Chapter 19
As they walked down the quiet street, the occasional flickering
of streetlights cast long shadows along the pavement. Noelle
glanced at the boy beside her. His small hands were stuffed deep
into the sleeves of her cardigan as he trudged forward in silence.
She was about to ask him if they were close to his house when
the low hum of approaching engines caught her attention.
Suddenly, a convoy of sleek black cars rounded the corner.
Their headlights illuminated the street with an eerie glow
which somehow made Noelle’s heart leap out of her chest.
Noelle instinctively reached for the boy’s hand, sensing
something off. Before she could react further, the lead car came
to a sharp stop right in front of them, followed immediately by the others. The doors swung open almost in unison, and several
men in black suits stepped out with urgency.
Noelle felt the boy stiffen beside her. His small fingers curled
into the fabric of her cardigan, but his face remained
unreadable.
A tall man emerged from the first car, his every movement exuding authority. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit and his coat flared slightly as he strode toward them. His
Chapter 19
silver–grey eyes that looked sharp and unyielding, locked onto the boy with an intensity that sent a chill down Noelle’s spine.
Noelle’s breath hitched. The resemblance between the two was
undeniable–the same striking eyes, the same aristocratic
features. This had to be the boy’s father.
So this was the man who didn’t care?
Something hot flared in Noelle’s chest as she remembered the
boy’s words from earlier.
‘He doesn’t come home. He doesn’t pick me up. He won’t notice if
I’m gone.
The sadness in his small voice had been real, and now, seeing
this man in his crisp suit, arriving in a whole convoy of
expensive cars like some high–ranking official, Noelle couldn’t
hold back her anger.
Before she knew it, she stepped forward, shielding the boy with
her body. “Took you long enough,” she snapped, her voice
cutting through the cold night air.
The man stopped in his tracks. His expression darkened as hist
gaze flicked to her. His eyes, though eerily similar to the boy’s, carried a sharp, scrutinizing gaze, as if he was trying to place who she was and why she was standing in the boy’s way.
Chapter 19
“Who the hell are you?” The man’s voice was low, clipped, and
sharp enough to cut through the night air like a blade.
Before Noelle could respond, the suited men around him tensed,
exchanging quick glances. One subtly stepped forward while
his hand hovered near his waist as if ready to draw a weapon.
Another murmured something into a hidden earpiece, his cold
gaze fixed on Noelle with suspicion.
The burden of their presence settled on her like a thick fog that
felt suffocating and dangerous.
Then it hit her.
They thought she had kidnapped the boy.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered under her breath,
exhaling sharply. She raised her hands slightly, more out of
sheer exasperation than fear. “Seriously? You think I abducted
him?” She turned to the boy beside her with his small fingers
still curled tightly around her sleeve. “Tell them, will you?”
But the boy hesitated, his silver–grey eyes flickering between
her and the man standing in front of them.
Noelle followed his gaze and felt something click into place.
Those same piercing silver–grey eyes. Sharp, assessing, and
brimming with authority.
Chapter 19
The resemblance was uncanny and she was now sure he really
is the boy’s father.
The man took a slow step forward and the sheer force of his
presence was enough to make the air feel heavier. “Get away
from him.”
Noelle’s jaw clenched. The raw authority in his voice sent
shivers down her spine, but it also fueled her irritation.
“I’m not holding him hostage,” she shot back. “He was alone in at
playground, freezing his little fingers off because he didn’t want
to go home. I gave him my cardigan, sat with him, and walked
him back because I actually cared that he was by himself. But
sure, let’s pretend I’m the villain here.”
A ripple of unease moved through the suited men. One of them
stepped forward, addressing the silver–eyed man cautiously.
“Sir, we should-”
But the boy suddenly moved, stepping in front of Noelle slightly. His small frame was tense, but his voice was firm. “She
didn’t do anything.” He swallowed hard, his hands balling into
fists. “I was the one who didn’t want to go home.”
The suited men suddenly became hesitant.
The silver–eyed man stared at the boy with an unreadable
Chapter 19
expression. “So you ran away?” He asked, but softly this time.
The boy looked down at his shoes. “…Yeah.””
A muscle in the man’s jaw ticked. His expression remained stoic,
but something flickered in his gaze–something Noelle couldn’t
quite place. Was it concern? Frustration? Guilt?
Noelle’s frustration simmered beneath her skin. This man,
whoever he was, stood before her with the presence of someone
who seemed used to commanding an army, and yet he was
completely blind to the fact that the child in front of him had
been so desperate for attention that he had chosen to run away
rather than return home.
She crossed her arms, refusing to let his imposing presence
shake her. “Maybe instead of glaring at me like I’m some kind of
criminal, you should be asking why he ran away in the first
place.”
The sheer audacity of her words made one of the suited men.
tense. His hand twitched at his side, close to where she assumed
a weapon was concealed. His dark eyes flashed with offense.
“This impertinent-!” The man bit back his words, his jaw
locking as he turned to Valerian, clearly waiting for permission
to act.
Chapter 19
But Valerian didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he exhaled
sharply, rubbing his temple as if Noelle’s words had struck a
nerve. He rolled his shoulders slightly before shifting his gaze
back to the boy.
“Get in the car.” He gently demanded somehow sounding calm.
this time.
The boy stiffened beside Noelle. His small hands curled into fists.
at his sides as his gaze darted between her and Valerian. He
looked hesitant and Noelle could see it. Noelle glanced down at
him as her fingers twitched with the urge to reach out to him, to
offer some kind of comfort, but she knew she had no place in
this situation. She was a stranger, a complete outsider who had
just stumbled into something far more complicated than a
simple runaway child.
Even so, she couldn’t just stand by and say nothing.
She crouched down beside him and spoke softly, “It’s okay. You
can try and talk it out.”
The boy’s lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she
thought he might refuse and bolt in the opposite direction just
to prove a point.
But then, after what felt like an eternity, he slowly let go of the
breath he’d been holding and nodded.
Chapter 19
Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked
toward the sleek black car. The door opened for him instantly,
and he climbed inside, disappearing behind the tinted glass.
Noelle exhaled as her shoulders sank slightly. She turned her
gaze back to Valerian, meeting his cold stare head–on.
She half expected him to issue some kind of warning, to
threaten her for interfering. Instead, he simply studied her in
silence.
Finally, his lips parted, and in a low voice he said, “Stay out of
things that don’t concern you.”
Noelle’s spine stiffened at the man’s rudeness. But she refused to
back down. Instead, she lifted her gaze and met his with
unwavering determination. “Then maybe you should start
taking care of what does concern you.”
For a moment, she thought he might say something and put her
in her place with a cutting remark or a glare that could freeze
over hell itself. But instead, he merely tilted his head slightly,
regarding her with smirk.
Noelle didn’t wait for another word. She turned on her heel as
fast as she could. But she could still feel his gaze on her back.
Only when she was far enough down the street did she let out
Chapter 19
the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her heart was
still hammering against her ribs and adrenaline made her
fingers tingle.
Who the hell was that man?
