"I'm not going."
Gardon stood at the port, smiling as he shook Neil's hand. "The more things are like this, the more this place needs me."
He looked at Neil with such sincerity that even Neil couldn't tell whether he was putting on an act. Even Gardon himself didn't know whether this was his truest emotion or something he wanted to display.
Perhaps it was both.
He still wanted to prove this to his deceased Mr. Simon: he was Mr. Simon's most outstanding son.
In every respect!
He was far beyond comparison with that useless son of Mr. Simon's. He was the one who should be Mr. Simon's pride!
At that thought, his posture seemed to straighten even more.
Neil was silent for a while before gripping his hand firmly again. "I hope it won't be too long before we meet again."
Gardon laughed heartily. "Of course. Perhaps it won't be long before we see each other again!"
Neil released his hand. He rather liked—or perhaps admired—this young man, Gardon. "I guarantee..."
He paused for several seconds. "And goodbye!"
Without looking back, Neil boarded the ship with his family. Their tickets had been issued internally by the United Development Company. He had a large house of his own, a luxurious suite spacious enough to accommodate everyone.
The moment the cruise ship left the port, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
On the deck, some people were even raising their glasses to celebrate their successful departure from Nagaril.
The ship clearly hadn't yet gone far from the port, but everyone seemed to believe they had already escaped safely.
As he watched the shoreline grow farther away, Neil had a vague feeling telling him that he shouldn't leave, no matter the reason!
Lin Qi wanted him to take over Gardon's