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Following the address and name Sebastian had given her, Caitlin arrived at the home of his friend who specialized in ancient manuscript restoration.
She knocked on the door and waited for a moment before hearing a gruff voice from inside. “Who is it?”
“Excuse me, is this Mr. Hawthorne’s residence?”
The door creaked open to reveal a man in his sixties. His hair was streaked with gray, his glasses slightly crooked, and he was dressed in a black robe that gave him a strange, eccentric air.
“You’re Sebastian’s wife?” he asked, squinting at her.
“Uh, yes.”
“Not the brightest–looking one,” Reginald muttered under his breath before turning around and walking back inside.
Caitlin stood there speechless. Zinnia, who had accompanied her, couldn’t hold back her irritation. “What’s wrong with this old man? Did he just call you not too smart? What kind of attitude is that? I’m going to tell him off!”
“Forget it,” Caitlin said, stopping her.
She knew from Sebastian that Reginald was a recluse who rarely interacted with the outside world. He spent his life buried in ancient texts, but his skills were exceptional. Genius and eccentricity often came hand in hand, and Caitlin could live with that.
They stepped into Reginald’s home, which looked more like a library than a residence. Shelves were packed with antique books and manuscripts, and the table was covered with old scrolls and parchment, some mid- restoration.
As Caitlin glanced around, Reginald returned to his desk and asked, “So, what do you want this old man to help you with?”
“My husband and I found some ancient writing we can’t decipher.”
“What kind of writing? Show me.”
Caitlin handed him the copy she had made of the symbols that appeared on the map.
Reginald studied the sheet carefully, his brows furrowing. Without saying a word, he carried it to his study desk and began examining it under the light, flipping through his reference materials.
Caitlin waited quietly by his side. After a while, he finally looked up. “These symbols resemble the lost script of Atlantis.”
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Chapter 712
Caitlin’s eyes lit up. “That’s exactly what they are! You know about the Atlantis script?”
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Reginald nodded. “I’ve studied a few lost languages in my time. I came across some mentions of Atlantis in old literature.”
“Do you know where this civilization was located?”
“That I don’t. What I know is that the kingdom once flourished, then vanished completely for reasons no one has ever been able to confirm. But these characters you’ve brought–they’re fascinating. I even took notes on them years ago when I did some related research.”
His eyes gleamed with interest. He had always been obsessed with ancient civilizations. In his younger days, he’d even gone on expeditions searching for traces of Atlantis, though he’d found nothing substantial.
“To be honest,” Caitlin said. “Sebastian and I found a map of Atlantis. These symbols were copied directly from it. If you can translate them, we might be able to locate the ruins.”
“You have a map?” Reginald’s eyes widened in disbelief, then filled with excitement.
Yes.”
“Well then! Once I decipher these, we’ll be one step closer to finding Atlantis. When you go, you must take me along. I need to see it for myself.”
Amused by his enthusiasm, Caitlin smiled. “Of course.”
Later that afternoon, Sebastian finished his business at the company and drove over to meet her.
In the study, he found Caitlin sitting beside Reginald, who was still buried in his notes. “Reginald!”
The old man looked up, his expression instantly turning stern. “You’ve got some nerve showing up here, boy!”
“Reginald’s comparing notes right now,” Caitlin explained quickly. “It might take a while before he can translate anything.”
Reginald grumbled without looking up. “Give me time. It’s not instant work. I can’t even remember where I put my old research notes.”
He had taken detailed notes years ago, but time had buried them somewhere among his piles of books. For now, he could only rely on memory until he found the records again.
“That’s fine,” Sebastian said. “We’ll wait for your results. Contact us when you’ve made progress.”
He reached for Caitlin’s hand. “Let’s go home.”
“Alright, alright,” Reginald said absently, already lost again in his study of the symbols. “I’ll call when I’ve got
it.”
Since it was still early in the afternoon, Caitlin and Sebastian decided to stop by Club No. 8 to see Benjamin.
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Chapter 712
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They went to a private room they had reserved ahead of time. Inside, Yates and Nolan were already there, while Benjamin slouched on the couch, an empty bottle clutched in his arms.
He looked like a man who had given up on life.
When he heard Sebastian had arrived, he stirred, tossing aside the bottle and stumbling to his feet.
“You’re finally back…”
The stench of alcohol hit them immediately. He swayed toward Sebastian but veered slightly and almost fell into Caitlin instead.
Sebastian caught him and pushed him gently back onto the sofa. “Look at you. What the hell have you turned yourself into?”
“What do you mean what? I’m fine,” Benjamin slurred, though his eyes were dull and empty. His voice carried the kind of exhaustion that came from heartbreak and hopelessness.
“Ben, stop it,” Sebastian said sharply.
Benjamin just gave a bitter laugh. “Stop what? For what? What’s the point of trying? Who am I doing it for?”
He still hadn’t recovered from Wendy’s rejection. Every time he thought of it, it tore at him all over again.
Caitlin couldn’t bear to see him like that. “Benjamin, I heard you cut ties with your mother. What happened?”
“What do you think happened?” His tone was bitter. “She wouldn’t let me be with Wendy. If it weren’t for her, Wendy wouldn’t have left me.”
Yates sighed. “He really did it. He’s been holed up here for days now, won’t talk to anyone, just drinks himself half to death.”
Caitlin frowned, wondering what to do, but Sebastian spoke first. “If that’s how it is, I’ll put you in the training camp. Work yourself to the bone, and you’ll forget all this pain.”
“Training? You think that’ll make me forget?” Benjamin asked skeptically.
He would soon find out that in the high–intensity regimen Sebastian had in mind, there would be no time left to think of heartbreak–only exhaustion.
“Fine. I’ll try it,” Benjamin muttered.
He wanted something that could numb him completely. Alcohol wasn’t working anymore. It dulled the pain for a moment, but when he sobered up, it only hurt worse.
“Good,” Sebastian said. “You need a change of environment. It’s time you left New York for a while.”
“I agree,” Caitlin added. “The sooner, the better.”

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