45

“Feeling better?” Drake asked in a deep voice.




The head rush that made Nicole sway on her feet was ebbing, but it was then that she suddenly realized Drake was holding her in his arms.




 She quickly stepped backward to create some distance between them, only to bump into the table behind her.




“Ow!” she exclaimed.

The next second, she was pulled back into Drake embrace, even though she had burrowed out of it mere moments ago.




When her face collided against the muscled planes of his chest, she heard a thud followed by a dull ache that spread over her cheekbone.




However, before she could fully register the pain, she felt a large palm clasp over her wrist.




She was in a stupor as she was pulled to the car that was parked by the curb. When the door on the passenger’s side opened, Drake pressed her firmly into the seat.




As soon as she sat down, she fished out her phone and called her father’s number, only to hear Gerald’ panicked cry on the other line.




"Nicole, Pete hasn’t been found yet.”




“Don’t worry, Dad. Jared is just fine. He’s safe, and I’m on my way to pick him up right now.”




“What? Where’s Pete? Where is he?”




“A kind shopkeeper is watching over him now and I’m heading over to pick him up.”




“Give me the address and I’ll be right there as well.




Amelia is supposed to be with Dad this evening, and because Amelia is a dangerous person, there is no way I’ll let her near Pete.




 With that in mind, Nicole responded hastily, “Dad, I’m sure you’re tired, so you should get some rest. I’ll go and pick up Pete myself.”




“No, I need to make sure that Pete is alright,” Gerald insisted; he was so beside himself with worry that he thought his stomach might turn inside out.




“I know, but I’ll be right over to see you after I have picked Pete up,” she placated.




 She could get to the bottom of how Pete had gone missing by the end of the night since she suspected that Amelia had something to do with it.




She hung up the phone and next to her was Drake already driving over to the location of the store.




 As the car sped through the streets, Nicole kept her eyes closed while she tried to recompose herself. Only heaven knew how terrified she had been earlier; she nearly lost her wits.




This was the first time since Pete birth that she had found herself at the mercy of fear.




At last, they pulled up outside a boutique. 




Nicole saw her son sitting on the couch as soon as she walked through the door and she broke down in tears of relief as she cried, “pete!”




“Mommy, Mommy, you’re here!” The little one ran up to her and threw his arms around her. She crouched low as well and pulled him into her embrace, her tears silently streaming down her face.




Meanwhile, the shopkeeper who had been watching over Pete noticed the man standing behind Nicole, after which she immediately thought in surprise, Wow, what a catch! This has to be the kid’s father. 




They look exactly like each other!




With his handsome features and tailored suit, Drake looked dazzling where he stood tall and straight beneath the lights. 




There was no mistaking the grace and elegance that he emanated.




Although he didn’t say anything, he seemed relieved as his gaze fell upon the embracing pair of mother and son.




Nicole straightened her posture and unclasped the necklace she was wearing, which was the only valuable thing she had on her person at the moment.




She took the female shopkeeper’s hand and thanked, “I don’t have my purse with me, but take this necklace of mine as a reward for your kindness; the necklace is worth twenty thousand.”




“Oh, no, there’s no need for that. Anyone else would have done the same thing. The kid is precious. Make sure you keep an eye on him next time,” the shopkeeper gently responded as she nudged Nicole hand away in her refusal to accept the reward.




“Thank you so much. You’re my son’s lifesaver. Could we at least get your number?” Nicole gazed upon the shopkeeper, the gratitude pooling in her eyes.




The girl seemed a little flustered as she urged, “There’s no need to be so formal with me. Take your child home now and get some rest.”




Upon seeing how the girl had so adamantly turned down the reward, Nicole had no choice other than to profusely thank her. 




The little one next to her looked up at: Drake at that moment and asked, “Mr. Handsome, were you the one who drove my mommy over here?”




“That’s right, buddy. Do you know how terrified your mom was? You gave her quite the fright,” Drake said as he crouched down and pulled the boy into his arms.




“I’m sorry, Mommy. It was my fault; I never should have run off on my own,” Pete apologized guiltily, realizing the gravity of the situation.




After thanking the shopkeeper, Nicole turned to him and asked, “pete, can you tell me how you got lost?”




“Grandpa was parking the car when Aunt Amelia told me she was going to buy me yummy snacks, but she went and never came back. 




I wanted to look for her, but I got lost,” the little boy answered frankly.




Burning rage filled Nicole when she heard this. Gritting her teeth, she thought, You were trying to abandon my son on purpose, weren’t you, Amelia?













For a child this small to be left alone in a crowd, Pete could have been kidnapped by some ruffian working for a syndicate and no one would have noticed at all.




The amusement park was not too far away from here. Drake drove over and pulled up outside the parking lot.




 At present, there weren’t a lot of people at the amusement park entrance and only Gerald stood there, waiting with Amelia and Wanda Russell in tow.




When Amelia heard that Pete had been found, she started to become evasive and immediately denied having anything to do with his going missing.




The mysterious car was gleaming under the lights as it rolled to a stop. Then, the door swung open as Nicole stepped out of the car with pete in her arms.




Gerald practically flew over to them and hurried to crush Pete against his chest, his tears streaming down his face as guilt ate away at him.




 “Oh, my darling grandson. You gave me a fright!”




However, in the midst of this joyous reunion, Nicole murderous gaze was fixed on Amelia. 




The rage that boiled within her was urging her to look for an outlet; otherwise, she might combust on the spot.




At the sight of the baleful look on Nicole face, a wary Amelia took two steps backward and demanded, “Why are you looking at me like that, Nicole?”




It was when she saw how uneasy and evasive Amelia was that Nicole anger renewed. She raised a hand and brought it down hard across Amelia face, the slap resounding in the crisp evening air.




“Ow!” Amelia shrieked, her eyes wide in bewilderment.




“You just slapped me! You’re out of your mind, Nicole!” She darted behind Wanda Russell for cover while whining, “Mom, she just slapped me!”




Wanda instantly wrapped her arms protectively around her daughter as she turned to snap, “How dare you strike my daughter, Nicole!”




“If you can’t take care of my son, Amelia, then don’t offer to do it!




Don’t think I don’t know what you were planning to do,” Nicole seethed as she glowered at Amelia mutinously.




“You little wench! Do you have proof that Amelia lost your son on purpose?” Wanda countered defensively, shielding her daughter.




Gerald knew that he bore the bigger responsibility in this, so he walked up to the women and interjected in a pained voice, “Nicole, it was my fault.




 Don’t blame Amelia.”

Fueled by intense anger, Nicole maintained her gaze on Amelia as she warned darkly, “Stay away from my son! If you so much as get close to him or try to hurt him, I’ll kill you where you stand!”




“Don’t go around making baseless claims, Nicole,” Amelia retorted, refusing to admit to her misdeed.




To the side, he felt his heart twist when he saw his two daughters snapping at each other. He turned to Nicole and cajoled, “Nicole, it was my fault. It really was.




I promise I won’t let Pete out of my sight anymore.”




Pete, on the other hand, pouted. “Mommy, don’t be mad. I shouldn’t have walked away on my own.”




Nicole rage was quelled by the sound of Pete voice. What mattered most was that her son had returned safely, so she swallowed her anger and turned to remove Pete out of Gerald’ arms.




“Dad, thanks for helping tonight. I’m sure Pete is badly shocked too. I’ll take him home now and you should get back and call it a day.”




Having said that, she cast Drake a brief look and turned to saunter back to his car.




Meanwhile, Amelia kept her eyes on Nicole and it was only then that she noticed the man next to Nicole. Her eyes widened in surprise when she registered the man’s features in the dim lighting. 




Why does this man look like Nicole' son? Could he be the kid’s father?




By the time Amelia tried to get a second glimpse of the man, he had turned away from her and all she saw was the elusive silhouette of his back.




When Drake car drove away, Gerald let out a sigh of relief and said to Wanda Russell and Amelia, “Come on, let’s head home.”




He couldn’t bring himself to blame Amelia for what had happened to Pete. After all, she had no experience in babysitting whatsoever, and while she had been careless, it didn’t necessarily mean she was at fault.




Wanda Russell, however, was belligerent that her daughter had to suffer Nicole wrath. She didn’t do anything wrong, so why was she the one to be slapped?




However, only Amelia knew that she had truly intended to abandon pete at a place that was somewhere crowded. In fact, she had so viciously wished that the boy would be kidnapped.




 Alas, the universe was against her, for it brought the child back in one piece.




More importantly, she wanted to know who that mysterious man was. It had taken her all but one look to discern that he had the innate grace of nobility, and he definitely wasn’t just some average Joe.




Meanwhile, Drake had stopped outside the apartment community where Nicole lived. When he saw that there was a pharmacy next to it, he headed in without a word, leaving her baffled as she stared after him with Pete in her arms.




Not long after that, Drake came back with a carrier bag of something.




Being extremely grateful for his help this evening, Nicole said, “Thank you so much for what you’ve done tonight, President Butler's. It’s getting late, and you should be going back.”




Drake looked at her and offered, “I’ll walk with you to your apartment.”




Nicole spun on her heels and headed into the elevator with Drake in her wake. They made their way up the building, and upon arriving at her apartment, she opened the door and turned on the lights. 




The little one shuffled over to the couch and sat down on it, looking like a sad puppy waiting to be lectured.




“Mommy, I was wrong. Please don’t be mad anymore.”




"I'm not angry, just... flustered. I was too flustered and I lashed out," she confessed.




She knew that her son saw the violent confrontation she had with Amelia..




Suddenly, Drake reached out to grab Nicole by the wrist and pulled her into a sitting position on the couch. She gaped at him, but before she could ask, the man crouched down in front of her.




 His large hand clasped her left calf, and it was only then that she noticed the bloody gash that measured up to about two inches in length on her leg.




Given how she had not tended to it in time, the blood had crusted over, even though the wound was still there.