The dinner was very special for both Arthur and Liliana. The two of them seemed to get along like a real mother-daughter duo. However, only Arthur knew about the bond, while Liliana did not. She only thought of Arthur as a friend of her son, as Arthur had confessed earlier.
"Thank you for dinner, ma'am. Your cooking is excellent. No wonder Arthur says there's no better cooking than his mother's." Arthur thanked her as he complimented her.
To Liliana, Arthur's compliments may have sounded like small talk, but of course Arthur said them sincerely. Arthur couldn't stop expressing his gratitude for being given the opportunity to enjoy dinner with his mother in his current difficult situation.
"You are too complimentary, Mr. Wang. But if my cooking is to your taste, I'd be very happy," Liliana said.
"I mean it, not just a compliment." Arthur replied.
Liliana nodded with a faint smile. For the first time since she heard about Arthur's disappearance, the old woman smiled with happiness.
"If there is any reply to my son's letter, please let me know as soon as possible," Liliana pleaded.
"Of course. I'll let you know immediately if there is a reply. I assure you that Arthur will reply to your letter as soon as possible." Arthur promised. Of course he would write a reply immediately after reading the letter from his mother.
Arthur finally returned to his apartment with a lot of luggage. In addition to the packages Liliana had left for her son, he as Arthur Wang also got a share. Liliana had packed some snacks and also stocked up on food to last Arthur for the next few days. Simply warmed up using a microwave, the food can be enjoyed immediately.
"When you get home, don't forget to put them in the freezer so they'll last longer," Liliana told Arthur before he left.
Arthur arranged all the boxes of food supplies Liliana had given him into the freezer. Arthur's smile grew as he recalled his memories with his mother. He promised himself that after his revenge mission was over, his only goal in life would be to make Liliana happy.
After everything was done, Arthur put down the letter that Liliana had left for him. He chose to clean himself first before reading the letter.
After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Arthur took the letter from Liliana and opened it. He began to read the letter as he lay down on the bed.
'Dear Arthur, how are you there? I hope you are well and in good health. I won't ask you many questions because you might find it difficult to answer them. I just want to say that I'm always supporting you and praying for you in any situation. I miss you, but if it's not possible to see me, just take good care of yourself. I'm sorry if I've been demanding a lot of you and made you feel burdened. Now I won't do that anymore. Do what you want to do, as long as it will make your life happy. I love you, Arthur.
Arthur couldn't help but feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he read the simple words Liliana had written for him. There were no poetic sentences, but the stanzas that were written touched Arthur's heart. He could feel how much his mother loved him just by reading that simple letter.
"Thank you for writing this for me, Mom. I love you too," Arthur muttered later while wiping his face.
Arthur quickly shook off the melancholy that had suddenly come over him. Now was not the time to savor a moment of blue emotion. He had to utilize this moment to get Liliana to agree to leave his residence temporarily.
"A reply letter." Arthur muttered to himself again. That's right, he had to write down all his plans in the reply letter that he would give to Liliana. If Arthur Greens gave the instructions, there was a good chance that Liliana would obey him.
Arthur quickly got up and picked up the paper and pen, and was stunned for a few moments. He thought hard about what words to write as the opening sentence of his letter to his mother.
After being pensive for a long time, Arthur finally began to scratch the pen ink onto the paper. He had found the right words to say to Liliana.
'Hi, Mom. How are you? First of all, I'd like to apologize for disappearing without a word. You don't need to worry because I'm fine here. My body is healthy and I'm eating well. It's just that I can't come back yet for some reason. I have something to do first.
Mom, trust Mr. Wang because he's the only person who's helping me right now. The situation is unsafe, including for you. I hope you won't refuse when Mr. Wang asks you to move somewhere, because I'm the one who asked Mr. Wang to do that. I can't go into details right now. But later when we meet, I'll tell you everything. I love you, Mom. Arthur.'
Arthur was silent for a moment after finishing his writing. He read it once more and made sure he had written what he wanted to tell Liliana. Once he felt it was right, Arthur folded the paper and put it in an envelope he got from his desk drawer.
"Just need to find a present for Mom," Arthur muttered with a satisfied smile. Apparently, he had found a solution to his mother's problem. He just needed to find the right hiding place for his mother.
Late at night, Arthur decided to leave his apartment for a while because he could not close his eyes. Although it was almost dawn, there were still some shops that were still open because they operated for twenty-four hours.
Arthur stopped in front of a souvenir shop. He gazed for a moment at some seashell handicrafts shaped to resemble various objects. And Arthur's gaze stopped at a craft that resembled a collection of white roses. The souvenir immediately reminded Arthur of his mother who loved white roses.
Without thinking, Arthur entered the shop. But it looked like the shop owner was preparing to close the shop.
"Sorry, sir, we're about to close," said the shopkeeper politely.
"Excuse me, just a moment. I'd like to buy that rose-shaped handicraft," Arthur said, pointing at the handicraft that had caught his eye.
"Oh, okay." The shopkeeper immediately picked up the item Arthur had just pointed at, and brought it to Arthur.
"Is this what you mean, sir?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Yes, it is," Arthur replied.
"The price is one hundred and twenty dollars, but I'm cutting it down to one hundred dollars because I'm closing the shop," said the shop owner.
Arthur was silent for a moment. If he was still Arthur Greens, of course the amount mentioned by the shop owner was nothing. But unfortunately, right now he was Arthur Wang, both a businessman but with very limited money.
"Please pack it neatly. I will give it as a gift to someone," Arthur pleaded.
The shop owner agreed to Arthur's request. After payment was made, the white rose-shaped handicraft was immediately packaged very beautifully.
Arthur took the item home with a satisfied smile. He imagined how his mother would look when she received the gift. Liliana would be very happy, wouldn't she?
"If only I wasn't suspicious, I'd love to give you this letter tomorrow," Arthur muttered as he looked at the letter he had written along with the gift he had bought.
Arthur finally lay down on the bed. He considered when would be a good time to write back to Liliana. It seemed like another week, so it seemed like it would take a long time to be able to communicate with Arthur Greens, as he had told Liliana earlier.
The more he thought about it, the less Arthur could keep his eyes closed. However, he tried to rest his body and mind so that tomorrow would have new energy to fight again.