Chapter 479 Charles Plays Shane
After deceiving Shane and the others to come over, Charles went on as if nothing happened. He picked up a pack of diapers and headed home with Randy.
Randy, confused, asked, "Why'd you drag them here in the first place?"
Charles said with a sneer, "It was to get a bit of revenge for Mommy. They shouldn't have messed with her."
Even though he wasn't in Country Y that day, when Grace unjustly accused his mother, every member of the Koch family took Grace’s side and tried to drive his mommy away. He'd kept silent about it all, not wanting to worry Mommy and Daddy, but that didn't mean he was clueless. Even though the Kochs were nice to Mommy now, there was no erasing the past deeds. His harmless prank served as a light punishment with a warning.
Randy blinked and asked, "Did someone pick on Mommy? When? How did they bother her?"
Charles didn't want to worry him, so he brushed it off. "It's all behind us now. Let's not bring it up again. This is just a little lesson for them."
When Randy didn't press further, Charles added, "Remember, don't tell Daddy and Mommy just yet. We'll let them know after they've stewed for a bit."
Randy nodded.
They returned home with the diapers in hand. As soon as they stepped inside the house, they felt an unusual tension in the air.
A sinister voice like a specter said, "I sent you out to get diapers, yet you took forever. You could've toured the entire Ivara City in that time."
No sooner had the words fallen than a pillow came flying at them.
Charles smoothly caught it and toyed with it. "Randy and I got lost."
Patricia couldn't help but laugh. "Lost? Charles, do you take me for a fool? Every kid in the world might get lost, but not you. Out with it. What did you really do? You know how worried I was? I thought you'd been kidnapped!"
Charles rolled his eyes. "That only happened once."
Having experienced a kidnapping before, he felt enough embarrassment. There was no way it would happen a second time. That would be utterly humiliating.
Patricia was livid. "So, where did you really go?"
"I told you, we got lost. We circled around a few times before finding our way."
Patricia was nearly apoplectic with frustration, tempted to throttle him.
Seeing how upset she was, Martin wrapped an arm around her shoulder, saying, "Alright, he’s back now, isn’t he? Everyone has their secrets. If Charles doesn't want to share, let's not push him."
Patricia shot him a glare. "You just keep spoiling him. One day, you're going to spoil him rotten!"
With that, she gave up on the conversation and went to change Maria's diaper.
Charles calmly picked up Patricia's phone from the coffee table and swiftly blocked all the contact numbers of the Koch family, as well as the landline number for their mansion and the Ellenstein Villa District. Then, he borrowed Martin's phone, doing the same thing.
Now, they wouldn't be able to reach his mommy and daddy. Let them wait it out.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and dusk quietly enveloped the sky.
Shane glanced at his wristwatch, and after calming down, he realized something was off. He looked toward the door. The two youngsters hadn't returned since they left. Neither Patricia nor Martin had shown up.
Even the usually oblivious Jeremy sensed that something was wrong. "Grandpa, are we being played?" he asked.
Ariel shot him a look. "You're just figuring that out now?"
Jeremy froze for a moment, his eyes widening in sudden realization. "Are we really being played? Why? What's those two's purpose? Could it be they're not Patricia's sons?"
Ariel gave him another look, her voice laced with frustration. "Of course, they're Patricia's sons. And this is probably their house too, just not the one they're currently living in."
It took Jeremy a while to comprehend her words. "So, why would they play us?"
Ariel didn't feel like wasting words with him. She pulled out her phone to call Patricia and Martin, but the call wouldn't go through for either of them. When she took Shane's phone and tried to call them separately, it bore the same result.
A creeping suspicion grew within her, yet she remained persistent. After exchanging a brief word with the butler, she used the landline by the sofa to try calling Patricia once more. Still no connection.
Could it be that the calls just weren't going through?
The butler, unable to stand idly by any longer, approached tentatively. "It's getting late. I've had the kitchen prepare dinner for you. Why don't you have something to eat first?"
Ariel stood up and asked, "May I ask if Patricia and Martin are really here?"
The butler was never good at lying. He found himself at a loss for words under her questioning scrutiny.
Ariel saw right through him, but instead of calling him out immediately, she asked, "May I go upstairs to see them?"
The butler simply said, "It's dark outside; you should have dinner first."
Concerned about Shane's well-being, Ariel didn't fuss any further and, along with Jeremy, helped Shane to the dining table to sit down.
Meanwhile, Charles was also having his dinner. After leisurely finishing his meal, he took a napkin, elegantly wiped his mouth, and then said, "Randy and I ran into three people while we were out buying diapers for Maria today."
Patricia and Martin initially didn't pay much attention, listening quietly. When they heard Charles say, "It was people from the Koch family," they stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.
"Who did you say it was?" Patricia asked.
Charles replied calmly, "Shane and two others, probably Ariel and Jeremy."
Patricia stood up from her chair, astonished. "Shane has come to Ivara City?"
Charles nodded. "Yes. I'm the one who recovered the video of the pool incident. Afterward, I took the liberty of investigating the Koch family a bit, so I'm confident about their identities."
"Where are they now?" Patricia pressed.
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