Dear Sweetheart

Chapter 82

Chapter 82 Priceless

“That’s because I only feel alive when I’m working.”

Curtis’ voice was soft and flat. All Rayna could hear was the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. “Mr. Faymon, what did you say?” she asked as she did not hear his response.

She wanted to lean in to hear him better but ended up tripping over some veins on the ground. Just as she was about to knock her head against his back, he turned around in the nick of time and held her firmly. It was as though he saw it coming.

“Ms. Garland, the ground is uneven,” Curtis said in resignation. Sometimes, I feel that she’s brilliant, and at times, I’d have the opposite opinion. Can’t she walk properly?

From then on, he held her wrist and moved forward while cutting down the shrubs with the other hand.

Rayna’s heart skipped a beat, and her ears flushed as she looked at her wrist that was within his grip.

Around ten minutes later, they finally reached the village and saw that the surrounding buildings were simple but solid. With various vegetables growing around them, the place looked full of vitality.

“Wait!” Rayna shouted at Curtis. Then, she grabbed two handfuls of soil and rubbed them on her face and arms before doing the same for him. Her actions caused him to knit his brows tightly.

“We can’t just go in like this. Let’s pretend we got lost,” she explained.

Curtis was at a loss for words.

“Someone’s coming, Mr. Faymon!” Seeing a man approaching with a hoe over his shoulders as if he was out to farm, Rayna whispered into Curtis’ ear, “Think on your feet.” With that, she proceeded to lie

on the ground, acting as though she had fainted.

Curtis did not respond.

When he noticed that the man was heading in their direction, he quickly squatted down and carried Rayna into his arms. She looks like a fugitive with her face covered with soil. A look of amusement flashed across his eyes.

Once again, he was impressed by her.

Seconds later, the man, who was usually an alert person, put his guard down upon seeing how disheveled Curtis and Rayna looked. He then spoke to Curtis in a foreign language.

The latter did not understand what the man was saying but nodded when he noticed him pointing toward the village. With Rayna in his arms, Curtis followed the man into the village, and they soon entered a house.

After a short while, a woman with a headscarf walked in with a bowl of water that looked as clear as spring water.

Curtis took the bowl of water from the woman and drank a few mouthfuls first, pretending to be parched. Upon ensuring that it was safe to consume, he fed it to Rayna.

Rayna played along by taking a few sips of the water before gradually opening her eyes.

“Oh, my goodness! We didn’t die!” she exclaimed joyfully as she leaned into Curtis’ embrace. Tears of joy even flowed down her cheeks.

Curtis’ eyebrows twitched. Kristie isn’t the only one who can act well! This woman is also quite impressive in acting.

Rayna did not hug him for long. Soon, she let go of him and wiped off the tears on her face. Acting as if she had just seen the woman, she asked curiously in Uronian, “May I know where are we?”

“Y-You can speak our language?” The woman looked at Rayna in shock. Slightly excited, she continued, “I thought only the people in our village knew this language.”

Because Uronian was a language that was close to extinction and the villagers could not understand the language spoken by outsiders, they relied on hunting for survival.

In response, Rayna answered, “My grandpa taught me the language. He told me he had grown up in the northern region. No matter where he went, he made sure to remember his origin. Unfortunately… my grandpa passed away when I was young.”

“May God bless you.” The woman pushed Curtis aside and held Rayna’s hands. Gazing at the younger woman as if the latter were her daughter, she asked, “You must’ve gone through a lot of hardships, right?”

Rayna nodded with teary eyes. “My dad wouldn’t accept Zahar because he’s poor and mute. Instead, he wanted me to marry a sixty-year-old man. However, Zahar and I are truly in love. I’m willing to do anything for him.”

Hearing that, the woman swept a glance at Curtis and asked, “Is he Zahar? Are you two married?”

“Yes. You saw how much he loves me, right? I eloped with him. But I didn’t expect my dad would get so mad that he kept jeopardizing our business. We couldn’t stay in Mapleton anymore, so we brought our goods here. We planned on selling the goods so that we could provide for our child. Unfortunately, we lost our way and our truck at the same time,” Rayna uttered.

“Where’s your child?” the woman asked.

“I just got pregnant not long ago.” Rayna caressed her abdomen and put on a pitiful expression. “I don’t care if my dad hates me, but this child belongs to Zahar and me. I want to raise our child well.”

Touched by Rayna’s words, the woman pulled her into her embrace and patted her back as an act of comfort. “Poor child. I’m a mother, so I know how tough it is to be pregnant. If you don’t mind, you and your husband are welcome to stay the night here,” she said.

“We wouldn’t want to trouble you too much,” Rayna replied. “Perhaps you could give us some food. That would be more than enough. Thank you.”

“You wouldn’t be troubling me!” The woman did not mind providing shelter for them. While looking at Rayna’s abdomen, she said, “Besides, you just got pregnant. You shouldn’t move around too much. Just stay here.”

Rayna did not reject her anymore. “You’re so kind. Thank you.”

The woman’s heart swelled with adoration. With a bright smile on her face, she tucked Rayna in and stood up to leave.

Before she left, she gave Curtis a look of admiration and pity.

Frowning, Curtis watched the door close before turning toward Rayna. He smiled when he saw the tears in her eyes. “Ms. Garland, your acting skills are marvelous.”

“Don’t talk, Mr. Faymon.” Rayna signaled for him to keep quiet. In a low voice, she said, “I told that woman we’re a married couple. We have a small business together, and you’re mute.”

Curtis’ lips twitched, and he voiced his confusion, “Why am I a mute?”

“To gain their sympathy, of course.” Rayna beckoned him to come closer. Once he did, she added, “We’ll stay here tonight and go out to see what the situation is like when tomorrow comes. By the way, what’s the thing that’s worth one billion?”

Curtis took out a plastic bag from his pocket and opened the layers of wrappers, revealing a withered plant kept within. A faint fragrance could be whiffed.

Does he take me for a fool? Rayna pointed at the flower and stared at him in shock. “This? One billion?”

He grunted an acknowledgment in response before explaining, “A component extracted from this plant can regenerate cells and delay the aging of the human body.”

“What’s so special about that?” she asked. “Now, medical researchers worldwide have already developed a lot of medicines to delay the aging of the human body. It’s just a matter of affordability these days.”

“The medicines available internationally can delay aging but can’t regenerate cells.” Curtis quirked his lips and added, “Cells have a short lifespan and cannot regenerate. This component, however, can make that happen. It can regenerate cells in the human body with a success rate of sixty percent. It warms and nourishes various organs in the body, and it also has a significant effect on heart diseases.”

Dumbfounded by his explanation, Rayna did not respond for a while.

Although she was not a biology student, she knew what he was trying to convey. Basically, the thing in his hand was akin to the medicine of immortality, capable of causing the whole world to go crazy for it. Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“H-How is this thing only worth one billion?” Rayna held the plant and exclaimed in a trembling voice, “Things that can reverse aging are priceless!”

“But how is it possible that only a handful of people know about a treasure like this, Mr. Faymon?” she then asked.

“Didn’t you see?” Curtis jerked his chin up and uttered in a deep voice, “It can only be found in this place. Otherwise, why would I have brought you here?”

“That’s true.” Rayna smacked her forehead. How silly of me!