Ryder had just come out of Divinity when he heard the voice of Shu coming from outside. He took off the glasses and kept that in his inventory before he got off the bed and stepped outside.
As soon as Ryder stepped into the hall, he saw Shu sitting on the sofa. A cup of coffee was in his hand, which he was sipping casually. Alice sat some distance from him.
"Why was your phone off? You didn't even message. Do you know how worried we were?" she asked Shu.
"I'm sorry. Circumstances were such where I was unable to contact you. I'll make up for it, though. Let's go to the Maldives on a two-day vacation with Ryder," Shu told Alice as he smiled apologetically.
"Maldives? But it'll take time. Tickets and everything else needs to be arranged. Moreover, we don't have many days left. College is about to open soon," Alice asked with a concerned look on her face.
"Don't worry about anything. You just convince him. As for the trip, I have my private jet. Let's go there and have some fun. The last few days have been stressful. I just want to relax for now," Shu let out as he smiled wryly.
"As for college, I own the damn thing. It'll stay closed for as long as I want," he continued.
"Alright. I'll talk to him," Alice agreed. "He should be up soon."
"There's no need to talk. I heard everything. And it does sound like a good idea after all that happened," Ryder chimed in, letting everyone know of his presence.
"Ah, you're up," Shu exclaimed as he stood up. He walked towards Ryder in significant steps as he hugged him firmly.
"I'm glad you're alive, little guy," Ryder let out in a low voice as he hugged Shu back.
The hug was not long-lasting as both of them separated from each other.
"So when are we leaving?" Ryder asked Shu.
"I see no reason to delay. We can leave in an hour. I'll arrange for everything," Shu answered as he nodded his head.
"That sounds good. Anyway, I want to talk to you about something important. Let's go outside and have some fresh air while we talk," Ryder told Shu as he stood up.
"Alright," Shu nodded his head as he left.
Alice gazed at the both of them suspiciously as they left.
"You want to know everything?' Shu asked Ryder as he stepped outside.
"Yeah. But that can wait. Let's talk on the roof," Ryder replied as he entered the lift with Shu.
Both of them went to the roof of the hotel.
"I didn't tell Alice about anything. She only knew that you went to work and stopped contacting us. I'm sure you might have already guessed that, though," Ryder told Shu as he stepped on the edge of the roof.
"Yeah. I realized that." Shu nodded.
"So tell me what happened. Why did you pretend to be dead? And what's this about your MD trying to kill you?" Ryder inquired.
"That's what happened. I already had some information about Derek scheming to kill me. And I wanted to use that to my advantage. I let him do as he pleased. The proofs kept stocking. Finally, the right time came when he thought he could actually kill me," Shu started explaining everything.
"Anyway, in short, he thought he succeeded. And joined up with Necrosis to use this to his advantage. That got him to play right into my hand. Now I have everything I need.
I have Necrosis at a disadvantage for mixing up with him, and I have a document from the regulatory authority, which was the biggest obstacle previously. Every piece of the puzzle is at the right place," he continued.
"So you did this because you wanted the merger?" Ryder inquired.
"Not a merger. I want to own them. I want all the information they have. I've been suspicious of them for a long time, and I want to know what they're hiding," Shu answered as he looked at the clouded sky which had hidden the sun.
"So did you succeed? Are you able to buy them now?" Ryder asked, wondering if it worked.
"Not yet. I thought I would be able to, but they're too stubborn. Let's see what happens. There's another meeting next week," Shu answered as he smiled wryly.
"So this was the thing. You could've told me before. But I won't keep it over your head," Ryder acknowledged that there must be some reason behind the thought of Shu.
He was in no position to complain after all the things he kept hidden from the people close to him. If he was in the position of Shu, he might have done the same after all. No one wished to trouble the people who were close to them.
"Let's go back," he let out as he started walking back.
"Thank you for understanding," Shu told Ryder. He paused for a second before he continued, "Also, I am happy."
"Happy for what?" Ryder inquired as he turned back to look at Shu.
"To see you concerned for me. It's been a long time since someone worried for me like that," Shu explained to Ryder as he stepped towards him.
Both of them went back downstairs. Ryder and Alice started packing bags for the trip that remained ahead of them.
The three of them got ready in an hour before they departed from the hotel. Shu's car was already waiting outside for them.
The three of them stepped inside the car, which took them to the airport where the private jet of Dream Corporation was standing. They entered the jet, which took to air after getting permission to fly.
The luxury jet seemed beautiful from the outside, but it was even better from the inside. It was the first time Ryder was sitting inside something so luxurious. Alice was also amazed at the sight of it.
"It's so fascinating how money can buy so many things," She muttered as she looked around at the interior of the jet.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, money can't buy everything," Shu muttered as he gazed outside the window. A few faces flashed before his eyes that seemed to belong to his brother and his parents.
The jet also had a beautiful kitchen that was filled with ingredients and the service staff that served the food for them.
They were served juice and sandwiches at the start of the journey whereas they were served some heavy food near the end.
The jet landed at the airport in the Maldives, where another car was waiting to take them to their beach resort.
The place where they were staying was nothing less than a beautiful Mansion for the rich, which was facing the beautiful sea. The beach was right in front of the mansion, where a few foreigners could be seen resting.
The three of them spent the day sitting on the beach as they enjoyed the soothing winds coming from the sea.
"We should go back," Ryder suggested as the sky turned dark.
"Yeah," Shu and Alice agreed as they stood up.
The three of them went back inside the mansion. "Don't forget to return the ring today, or the quest will expire," Ryder reminded Shu before they separated.
Ryder walked back to his room and once again jumped inside the World of Divinity.
For the next two days, time kept passing just like that. During the day, they enjoyed the beauty of Maldives, while during the night, Ryder treaded through the Death Domain to reach the Royal City.
In the meantime, Shu had finished the worst by returning the ring of lexini to the place it was stolen from.
Ryder was inside the Death Domain. It was his second and last night before he had to go back home with Alice and Shu.
He gazed at the map which was in his hand.
"I should reach the Royal City tomorrow," he muttered as he folded the map again before placing it in his inventory.
He opened the screen and logged out.
The sun had just started to rise in the Maldives when Ryder woke up. He took a shower before he got ready to leave.
The three of them once again went to the airport, where the private jet was ready to take off. Only a few minutes after they entered, the plane took off.
Ryder and Alice were sitting near each other, excited to get back home after all this time. None of them had any idea that a person was waiting for them eagerly near the mansion.
Their jet landed at the airport, from where they entered a helicopter which brought them to the mansion.
A man was staying in a nearby mansion. He was keeping the owners of the mansion hostage as he stayed in that place. It was the best place to keep an eye on Maxwell Estate. The man watched a helicopter land inside the Maxwell Estate.
"They are back." A smile formed on the lips of the man.
