Shrouded Seascape

“Come on; let's enter," Sparkle said as she tightened her grip on Nene's hand while the latter was dragged along toward the villa with evident reluctance on her face.

"Sparkle, this is someone else's house. Isn't it a bit rude to just enter without permission?"

"This isn't someone else's house. It's Bart's house; he stays here."

Nene's eyes widened in astonishment as she took in the lavish exterior of the villa. They were in the heart of the island, the most prestigious district. Even at her young age, the adults around her had taught her the significance of one's residence being in such a place.

"Then why doesn't he have food to eat?" Nene wondered aloud.

Meanwhile, Bart appeared deeply resistant to returning home. His face was painted with distress, but despite his reluctance, Sparkle's insistent and forceful tugging brought him and Nene to the front door.

With a push, the door swung open, and a wave of foul odor assaulted the trio's nostrils. Garbage was strewn across the floor, and amidst the debris, a woman lay sprawled, surrounded by discarded wine bottles.

"Bart, is that your mother?" Nene whispered in a barely audible voice.

The green-haired boy's struggle against Sparkle's grip intensified. Eventually, his fear escalated, and tears started streaming down his face.

Sparkle gently lifted her hand, and the woman instantly vanished, only to reappear before them. The woman dropped from half a meter up, landing on the floor with a thud and enough force to sober up anyone drunk.

The woman groggily opened her eyes. Upon seeing her five-year-old son standing before her, she lashed out with a slap!

"Crying! That's all you know how to do!"

The sound of the slap echoed in the air, turning Bart's cheek instantly flushed red. Bart bit down on his lower lip as he tried to suppress the tears that were threatening to spill.

The scene that unfolded shocked Nene with fear. Her own mother had never raised a hand against her.

"Why did you hit him? Usually, hitting someone means you hate them. As a mother, do you really hate your own son?" Sparkle asked calmly.

It was only then that Marsha became aware of the two little girls standing beside her son.

"Hate him? I wish I could kill him myself! He looks just like his father! Just seeing that head of green hair disgusts me!"

Her painted nails reached out viciously and twisted the flesh on Bart's arm with a cruel force. However, Bart could only stand still with his head bowed, too scared to dodge or cry.

Watching a bruise darkened on Bart's arm, a realization suddenly dawned upon Sparkle. "Now I know why he always likes to stay outside."

"Sparkle, let's go," Nene whispered with a slight tremble. She was scared of Bart's mother and fearful that the woman might strike them just as she had on Bart.

Sparkle remained unmoving but turned to face Marsha, "Tell me your troubles. Perhaps I can help you resolve them."

Marsha erupted into wild, unhinged laughter, her disheveled hair swinging as she rocked back and forth. Her laughter intensified until it morphed into sobs.

"Do you know what Feuerbach said to me before he left? He said that he was leaving for good and never coming back. And that he would leave everything on Hope Island to me as compensation!"

"Compensation? As if I needed his scraps! I must have been out of my mind to marry him!" Marsha's voice broke as she spat out venom-laced words. "I held a knife to this brat's throat to threaten him to stay. Yet, he didn't even turn to spare us a glance. Lunatics! They're all crazy!"

"Crying won't solve anything," Sparkle commented, "Your child is hungry and even scavenging through trash to find food. That's not right."

"So what? He's my child! I'll treat him however I please!" Marsha retorted in an agitated tone, her spit speckling Sparkle's face.

As soon as the trio stepped out of the garbage-cluttered house, Nene exhaled a sigh of relief and commented, "I'm so glad my mommy isn't like that."

Sparkle blinked in disbelief. "How strange. There's actually someone who doesn't love their own child."

Nene turned toward Bart, who was a head shorter than herself. A sense of pity stirred in her, and she said, "Well then, I'll bring you food every day from now on. After all, my family is wealthy now."

Covering the bruise on his arm, Bart looked up at Nene and nodded. A smile appeared on his face for the first time as he reached out to take both Sparkle and Nene's hands in his.

"Do you know where your father went?" Maybe I can help bring him back," Sparkle asked.

Bart shook his head with a lost expression. He quickly gestured with his hands to convey that he didn't want his father and only wanted to be with them.

"Sparkle," Nene called out. "Isn't your daddy the captain of the ship his daddy is on? Can he do something about it?"

"He's really busy now and doesn't have time to deal with these small issues. Oh, right, maybe I can ask my mommy." With that, Sparkle grabbed both their arms and vanished in a flash.

After several teleports, the trio appeared in front of the Governor's mansion on Hope Island. Bart was clearly startled and turned to run. However, Sparkle caught him effortlessly.

"Don't run away. Mommy will help you resolve your issue," Sparkle reassured Bart.

Bart shook his head vigorously in refusal, but Sparkle was undeterred. She pulled him along, and soon, they arrived in Anna's office.

In her office, Anna was engrossed in her work as she signed off her signature on documents with a feather quill. Two sets of blurry, flesh-like appendages extended from the back of her head and were managing other tasks simultaneously.

Despite the terrifying scene, neither Bart nor Nene was startled. It was as if they saw nothing unusual.

"Mommy, I have a situation here that needs your help," Sparkle approached Anna and explained Bart's situation.

"This isn't an orphanage; why bring him to me? Think of a solution and handle this on your own. You're nearly three years old now," Anna replied without looking up.

Sparkled let out a sigh of defeat. Knowing that her mother wouldn't help, she turned around to leave with her companions. But before she could take a step, Anna suddenly called out to stop them.

Anna lifted her gaze from the documents, and a playful smirk played on her lips as her gaze landed on Bart. "Hmm… I just so happen to be feeling a little hungry."

With a casual flick of her wrist, Nene suddenly ran out of the room happily.

Sparkle watched as Nene's figure disappeared out of sight before turning back to Anna and Bart.

"If you eat him, Daddy won't be pleased, right?" Sparkle asked, her voice tense.

"That depends on the situation. In this case, I doubt he would say anything," Anna replied. A tentacle instantly materialized and shot out of Anna's shoulder. It seized Bart and hurled him viciously against the wall.

The chilling sound of cracked bones filled the air as Bart slumped onto the ground. His limbs were contorted at weird angles as he let out hoarse cries of agony.

Sparkle was stunned by her mother's actions. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she did not intervene.

"Stop pretending. I've seen through your disguise," Anna's voice turned icy as she stared down at the writhing boy.

Bart gave no reply and continued howling in pain.

A chilling rip echoed through the air, and Bart was torn in half at the waist. His cries instantly ceased.

The sharp clicks of her black stilettos echoed as Anna crossed the room toward Bart's remains. She leaned down and picked up a rib before forcefully snapping it into two.

A glint of silvery metal appeared within the white bone. An intrigued smile appeared on her beautiful visage. "How interesting. Why does this remind me a little of Alice?"

The upper half of Bart's body twitched back to life. His pupils glowed with a faint blue light as he asked, "How did you find out?"

"Humans are my food. I can sense even the slightest anomaly," Anna replied with a soft chuckle. "Son? You are actually a spy that Feuerbach left behind, aren't you? Tell me, who is behind this? What is your motive for approaching my daughter?"

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