Chapter 28
When Larkin and his team found Griffin, the boy was sitting under a streetlight, with a blade of grass in his mouth and his little chin resting on his hands, as if he had been waiting for them.
"Young master."
Panting heavily, Larkin and his men rushed to Griffin, "Young master, what are you doing here? We've been worried sick. Come, let's get you home."
Griffin stood up and locked eyes with Larkin. He knew this man was the assistant to his bad dad.
"Hey Uncle Larkin, I didn't wander off too far. I've been waiting right here for you guys. You're moving so slow; I turn around and, poof, you're gone."
The two bodyguards shadowing Rowan behind Larkin dipped their heads slightly in agreement.
Sighing, Larkin crouched down in front of Griffin, his face etched with worry, "Young master, Mr. Fitzgerald is pretty upset about you taking off today. We should head back, okay?"
"Does... does Dad get really scary when he's mad?" Griffin asked, his voice showing a hint of genuine fear.
Thinking of Mr. Fitzgerald's face, which was as dark as a storm cloud, Larkin nodded earnestly, "It can be... quite intimidating... but Mr. Fitzgerald dotes on you. If you apologize, he'll probably cool off."
Griffin remembered his brother mentioning that their dad had a serious temper too.
After a moment's thought, Griffin's eyes found a cake shop at the edge of the street, "Uncle Larkin, I want to buy a little cake for Dad."
"A cake? But, young master, Mr. Fitzgerald doesn't have a sweet tooth."
"He doesn't?" Griffin pouted, "But sweets can cheer people up. Maybe Dad's always in a bad mood because he never has any. That's gotta be it."
Larkin mustered a strained smile. In his mind, he wanted to say, 'No, young master, your dad is just naturally grumpy.’
"Just wait here; I'll go buy it myself. Don't worry; I won't get lost."
"Young master, I'd better come with you."
To prevent the young master from disappearing again, Larkin followed him closely, without a trace of carelessness.
Larkin couldn't help but feel that Griffin was off today.
He knew the kid didn't usually go for sweets, let alone consider buying any for Mr. Fitzgerald.
But he shrugged it off, knowing how unpredictable the minds of children could be.
The only reason Griffin wanted to buy Darian a cake was to get on his good side. His temper was so volatile that Griffin was actually afraid of him—a fit of anger, and he might end up spanking him.
The thought of his father's hand connecting with his little backside made Griffin involuntarily cover his behind as he walked on.
Larkin turned to see the little guy, clutching his behind with both hands, as a frightened look appeared on his face. He asked, puzzled, "Hey buddy, what's wrong?"
Griffin shook his head quickly, "Nothing, nothing, let's go get the cake. We should get extra."
Griffin chose the sweetest cake in the store and then urged Larkin that they needed to hurry back.
The Fitzgerald Home.
Upon entering the living room, Griffin felt a chilling presence sweep over him.
He blinked at Darian sitting on the couch, his face so cold it could freeze, and tugged at Larkin's sleeve, "He looks scary."
Larkin forced a smile, but even he was nervous. His legs were trembling, and he was sweating profusely; he mercilessly pushed Griffin forward, “Don’t worry, kid. Mr. Fitzgerald doesn’t bite. Go cheer him up.”
‘Well buddy, I'm out of tricks too; you're on your own.’ Larkin thought.
Griffin approached Darian slowly, and then poked his hand, "Daddy, I'm back."
Darian's gaze slowly shifted to him, "You remembered to come back?"
Griffin quickly raised the small cake, "Daddy, I went to get this for you."
Darian frowned, "For me?"
Griffin nodded, placing the cake on the couch and then climbing onto the sofa by himself.
The sofa was a bit high, and he had gotten chubbier recently, making the climb a bit of a struggle.
Darian watched the little guy scrabbling onto the couch; he looked a bit awkward, but he also looked terribly cute.
"Of course! It's a surprise for you."
"You ditched your bodyguard just to buy this?"
Griffin paused, then eagerly nodded, "Yes, yes! I wanted to surprise you, Daddy, that's why I couldn’t tell anyone."
As he spoke, the little fellow casually opened the cake and scooped a big spoonful towards Darian's mouth.
"Daddy, try it. It's really sweet and delicious!"
Darian arched an eyebrow, the icy chill on his face finally beginning to thaw as he refused, "I don't do sweets..."
Griffin didn't care whether he liked them or not and stuffed the treat into his mouth anyway.
Mom always said that picky eaters were not good kids.
Darian made a face of disgust.
The cream in his mouth was cloyingly sweet, too sweet for his liking, but Darian swallowed the cream-filled cake anyway, his expression slightly unnatural.
Griffin looked at Darian with bright, expectant eyes.
"Daddy, is it good?"
This was the first time the little guy had shown such a desire to be close to him, even going to the extent of feeding him. Darian's normally frosty face softened remarkably as he met the adorable kid’s hopeful gaze.
Larkin watched the interaction between Mr. Fitzgerald and the young master with his mouth agape, even his heart skipped a beat.
Mr. Fitzgerald was known to never indulge in sweets.
Yet, the young master had forcefully fed him.
Larkin worried if he'd catch the brunt of it later.
Just as Larkin braced himself for Darian's temper to flare, Darian gently touched the little guy's head, "Not bad, but you're not allowed to run off on your own again, no matter what. Do you hear me?"
Griffin obediently nodded, "I got it, sorry for worrying you, Daddy."
Observing Griffin, Darian sensed a significant change in him.
The little guy was talking more and seemed more willing to be close to him; he was no longer the indifferent figure he once was.
Sending him to school to make more friends had indeed been the right move.
Darian breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Cecily returned home, her heart still in suspense.
She hadn't joined the search, as her overwhelming concern would surely raise Darian's suspicions.
With Darian having mobilized everyone to look, finding the boy shouldn't be a difficult task.
"Mommy."
A familiar soft voice called out.
Cecily turned to see Griffin standing behind her. Stunned for a moment, she quickly went to him, "Griffin, what are you doing here?"
Rowan gazed at his mom as an irrepressible excitement coursed through him; he couldn't resist leaping into Cecily 's arms. "Mommy."
A bit puzzled, Cecily patted the little guy's back. "What's wrong, Griffin?"
Shaking his head, Rowan reassured her, "Nothing's wrong, Mommy. I just missed you, so I had Uncle Blaise send someone to bring me over. Don't worry, Mommy, I won't be any trouble."
These bits of information had come from Griffin.
Cecily hugged her son tightly and sighed resignedly. She was ready to scold Griffin for coming over on his own, but after hearing her little boy's sweet words, how could she bear to reprimand him?
"Mommy, are you mad that I came on my own?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
