Chapter 305 My Mom Has Many Suitors
Aaron never thought he'd end up picking up a little girl outside the airport and giving her a lift to a hotel. He had to admit, it was mostly 'cause her face looked kinda familiar.
Lillian tilted her head and gave him a look. "Mister, you tryna date my mommy too?"
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking too much, kid."
"Mister, my mommy's super pretty, and lots of people wanna date her. But you're nice, so I can hook you up with her," Lillian went on.
Aaron's patience hit its limit. He glanced at Tyler. "You deal with this."
He had zero interest in Lillian's mom! It was just that her face made him feel kinda soft-hearted.
Tyler, sitting shotgun, jumped in. "Hey, little one, he just wanted your mom's contact info so she can come get you. We wanna make sure you're safe since we picked you up from the airport."
Lillian rattled off a string of numbers, and Tyler dialed, only to get a message saying the phone was off.
Tyler looked at Aaron. "It's off. Now what?"
Aaron was stumped too. He turned to Lillian next to him. "What's your mom's name? Maybe the hotel staff can help us find her room."
Lillian swung her legs, her big blue eyes rolling. "Mister, my mommy works at the hotel. I know how to find her. Bye !"
She had snuck out to find her dad without her mom knowing, so no way was she giving her mom's name, especially since her mom wasn't even here.
She reached out, opened the car door, hopped out, and made a beeline for the Radiant Valley Hotel.
Aaron glanced at her, then looked away, ready to head to the underground garage.
"Mr. Abbott, isn't it kinda dangerous for such a little kid to find her mom alone? Radiant Valley's pretty sketchy. What if some creep tries to mess with her?" Tyler voiced his worries.
Annoyed, Aaron sighed, "Then you babysit her."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the red umbrella Lillian left behind. He rubbed his temples and barked, "Stop the car!"
With a jam-packed schedule and no real reason to help a kid find her mom, Aaron was torn. But that familiar face just wouldn't leave his mind.
After the car stopped, Aaron got out with the red umbrella and headed towards the Radiant Valley Hotel entrance.
Seeing this, Tyler quickly followed. He knew Aaron couldn't just leave her alone.
Stepping into the busy lobby of the Radiant Valley Hotel, Aaron's sharp eyes scanned the room, looking for any sign of Lillian. His brows furrowed. Where did she go?
Tyler immediately approached a nearby hotel staff member. "Have you seen a little girl, like three or four years old, come in? She's alone, got a small backpack, and pigtails."
The staff member shook their head. "We've had a lot of guests today, many with kids. Quite a few look like that. Did this gentleman's child get lost?"
Aaron's lips pressed into a thin line. "No."
The staff member looked surprised, and Tyler quickly jumped in, "She's not his kid, but we know her. Can you check the surveillance footage for us?"
"Sorry, sir, we can't just show hotel surveillance to anyone. We don't have that kind of authority," the staff replied.
Aaron's face turned icy. "Get me Connor Benjamin." He needed to find out where Lillian went and return her umbrella!
In no time, the hotel manager hurried over. "I'm sorry, Mr. Abbott. Our staff didn't recognize you. I'll take you to check the surveillance right away. Please follow me."
Aaron followed him to a nearby lounge, where the manager pulled up the lobby's surveillance footage on a computer.
He saw Lillian skipping in, then turning and disappearing into a stairwell.
The manager frowned. "Mr. Abbott, you know our hotel has some unique areas without cameras."
"Places without cameras? Can a kid get in there?" Aaron shot back.
"Of course not. With so many guests today, it's possible no one noticed her. Don't worry, I'll have someone look for her right away. You can go back to your room and rest. We'll notify you as soon as we have news."
Aaron left the lounge and took the elevator to the luxury suite upstairs. As he settled onto the plush sofa, his eyes locked onto the red umbrella in Tyler's hand, sparking irritation. "Get someone to search the area thoroughly," he ordered.
"Yes, I'll arrange for the bodyguards to search," Tyler replied.
Aaron leaned back on the sofa and quickly dialed Sam's number. "Where are you?"
"In the basement playing cards. You finally made it."
"Keep an eye out for a three or four-year-old girl in a yellow dress with pigtails. Call me immediately if you see her," Aaron instructed.
Sam was puzzled. "This is the basement. There won't be any kids here."
"Just do it."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Aaron poured himself a glass of water but couldn't calm down. He looked up at Tyler. "Any news yet?"
"Not yet."
Just then, Aaron's phone rang. It was an unknown number. Few people had his private contact info, and he rarely got calls from strangers. Normally, he wouldn't answer, but this time he picked up. "Who is this?"
A crying voice came from the other end, "Help!"
Aaron's face changed instantly, and he stood up, asking urgently, "Where are you?"
"I don't know. It's dark here. Some bad people want to kidnap me!"
"Describe the buildings around you. Stay hidden, and I'll be there shortly," Aaron urged, but before he could get more info, the call abruptly cut off. He immediately headed to the spot where Lillian had disappeared.
The hotel manager suddenly appeared. "Mr. Abbott, why are you here personally? Our people are already looking."
Aaron coldly said, "Is there a place here with colored lights and coffins?"
"Yes, but a child couldn't get in there."
"Take me there now." Aaron didn't want to waste time. He led the way to the place and shouted, "Here I am, you can come out now."
Soon, there was a knocking sound from one of the coffins.
Aaron walked over and opened the coffin lid, finding Lillian hiding inside. Her small mouth trembled, and she immediately started crying, "Mister."
He bent down and picked Lillian up. She clung tightly to his neck, crying uncontrollably.
