Chapter Forty–Nine
I couldn’t sit still my body was practically vibrating with panic. The moment Spring opened her mouth and
pointed, all the noise in the room died.
“I think… I think it was her,” she said, hesitantly lifting a trembling hand to point in a direction. Lo and behold, the person putting on a peach dress, with ruffles as described by Spring, was none other than Lillian.
I froze, just as a collective gasp spread through the crowd, all eyes turning to Lillian, who stood beside Kyle with her arms crossed. Kyle’s stunned gaze shifted to her, his face etched with confusion and disbelief.
“What is she talking about?” he asked, but before Lillian could come up with another lie, the officer who had been asking the questions straightened in his seat, his sharp eyes glancing from Lillian back to Spring.
“You think?”
“…I thought she was Ava’s friend,” Spring stammered, shrinking back from the officer’s cold stare. “I saw them together earlier. She walked up to Zareon… right before I left him. I just… I didn’t think anything of it at
the time!”
My breath felt like fire in my lungs. “You saw her with my son?”
“It was just for a second! I swear! I thought she was just checking on him!” Spring cried out, and Autumn brought her trembling body closer for a hug.
“What does this mean, Lillian?” Kyle said, his brow furrowed hard. “Were you with Zareon?”
For a moment, Lillian stood frozen, completely caught off guard. Her mouth opened and closed, as if she were failing to find the right words. But she quickly recovered, “Okay, yes, I did see the boy,” she said, her voice tight with irritation. “But it was just for a moment. I was passing by the table and saw the child sleeping. I paused a little bit out of curiosity. That was all.” She shrugged.
People in the room began to murmur, as Lillian’s defence wasn’t convincing. Even Kyle’s face showed just how perturbed he was. I could see the shift in his composure, the hint of panic just hidden beneath his blank expression. I could see the way he clenched his fist so hard it was turning white. However, what I couldn’t tell was if he was worried about Zareon or about the table turning and his wife now being a suspect.
“Why didn’t you mention that before? Why are you just saying it now?” He gritted.
“It didn’t mean anything, Kyle!” she snapped, her voice and face tight with irritation. “It’s true I was with the boy, but it was brief. I simply looked and passed. I didn’t even touch him. I didn’t take him.” She yelled now, clearly frustrated.
Murmurs spread through the watching crowd. People didn’t even try to hide their fingers as they pointed suspiciously and curiously at Lillian.
I, on the other hand, felt my sanity slipping away with every second. It was like my brain was blaring with alarms, loud and scary. “Where is he then?” I demanded, my voice loud and trembling with fury as I took a few steps towards her. “Where’s my son?”
“I told you I don’t know!” she shouted back, hands flying into the air. “I don’t have your damn kid. So, don’t try to pin this on me!”
The room felt thick and suffocating. Everyone was watching, and I couldn’t care less. I needed my son back,
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Chapter Forty–Nine
and if ripping this woman apart was the only way to get him back, then so be it.
* Points >
Security stepped between us before I could lunge. One of them, tall and huge, spoke up. “Calm down, please. Let’s all stay calm.” He urged, but I was beyond calm. My son was missing, and every second without him felt like a piece of me was slipping away. Tears began to stream down my face, and I furiously wiped them away, sniffing hard as I felt my body begin to crumble.
The security man, as if sensing that, held on to me without letting go. “We have requested the CCTV footage from the media team. It’s the fastest way to clear up any confusion. So, please, I urge everyone to stay calm while it is being arranged.”
“Then do it, fast!” Lillian screamed, glaring at me. “Before my name gets tarnished any further.”
Ignoring her, I let my focus partially drop on the security officers and the media team who had gathered around within moments, working to pull up the CCTV footage. A few meters away from them was Kyle, talking discreetly with some other security teams. He looked composed, but you could tell that was all a facade from the way his jaw kept ticking and his fist clenching and unclenching, but I don’t care. I just want my son back.
God! I should have been more vigilant. I shouldn’t have left him alone. I should have watched him more carefully. But it had been a mistake, one that meant nothing at first, but now seemed like the biggest mistake of my life. How could I have let this happen?
Finally, the CCTV footage was pulled up on the large screen on the far wall. I held my breath as the video began to play.
At first, there was just the normal fuss of the event, with waiters walking past with trays filled with cocktails and people talking. And then, there.
“There he is,” I whispered into my palm, stepping forward with tears flowing freely down my face.
That’s my precious baby. Zareon. Curled up on the small sofa Spring had mentioned, fast asleep. We all watched Spring leave the table, and then not even a minute after she left, a lady, clearly Lillian, walked up to his table like a thief. My heart did a flip as I watched her perch down, staring at him for a moment, then she turned and left.
Murmurs spread through the room at that, but it all sounded like background noise.
What is going on? Lillian didn’t take Zareon truly, but if she didn’t, who took my baby then?
Then, on the screen, a man appeared, dressed in a black suit. He walked up to my table, looked around, then knelt and gently scooped my baby into his arms.
The gasp
and murmurs turned louder.
“That’s him! That’s the man!” someone exclaimed.
The security officer turned to me. “Do you know him?”
My mouth went dry. My lips moved, but no sound came out for a second. Then I forced the words out. “That’s Elson.”
Kyle, who had been silently handling things, snapped toward me.
“Elson?” he echoed, stunned and looking very angry.
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[+8 Points >
I didn’t answer. My eyes were on the screen, trying to see if I hadn’t seen it well. But it was clear as day that the man was Elson, but why would he do that? He wasn’t supposed to be here. He told me he had something personal to do.
“Who is he to you, and why do you think he has your son?” the officer pressed.
“I… I don’t know,” I whispered, now overwhelmed. “He’s my employee and a close friend.” Someone scoffed at that, but I didn’t turn to find out. “He wouldn’t take Zareon without telling me. There must be some explanation.”
“Can you try calling him?” Another officer suggested. “He’s the one who’s carrying Zareon.”
My fingers were already dialling his number, my hands shaking.
It rang.
Once. Twice.
Pick up. Please, God, pick up.
“Come on, Elson!” I hissed under my breath.
It rang again, then went to voicemail.
I tried again. And again.
Still nothing.
“I don’t understand,” I muttered. “He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t do this.”
“Why isn’t he answering, then?” Kyle demanded, his voice tight with anger, even though it was obvious he was trying to hold his emotions together.
“I don’t know!” I snapped, eyeing him before turning my attention back to my phone.
As I looked at my phone, staring at the numbers dialled with no response, I couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. What if Elson really did something wrong? No, this was all some huge misunderstanding. It had to be that.
Lillian suddenly burst into tears, loud, wailing sobs that made people turn.
I would have scoffed at her performance if I weren’t so scared and distressed at that moment because I was sure she did it to get Kyle’s and everyone’s attention and support.
“We’ll dispatch a team to locate Mr. Elson immediately,” An officer assured.
I stood there for what felt like forever. Seconds turned to minutes, then to hours. I couldn’t sit still or think straight. I couldn’t even hear the murmurs around me, nor could I feel the pain from the painful glares digging into my skin. I just stood there in front of everyone, my heart pounding in my chest, eyes frozen on the door, desperately waiting for my son.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the door opened.
They brought Elson in, his hands cuffed tightly behind his back. Following him was Zareon, cradled in the hands of another officer.
“Zareon!” I screamed, dashing forward.
I rushed towards the officer, tears filling my eyes again as I reached for my baby, holding him close, breathing
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him in while soaking his cheeks with my tears. “Oh my God, my baby. You’re okay. You’re okay.”
Elson stood there, handcuffed and looking utterly confused, his eyes darted around the room until they
locked with mine.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded. “Why the hell am I being treated like a criminal?”
A security officer stepped forward. “Sir, you were seen on CCTV carrying……”
Bang!
A mass gasp tore through the room as Elson staggered backwards and crashed to the floor.
“What the hell!” Elson groaned, spitting blood from his mouth.
My eyes widened, and turned glassy with shock. A trembling hand flew to my lips as I stared at Kyle’s rigid back, then down at Elson, crumpled on the floor.
“How dare you steal a child from his mother?” Kyle bellowed, surging forward again, but the officers quickly restrained him.
“Steal?” Elson spat, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he was helped up. “What on earth is he talking about?” He turned to me, but I couldn’t meet his eyes.
“You were seen carrying the boy from the venue without permission,” someone among the crowd murmured with a shrug.
Elson’s eyes furrowed in confusion, then widened when it clicked. “Oh! God!” he groaned, shaking his head. “1 didn’t kidnap Zareon! Why would I do that? And for what reason?” He turned to me. “I came back after I got everything settled. But then I saw Zareon sleeping, completely alone in that chair. No one was with him. I couldn’t just leave him there. So I
better there, away from the noi Ook him with me to the hotel. It’s just next door. I figured he could rest
My stomach churned.
That’s it. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“Why didn’t you inform her you were taking him?” one of the officers asked.
“I tried,” Elson said, turning back to me. “I called you, Ava. I sent you messages, but you didn’t respond. Check your phone to confirm.”
I checked my phone, and sure enough, there were several missed calls and messages from Elson, even before I had started calling him in a panic. It must have skipped my vision earlier.
I looked up, throat tight with guilt.
“He did message me.”
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Kyle mentioned in a chapter that he wants to ensure everything is in order before the world learns about Zareon. He is also adhering to Ava’s wishes; she doesn’t want her son exposed to the public as Kyle’s child, even though she knew that might be inevitable as time goes on. Remember that Ava dislikes the press, which is one reason she accepted a contract to work directly with a company, even though she could have done the same work from her own company.
That aside, what do you think of this chapter? Can anyone predict the antagonists in this book and their motives?
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<Chapter Fifty
