Riches in Disguise

If The Dragonshade Society were the only issue, it would be easy enough to handle.

I immediately reassured Lynn. "This isn't a big deal. Why don't you and Riley move somewhere else for now? I promise I'll deal with The Dragonshade Society and make sure they don't bother you again."

Lynn shook her head and rejected my suggestion. "We can't move. You've seen how Riley can't talk anymore. She wasn't born mute. It was because of Elijah's death. It scarred her deeply.

"After crying her heart out, she lost her voice. Now, she's too scared to go out. Moreover, she's really attached to this place. If I make her leave, it will break her."

I was right. Riley's muteness was because of her trauma.

However, I never expected it to be from Elijah's death. Once again, it seemed like the White family had ended up being the indirect culprit.noveldrama

Before I could suggest something else, Lynn interjected. "Plus, moving won't change anything. The Dragonshade Society is way too powerful. Even though you're rich, you're not invincible.

"So, don't even think about helping me. You can't even handle Mr. Donovan, let alone take on The Dragonshade Society."

She sighed. "You can stay here a couple more days to avoid Mr. Donovan. After that, you should return to campus. There's no way you can fix this for Riley and me. Just give up and stay away from us."

She continued, "I need to get to work now. William, please look after Riley for me. If anything comes up, just give me a call."

After straightening up, Lynn headed out again. Seeing how tired and rushed she was, I couldn't help but feel guilty.

I pulled out my phone to call Travis. But after a moment, I decided against it. After all, this was something that was already behind him. If I told him, he would just feel guilty and carry that weight forever. It seemed better not to bring it up.

Moreover, when it came to handling things, Travis only cared about efficiency. I knew he wouldn't be paying attention to all the small details.

If he just showed up and threatened people like before, he could end causing a mess for The Dragonshade Society. With that thought in mind, I decided to handle this on my own.

Just then, Riley walked out of her room. As I looked at her, I figured that it might be best to take her to see a psychotherapist first. After all, her emotional wounds needed

heating. She couldn't just bedeft alone at home without help.

"Riley, do you want to go out and have some fun? How about I take you out a bit?" I asked.

Riley immediately shook her head.

However, I kept trying to persuade her. "It's such a nice day out. Don't you want to see some birds and maybe some other animals?"

With that, I scooped her up and walked over to the window.

I pointed outside. "Look. Those two dogs over there are so cute! Do you want to pat them?"

As Riley gazed down at the Samoyed strolling below, I could see a hint of longing

in her eyes. I knew it. Every child would have a natural love for animals.

I continued, "It's okay. I'll always be here to protect you. So, you don't have to worry about those bad guys. Can you trust me?"

Riley nervously fidgeted with her fingers, clearly torn. After a long moment, she finally nodded.

Her reaction delighted me. Fearing

she would change her mind, I quickly

took her downstairs. I was worried

that putting her down would scare her So, I carried her all the way to the park in the neighborhood.

When we got close to the Samoyed, I asked the owner for permission to approach

it. Then, I crouched and encouraged Riley to pat the dog's soft fur.

Even though Riley only touched it once, she was so excited that she started waving her hands.

Seeing her look of confusion and longing, I felt a pang in my heart. At that moment, I firmly decided that I would do whatever it took to help her recover.