chapter 11 Looking back on the past ===

After a long separation, the father and son reunited as if they had endless topics to discuss, chatting until midnight before reluctantly returning to their rooms to rest.
Dunstan spent the whole day on a plane, and from the moment he disembarked, he hadn't had the chance to freshen up. It was only after finally managing to do so that he realized there were no suitable clothes for him to change into at home.
Dunstan's room remained unchanged from ten years ago, with the wardrobe still filled with clothes he wore during his high school days.
Years had passed, yet his clothes were well-preserved, likely taken out and washed by Fiona whenever she missed her son, as if Dunstan had never left and was still by her side.
Lying in bed, he could smell the fresh scent on the pillow.
It was easy to imagine Bianca sleeping in his bed.
Thinking of Bianca inevitably brought back memories of past events for Dunstan.
Had it not been for what happened back then, perhaps he would not have run away from home.
On Bianca's end, she too found it difficult to sleep through the night.
The past events flitted through her mind like passing clouds.
Ten years ago, she and Dunstan were just naive high school students.
Back then, Bianca already had a crush on Dunstan, but both were too young and naive about love to address their feelings directly.
Bianca also had another close friend named Amara Kim. Besides following Dunstan around, Bianca spent most of her time with Amara, and the two shared everything with each other.
Naturally, Amara knew about her best friend's crush on Dunstan.
To help them get together, Amara naturally became acquainted with Dunstan as well, and the three of them had a harmonious relationship.
Amara was not their classmate but the popular girl from the next class over, adored by many boys.
Having two outstanding girls frequently by his side, Dunstan inadvertently made many rivals, sometimes even finding challenge notes from "rivals" in his drawer.
This amused and exasperated Dunstan, who couldn't help but remark on the sheer number of boys chasing after Amara, enough to form an army.
Among them was a rich second-generation named Miasma Lopez, who pursued Amara aggressively.
Miasma was a prominent figure in the school, rumored to be the son of a man who once dabbled in the underworld before making a fortune through dubious means. He switched to legitimate business just before a crackdown, avoiding jail.
Now, with the wealth accumulated from earlier years, Miasma's father owned more than a dozen entertainment venues, becoming a notable figure in Chom City.
Miasma took advantage of his family's wealth and power to dominate the school, causing harm to many beautiful girls in the school.
Just from what Dunstan heard from others, there were many girls who got rid of him after he toyed with them.
There was also a school girl who was one grade older than them. She was expelled from the school after becoming pregnant with Miasma's child. Eventually, the woman's family caused a dispute at the school, but Miasma's father used coercion, threats and money to settle the matter.
Miasma set his sights on Amara again, declaring she would eventually become his woman, making it widely known.
Several times, Miasma cornered Amara at the school entrance to confess his feelings, scaring her into using Dunstan as a shield.
Eventually, after failing to win Amara's heart, Miasma told her that if she attended his birthday party, he would stop pursuing her; otherwise, he would escalate his harassment.
Unable to withstand the threat, Amara agreed.
However, this was a sinister plan by Miasma.
In his scheme, if Amara wouldn't willingly compromise, he planned to force her into a private room at the party, get her drunk, and then take advantage of her, thinking it would force her to submit.
Fortunately, Amara was cautious and invited Dunstan and Bianca to the party.
Upon entering the private room, they found Miasma surrounded by a group of thugs.
Seeing the situation was bad, Dunstan tried to leave with Amara but was blocked by Miasma's men.
Miasma, with his numbers, began to harass Amara and declared she was his, suggesting the thugs could do whatever they wanted with Bianca.
Frightened by the situation, the girls were at a loss.
Enraged, Dunstan, who had the foresight to bring a fruit knife, held it to Miasma's neck, forcing the thugs to let them go.
The thugs, underestimating Dunstan, did not release Bianca.
Dunstan Flores had no choice but to poke a hole in Miasma's stomach and roared: "If you don't let us go, at worst, I will pay for my life today to see who dies first."
His attack was not serious enough to kill anyone, but it also acted as a deterrent.
This action showed the thugs that Dunstan was not to be trifled with, especially since they were holding Miasma hostage. They quickly escorted the trio out of the club, fearing repercussions from Miasma's father if any harm came to his son.
After getting into a taxi, Dunstan pushed Miasma back and went into hiding, not attending school, thus saving his life from further retaliation by Miasma's father, who had sent men to target him at school.
Knowing the power of the Lopez family and not wanting to burden his parents, Dunstan decided to flee.
He escaped on a cargo ship at Chom City port, setting off to a foreign land.
Back to that time, he displayed a fearless naivety.
Unbeknownst to Dunstan, shortly after he left, Miasma was arrested.
The reason was astonishing.
The seemingly ordinary girl, Amara, turned out to be the daughter of a prominent Chom City merchant, far beyond the reach of the newly wealthy Lopez family.
Hearing of Miasma's harassment, the Kim family was enraged. A small-time thug could not withstand their child. Even after being seriously injured by Dunstan, Miasma was arrested shortly after being hastily treated.
Following this, Bianca severed ties with Amara.
She questioned why, with such a powerful background, Amara didn't have her father intervene sooner, which could have prevented Dunstan from feeling the need to leave to avoid implicating them.
Over the years, Amara used her family's resources to search for Dunstan nationwide, but by then, he was no longer in the country, and the search came to nothing.
Bianca saw all that Amara did and gradually forgave her.
However, without knowing Dunstan's whereabouts, she remained unsure how to face Amara.
If Dunstan knew all this, he would have mixed feelings.
Yet, he never regretted leaving, for it led to his success today.
But his departure had taken a toll on his parents' lives over the past ten years.
He resolved to do everything within his power to prevent his parents from suffering any further.