Chapter 18
Eugene searched blindly, lucky enough to find the street before Samuel. When he spotted Jesse sitting alone at a table, a tide of guilt and regret hit him hard, nearly bringing him to tears. He quickly yanked open the car door and rushed out.
Jesse was playing with General when, out of nowhere, something zipped by. In the next second, he was scooped up into Eugene’s arms.
“Jesse, you scared me!” Eugene knelt down, holding Jesse tightly and crying without a care about how he looked. “If anything happened to you, I don’t know how I could go on.”
Eugene wasn’t exaggerating. If something really happened to Jesse, even if Samuel let him live, the guilt would swallow him
whole
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Are you scared? Did anyone hully you? Did you cry? Did the dog bite you? Don’t worry, Im here,” Eugene bombarded Jesse with questions as he anxiously checked Jesse’s face.
Tm sorry, and I promise I won’t leave you in the car again. Let’s go home now,” Eugene said, trying to pick Jesse up and
leave.
But Jesse shook his head, pushed Eugene’s hand away, and when that didn’t work, he turned and jumped off the chair, running into the store.
He wanted to wait for Samuel; he was hungry and hadn’t eaten his pierogi, plus Lillian hadn’t come back from the restroom
yet.
“Jesse, Eugene panicked, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him off the ground.
Just then, Lillian came out of the store as Jesse was caught in mid–air, flailing his arms and legs while General barked frantically on the table. She dashed forward, snatched Jesse, and kicked Eugene hard enough that he flew backward.
Eugene was shocked–one moment he was standing, and the next he was soaring through the air, feeling like a ton of bricks had hit him in the chest. The pain was unbearable, almost making him pass out.
Not far away, a sleek black Rolls–Royce was driving toward them. Inside, Samuel watched the entire scene unfold.
Luke sat in the driver’s seat, staring in disbelief for a moment.
Lillian was checking on Jesse in her arms when, suddenly, Jesse, looking wide–eyed, reached out to Eugene writhing on the ground and called out, “Eugene…”
“You know him?” Lillian’s eyelid twitched in surprise. It was the fest time she’d heard Jesse speak, and it wasn’t exactly good
news.
The Rolls–Royce came to a halt, and Samuel stepped out, tall and imposing. He glanced at Eugene, who was in pain on the ground, and commanded his bodyguard, “Get him to the hospital”
Then Samuel approached Lillian, his face expressionless but rating coldness. At nearly six foot three, Samuel was intimidating both in stature and presence
He took Jesse from Lillian’s arms and checked to see if he was okay. Then he turned to Lillian, his voice slightly stern, “Ms. Wilson.”
Lillian felt an odd hostility in his g gaze,
unsure why.
“Can you explain why Jesse is with you? Samuel asked, trying to stay polite for Jesse’s sake.
Even so, Lillian found his questions infuriating. She put her hands in her pockets and met his cold stare. “What do you
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Chapter 18
mean by that, Mr. Lewis The need to look up at him only added to her irritation.
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Sensing the between the two, Jesse, who had been watching Eugene’s car as it drove uf, shook lus kedal Samurt
eager to explain.
Samuel took a deep breath to steady himself. “I believe you, Ms. Wilson. It’s just that Jesse went missing, and I need to know what happened.”
Lillian found it amusing. “You lost him, and now you’re asking me? Or do you think I took him away?”
Luke felt a wave of anxiety for Lillian, thinking
Samuel’s expression darkened
if this was an act, it was a risky gamble.
Jesse started to get worried. He patted his small body and told Samuel, “Not Lillian. I got lost.” His words were a bit jumbled. -probably the longest sentence he had ever said.
Samuel paused, and his tense face softened slightly as he turned back to Lillian and said, Tm sorry, Ms. Wilson”
Luke was taken aback by the unexpected scene, feeling Samuel had sacrificed a lot for Jesse’s sake.
Lillian glanced at him but didn’t say anything; She just walked over to sit at the table. The pierogi still smelled tempting, but her appetite had faded.
If it weren’t for Samuel helping her before and understanding what it felt like to lose a child, she wouldn’t have let it go so easily.
“Let’s go home.” Samuel gave Lillian one last look, picked Jesse up, and got ready to leave.
Jesse shook his head and looked at Lillian. Then he pointed at the pasta on the table. “Eat.”
His stomach growled loudly. He wriggled down from Samuel’s anns and led him to the table. Climbing onto a chair, he pushed the pasta toward Samuel, signaling they should share.
Samuel watched for a moment, then, as if giving in, said, “You cat”
Jesse picked up some pasta and took a bite gently,
Just then, Luke received several surveillance videos from his team. After watching them for a moment, he hesitated before approaching Samuel and whispering, “Mr. Lewis.”
Samuel looked at his phone and saw Jesse clearly on the screen, chasing after Lillian in the crowd. If Lillian hadn’t noticed him, Jesse could have actually gotten lost.
“But everything feels way too coincidental, Luke thought.
The atmosphere was tense and awkward. Lillian and Jesse were sitting down eating, while the tall Samuel stood stiffly beside
them.
“Hey there, good–looking! Want something to cat? My pierogi and pasta are all houremade, called out the shop owner to Samuel
Samuel stared at the shop owner, who was gripping a big iron ladle and seemed nervous. “No, thanks”
There’s a chair over there if you want to sit and wait,” the shop owner suggested, trying to sound friendly but clearly anxious. It was obvious he didn’t want any trouble with such an important–looking customer.
Luke, always quick on the uptake, hurried to grab a chair. Meanwhile, Jesse gave Samuel a little tug. Samuel sat down, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
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Chapter 18
Jesse picked up some pasta and held it out to Samuel. Without hesitation, Samuel took it and, with a smile, fed Jesse in
returni
Luke looked amused. Why does it seem like Mr. Lewis is a little embarrassed?”
Jesse munched away without stopping. “Did you skip dinner? Samuel asked, casually glancing at Lillian, who was quietly cating
Lillian scooped up General, who was wandering around the table, and set him down on the floor.
Samuel’s eyes followed her movement for a moment before he quickly looked away.
Seeing Samuel not eating, Jesse kindly offered him some milk. When Samuel politely declined again, Jesse had to drink it
himself.
Jesse was enjoying his meal, but Samuel frowned as he watched. Given that Jesse had always been frail, he was never allowed to eat outside food, especially street food.
Eventually, Samuel put down the spoon and took out a handkerchief to wipe Jesse’s mouth. “You really shouldn’t eat too much at night,” he cautioned. “You’ll end up with indigestion.”
Suddenly, Samuel felt something nudging the top of his foot. He looked down to see a dark shape hidden in the table’s shadow, snuggled against his feet–it was General.
General had one paw resting on Samuel’s leather shoe, using his other leg to aim in Samuel’s direction. Before Samquel could react, he felt a warm stream splashing over his ankle, soaking his pant leg and dipping into his shoe.
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