Captive Hearts: The Tycoon's Ugly Bride novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38 He Went Missing Before

Blanche glanced in Tammy's direction and realized that Tammy was actually looking at her. Blanche took the drink halfheartedly and held the glass as she took a few steps absent-mindedly.

By chance, she noticed Eric finishing up a conversation with someone his own age, so she changed direction and walked toward Eric.

"Hi, Blanche."

"Eric, I want to ask you about something. Is Louis at odds with Henry?"

Eric put his hand in his pocket and, upon hearing her question, hesitated for a moment before looking at Henry who was socializing.

"You mean that guy? He's not only at odds with Louis but also with me. Well, we can say that he hates our guts."

Blanche was bewildered and wondered, "That guy? Eric is so nice to Louis, but he called Henry that guy. Why?"

She asked, "Why? You're cousins of the same family, aren't you?"

"Blanche, why are you asking about him? He's just trash. You know what? When he was three years old, he got lost. He didn't return to the Herbart family until he was sixteen, and when he came back, he brought all the bad habits back with him. My brother and I both have bad tempers, but that guy is just worse."

Eric's face twisted in conflict as if he really didn't want to talk about Henry. However, seeing Blanche's curiosity, he continued.

"Grandmother felt guilty towards him, thinking that he went through a lot of hardship while he was away. She wanted us to get along with him. At first, we tried to accommodate him as much as possible."

Blanche was puzzled. "He got lost? How did that happen?"

"When Aunt Flora was pregnant with him, Uncle Bernart couldn't control his impulses and had an affair with another woman. Aunt Flora was very angry and made a scene, thinking that her son caused her to lose Uncle Bernart's love. After that guy was born, Uncle Bernart still didn't change his ways, so Aunt Flora became increasingly uninterested in her son. When that guy was three years old, Aunt Flora took him to a mall. She saw Uncle Bernart hugging another woman and then left her son alone to argue with Uncle Bernart. When Aunt Flora came back, that guy was gone. He was lost for thirteen years after that."

Blanche widened her eyes in shock. Henry had actually gone missing when he was only three years old. She had heard many stories about lost children, and all of them were heartbreaking.

"It's really strange. As soon as he went missing, our family began the search for him. They spent enormous amounts of money and resources, but it took them a whole 13 years to find him in a small border town."

Something came to Blanche's mind as she glanced over at Henry, who was in the distance. The Herbarts were so powerful and well-informal. It was really strange that it took them 13 years to find a person. She thought that perhaps Henry never wanted to return to the Herbart family in the first place.

Eric scratched the back of his head and continued, "When he came back, he was a troubled teenager. He had marks all over his body from fights and hatred in his eyes when he looked at us. Grandmother told Louis and me to be more accommodating toward him, and we went along with it. After all, it was obvious he had experienced a lot of hardship outside."

Blanche nodded, listening intently.

"But it turned out that it was all for nothing. Our relationship deteriorated completely in the end because of my stupid mistake. When he came back to our family, he brought a broken bowl that he treasured and used to eat every day. One day, I secretly picked up the bowl to take a look out of curiosity. Tragically, he suddenly appeared and stared at me with a withering look. I was so scared that my legs went weak, and I dropped the bowl, shattering it into two pieces. Before I could have a chance to apologize, he came over and kicked me in the ribs as hard as he could."