"Judging by that face I guess all those fake shamans and priests failed to find Linda." Emilia sneered.

The sad man with red eyes nodded his head. " I don't understand any of this? At this point I think that she doesn't want me to find her. I just want her to come home, why won't she come back?"

He broke down and again, some people comforted him.

"But Abel why then would she be sending you text messages? Going as far as asking you for money?" Brandon looked at his brother in law who was as confused as he was.

The old patriarch sat down and asked Phoebe and David to sit as well.

"I need you help little shaman, i need to know if you can find my grand daughter." He crooked.

Emilia rolled her eyes to the ceiling, she was fed up with the entire situation. Besides their personal priest had prayed on the issue and all they had to do was wait on the lord. Why then was the old man being impatient to the point of inviting people with barbaric beliefs to find Linda.

Rumors in Citrus traveled fast, she wouldn't know what do if her brothers and sisters of the light faith heard about Shamans visiting her home. She would probably be demoted from the position of church deaconess.

"I have tolerated this madness enough! You need to give up. If it's money that Linda wants, we've got a lot of it that we don't know what to do with it. Abel just send it to her." Emilia's tone was mildly disrespectful.

Ekhart Verdemont sat quietly in a single cushioned chair, it was almost like he didn't want to say anything that could offend his wife. He had to stick with her in this situation.

"Father, Emilia is right, look at that little girl, what could she possibly do? You have brought all kinds of strange people to our home and honestly we don't feel safe."

"Yeah right because I look like a mass murderer to you." Phoebe spoke out her thoughts unintentionally.

Her words caused the entire family to glare at her especially Emilia and Camilla. On the other hand, the old patriarch let out a guffaw that it transitioned into a light cough.

"Sir are you okay?" Phoebe asked because no one else seemed to care.

A butler that was standing close to him poured some water in a short glass and handed it to him.

When he regained composure, the old patriarch began by apologizing to his family.

"I am sorry that i decided to handle this issue the traditional way although most of you are against it. But we have used all other means to search for my grand daughter and all the private investigators failed. Your church of light failed too even after we sowed seeds worth millions of dollars.

Monks and Shamans in the days of our ancestors solved such problems that seemed impossible. It's a pity that finding a real one is like finding a needle in the haystack. Please be patient with me after all this little shaman came in highly recommended."

His eyes were half closed as he spoke and the inside corners of his eyes slanted upwards. Phoebe could tell that he was in agony, not physically but emotionally.

"I heard about the Elroys from one of my servants that recommended your services. Is it true that you healed their child that everyone was sure was going to die? I heard that there were some extraordinary circumstances involved but unfortunately they left the country so I cannot ask them to confirm this." He asked.

"It's true, i did help them out with their son, sir I will help you if I can and I promise to admit to it if I can't." Phoebe smiled warmly.

A man that was sitting next to Abel , called Conrad laughed derisively. "I bet you are a fake too." He gave her a condescending look.

"I am a Mayfair, i have no desire to steal from you, let us be respectful to one another besides i was invited by the old patriarch so I will deal with him and only him. Who ever feels like this is a waste of time can leave." Phoebe sternly spoke up shocking the bunch.

"You want us to leave such that you can con him." Brandon spoke again this time raising his voice.

David shifted forward in his seat. "Who the hell are you anyway? You are not a Verdemont but you are acting like this issue has something to do with you." One more word from him and David was determined to punch him.

"Conrad shut up!" The old patriarch ordered. "That is Abel's friend and a close friend of the family. I apologize for his attitude, this puzzling situation has taken a toll on all of us. Abel narrate the story of how all this started."

"Again!!" Camilla exclaimed and rolled her eyes.

This was going to be the third time in the day that the story of Linda going missing was told. It would also be the twelfth time that week alone. If she was forced to listen to it one more time, her ears were going to bleed.

Everyone ignored Camilla's not so silent displeasure and they turned to Abel.

Abel dabbed his eyes with his fingers and sniveled. Conrad handed him a tissue and he dried his eyes. "Well..I don't know where to start but two months ago I received a text on my phone from an unknown number. The sender identified herself as Linda Verdemont my wife who has been missing for more than ten years."

"Ten years, five months and two weeks to be exact." Emilia interrupted. "And no she is not missing, my son-in -law is trying to be polite here. I cannot believe that after all these years Abel, you are still in love with that skunk. During the two years they were married, Linda slept with everything that had a male organ, including his friends and yet despite that, Abel was patient with her because divorce in this family is unheard of. But my prostitute of a daughter left this kind and decent man and ran off with her poor lover.

She disgraced this family and our faith with her actions. Our reputations barely survived the scandal which would have ruined us socially by the way. I don't know why we cannot just let sleeping dogs lie because resurrecting Linda's murky past is the same as bringing us all closer to a social death. " Emilia clicked her tongue.

Nothing mattered more than social standing to this family. A lot of heads were bobbing upwards in agreement with Emilia's words.