Chapter 13：Reason (1/2)

”Thanks,” said Carolina to the waiter who brought their food before the waiter left. She then started picking the french fries she ordered.

”Earlier what you wanted to say, ndrew?” asked Carolina, remembering that Andrew had wanted to say something.

Andrew was silent for a moment, stirring the drink he ordered.

”It's now or never,” thought Andrew.

”That… Actually… every time I see you, you inspire me to always try to be the best. You and I for the past 3 years have always been everywhere together, and talked about a lot of things,” Andrew was silent for a moment, trying to see Carolina's facial expression. But Carolina still looks out to sea.

”Oh, from the side, you're really pretty,” thought Andrew, who really fell in love.

”And hmm, the more time I spend with you, the more special that time feels to me.”

”I mean ... hmm ... I like you, not just as a friend, but I like you as a woman.”

”Will you be my girlfriend?” Andrew asked, scratching the back of his head which did not itch at all, and smiled shyly, his face slightly flushed but obscured by the light of the setting sun.

Carolina looked at Andrew who was still scratching the back of his head. She could see Andrew's sincerity there, but… this was not the time for her to be involved in a romantic relationship.

She had to search and find her father!

But one day, when she came to the boarding house from college on her first day, she got a strange message on her cell phone.

[Hre Eygrr, gzntxees bt iytrxmyg gni Dmnxx Fnvbicsvzc, Oaqjc do cxsfd bl czu. Ok glrrlyw. Dnjhj lbbid yba]

At first, Carolina ignored the message, the sender's number was also missing, anyway. It could be some pranks. But when she was about to enter the password on her laptop. She suddenly remembered something.

Password!

Three months before her father disappeared, her father taught her how to compose a message that required a special code in order to read it!

Carolina even remembers how her father and she played as if they were spies and her mother was the criminals who shouldn't read the message.

She then searched the internet for something similar and found that it was called encryption.

After learning the basic theory, she tried to break the message.

First, she tried to apply the technique of shifting each letter according to a number. She then started it from the date of her birth, but the message was still unread. Next, she tried the month of birth, but the result was still the same. Likewise with the last digit of the year of birth.

She then tries all the numbers that are meaningful to their family. Starting from the birthday, her father, her mother, her brother, the marriage of her father and mother. But the message is still unclear.

Carolina then tried to apply another technique that could use letters as her special code. She tried to use her name, her brother, her father, her mother, and all the words she could think of to make her special code. But the result is still the same, the message is still unclear.

In a state that almost gave up after trying it for 10 hours but still to no avail. Carolina rested for a moment in bed, trying to remember the memories of herself and her father.

”Daddy, daddy, why do you sometimes call Lina Angel? Lina's name is Carolina, not Angel,” asked little Carolina to her father who was cool in front of the computer.

Little Carolina at that time was almost 6 years old but she already understood that her full name was Carolina Akai. She just wondered why her father often called her by the name Angel even though it was not her name.

”Angel in English means angel, dear. You are an angel sent by God to daddy and mommy,” said her father, who then picked her up and placed little Carolina on his lap.

”But mommy said the angel was there and it was taking care of Lina,” said little Carolina pointing up.

Her father smiled seeing little Carolina's cute behavior.

”Hmm, then Lina is an angel who fell from there to take care of daddy,” said her father.

”Okay! Lina will be the angels of daddy, mommy, and Chandra!” said little Carolina with a smile.

”Lina needs to go now, let me go daddy, Lina wants to play with Chandra first,” said Carolina trying to get away from her father's lap.

”Kiss daddy first,” said her father then handed her his left cheek which was immediately kissed by Carolina.

”Next to it again,” said her father who this time thrust his right cheek.

”Muah,” kissed little Carolina who then immediately ran to find her brother.