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The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1005

Despite searching for over half an hour, Neera could not locate the old woman. She also had not received any word from the Park family.

Throughout the entire time, she had also not stopped calling Mariah, but she still could not get through.

As each second ticked by, Neera's anxiety grew. She feared something might have happened to the old woman.

Just then, a cry of surprise came from up ahead.

“Oh, my goodness! Someone, help! An old woman has fallen into the water! Come quickly!”

Old woman?

With a start, Neera whipped around and ran over.

A crowd had already gathered by the lake, huddled along the shore and discussing animatedly.

“Is this old woman mad? I saw her walking into the water as if she was trying to pick up something when I passed by earlier.”

“I saw her, too. What could possibly be more important than her life to the extent of diving into the lake to retrieve it? She would have died if it weren't for the kind passerby who rescued her, yet she's still trying to go back in. I wonder what she's thinking.”

“This old woman seems mentally unstable. I wonder whose family she belongs to. No one seems to be looking after her.”

“Could she have gotten lost? Maybe we should call the police.”

The longer Neera listened the crowd's remarks, the more anxious she felt.

Shoving her way through, she arrived at the shore and immediately saw the old woman desperately trying to head into the water.

Two kind-hearted individuals, one on each side, were holding her back as they kept trying to dissuade her.

However, Mariah refused to listen. Completely drenched, she was struggling incessantly.

“Let me go! Let me get it. My baby girl is waiting for me. She said she would come and see me...”

However, she was frail, and the two strangers would not slacken their grip no matter what she said, which made her so anxious that she started to cry.

Neera felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart at the sight. “Ma'am!” she called out.

Everybody's gaze was drawn to her at her cry, including Mariah's.

The old woman froze when she saw Neera. Then, a joyful light blossomed in her eyes, and a radiant smile spread across her lips. No longer attempting to head toward the water, she reached out to the latter instead.

“You're here, baby girl. You've come to see me! I've been waiting for you for so long...”

Neera quickly grabbed her hand. Her anxious heart finally settling down, she nodded helplessly.

“Yes, I'm here. Didn't I tell you to wait for me right where you were? Why did you go into the water? That's so dangerous.”

As she spoke, she took out a tissue, gently wiped her face, then smoothed her hair.

The moment the subject was brought up, Mariah began to cry again.

“M-My phone fell into the water, so I couldn't contact you. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find me, so I wanted to get it.”

So that's why I couldn't get through on the phone. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt.

The passerby who had just helped to intervene approached. “Do you know this old lady? Are you her daughter?” he asked.

“Given their age gap, it doesn't look that way,” someone muttered. “It would be more likely if you said she was his granddaughter instead.”

Neera turned away. Not wanting to upset Mariah, she lowered her voice slightly.

“Thank you for saving her. My grandmother is a bit ill, and sometimes her mind wanders. I'm grateful for your intervention and assistance.”

“I see. No worries at all. We noticed the old lady running toward the water alone. It was dangerous, so the least we could was help. Please, take good care of her. We can't have such an incident happening again, or it'll be too late for regrets.”

“All right. I understand, Thank you.”

Not long after, the crowd dispersed.

Neera helped Mariah to a nearby bench. Noticing how weak she looked with her clothes all wet and her face deathly pale, Neera quickly took off her jacket and draped it over the old woman.

“Please wait a moment, Ma'am. Your family will be here soon.”

As she spoke, she called Edward and informed him of her exact location.

Upon receiving the news, all of them hurried over at once.

“Are you okay, Grandma?” Edward asked breathlessly, his eyes filled with concern.

“Hello, Edward.”

Mariah gave him a warm smile when she saw him. “I'm fine. I finally found your aunt.”

All of them breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the old woman was fine.

Nadine stepped forward and squatted in front of her, looking upset.

“Why did you have to endanger yourself like that, Mom? What would we do if something were to happen to you?”

Jeremiah was both distressed and anxious. “Didn't we tell you not to wander off? Come home with us at once and change your clothes, or you'll catch a cold.”

The old woman was not pleased. She gripped Neera's hand tightly.

“I'm not going back. I want to be with my baby girl. If she doesn't come home, neither will I.”

No matter how much the Park family tried to persuade her, she adamantly refused to go with them, choosing instead to remain with Neera.

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