago. Carlie didn't know why she reached out her hand. After all, the giant painting was very high and to reach Jona's face, Carlie had to stretch her legs and arms as far as possible. But suddenly, her foot slipped because she tiptoed too high.

"Ah!"Carlie screamed as her body collided with the photo frame, her foot desperately seeking balance before slipping onto the tiles. But there was something else that surprised her more than that.

When Carlie's body pressed against the frame, the photo was pushed inwards, then opened. Instantly, one side swayed. With a furrowed brow, Carlie stared at the photo. 'Was this frame a door? Hidden?'

A creaking sound was heard as she struggled to open the giant-sized photo or door. A musty smell and the wind of the isolated room instantly invaded her nostrils. Carlie even had to cover her nose. The room behind the photo seemed uninhabited for a long time. Despite her efforts, Carlie couldn't open it more than 20 centimeters. With the small gap, she peered inside. And from there, she saw a room spread out, pitch black, with no end in sight. Her estimate was that the room wasn't too spacious. Perhaps no more than a guest room in this mansion.

Her curiosity instantly soared. Carlie planned to open the heavy frame wider, but unfortunately...

Knock. knock. knock. The sound of footsteps echoed from afar.

Quickly, Carlie closed the door again, making sure she had pressed it hard enough to lock it tightly.

A man emerged from the shadows of the corridors. Devan, with a smile on his face.

"Every time look for you, you're always in front of this photo. Is Young Master Jona's face when he was young so fascinating to you, Madame?"the man asked.

"Don't joke. You don't know how much i want to tear this child's face apart and ruin him before he grows up to be a demon like he is now,"Carlie pointed at Jona's face. Uttering cruelty, even though she didn't mean it sincerely.

And apparently, her lie was caught by Devan. The man widened his smile,"the flight preparations are complete. Let's go, Madame."

****

There's a saying that Carlie has kept to herself for a long time. A saying from her father.

At that time, Carlie felt like she was only 15 years old. Or maybe 16. Carlie didn't remember. But on that day, after school, Carlie asked her driver to take her to her father's office. Carlie needed money. She wanted to win a rare bag at an auction and her savings at the time were not enough.

Her presence was warmly welcomed by all the bows from her father's subordinates, one of the reasons why Carlie loved to visit this office so much. She took the private elevator and walked lightly to her father's office door. But when she arrived in front of the door, she suddenly heard someone shouting. A man's voice wrapped in anger. Shouting loudly, and seeming to be crazy inside. Not long after, from behind her, Carlie could see 2 men in black suits coming. They bowed to Carlie, then barged into her father's office. They dragged out the man who was still screaming uncontrollably even as he entered the elevator. With a puzzled frown, Carlie stepped inside.

Her presence instantly brought a smile to her father's face that had been previously furrowed.

"I didn't know my daughter would visit me today,"he said warmly. "Come here. Did you come with Mom?"

Her father rose from his desk, then walked over to the sofa that was tucked away in the middle of the room. Carlie did the same. She sat on one of the sofas, facing her father. "No. I'm alone. I just got back from school,"Carlie replied.

"What was that about earlier?"

Gerald, her father looked out the door. "Oh that. I'm sorry you had to see something inappropriate like that,"he said. "A former manager in the finance management division who was just fired. His performance has been repeatedly criticized by Dad for being too rigid and not straightforward, but he's a man who can't accept criticism. For him, this dismissal is an unimaginable insult,"her father crossed his legs on top of each other. "So he ranted like that earlier,"Carlie was perplexed, furrowing her brow.

"What a strange person. If someone is really bad at their job, shouldn't they be kicked out? What gives them the right to be angry? They should be able to reflect on themselves, not lash out at Dad,"Carlie muttered.

But her daughter's words were met with laughter from Gerald,"you're right, that's what they should be thinking, isn't it? Ideally, when criticized, we should respond by looking inward and correcting our mistakes. But you know, Carlie, many people can't do that. Because fundamentally, they also have unhealthy debates within themselves."

Her father's words only puzzled Carlie further. "I don't understand. What do you mean, Dad?"

"Imagine it like this,"her father straightened up, a sign Carlie knew well. He wanted to teach her something. "Suppose there's a child who's been blamed since childhood. Every time they get a grade below average, they get hit. Even the tiniest mistake is met with harsh scolding and no matter how high their achievements, they're rarely praised. Eventually, that child will become someone who is extremely afraid of making mistakes. Because they think mistakes are something shameful that they shouldn't do, or else they'll be punished. That's what they're taught by both of their parents."

Once again, Carlie furrowed her brow,"but Dad always says that if someone wants to succeed, they have to make a lot of mistakes first so they can improve."

Gerald nodded. "That's true and that's why people who aren't allowed to make mistakes from a young age will find it difficult to develop later in life, Carlie,"her father continued.

"Because of the excessive fear of making mistakes, people like that will become perfectionists. Always wanting to be right. Wanting to be superior. Not allowing mistakes, neither in themselves nor in others, let alone in their subordinates. They'll be people who think that only by being perfect all the time, they have self-worth and over time, people like that will think that criticism, even if it's constructive, is an insult when they're failing. Just like the manager Dad fired earlier."

Carlie crossed her arms. "It sounds sad. Luckily, i don't have parents like that."

Gerald laughed again,"you are indeed very lucky and you should know that not everyone is as fortunate as you, so you should help those around you who are less fortunate, understand, dear?"

At that moment, Carlie didn't quite grasp her father's words. To her, whether someone is lucky or not is fate. And if someone falls into misery, they should save themselves. 'Why should Carlie be responsible for helping other people's ignorance?' However, before she could ask, her father continued his speech.

"Every child born into this world is the same. Born innocent, crying in their mother's arms, helpless, and with a clean, white mind. Like a blank sheet of paper and the environment they live in will write on it. Some lucky ones like you will have their paper painted with colorful paint happiness, prosperity, full of gratitude. But there are some unlucky ones, born with black charcoal marks and tears on their paper. Sadness, condemnation, loss, even torture. Can you capture something with Dad's words?"

Carlie looked at her father, puzzled. "Do you mean i should be more grateful for life?"

Her father laughed. "Yes, that's one of them, but there's one more thing. Valuable life lessons,"her father spoke.

"The crueler someone is, the more evil, the rougher their speech, the worse their habits, the more annoying or even heartless they are, it means they have a sad life. When someone is mean, what they really need isn't retribution, but they need the most compassion more than anyone else in the world."