Chapter 7: Babysitter

After a day of lazing around and trying to distract herself, Bea succeeded and finally lost the swelling of her eyes. Since she wanted to distract herself more, she chose to go outside and play while she was still on vacation.

“It was really different from home…” she mumbled as she entered the mall. Unlike back home, just going to the mall took more time despite being close to the hotel that she was in. The city had too many cars that kept the road too crowded to go smoothly.

She looked around and was amazed by the towering establishments and the mall that she entered was too big, she somehow felt like she would easily get lost.

“This is better,” she thought as she gripped the handkerchief in her hand. Being distracted by an unfamiliar place would be better than being stuck inside her hotel room.

Her eyes were full as she indulged herself in looking at the luxurious clothing from stalls to stalls. There were dresses that she liked but she immediately looked away every time she would see the price tag. Who would buy a dress that was as expensive as her weekly food budget?

While looking around, she didn’t have a definite destination. She just let her feet take her to wherever it went. As a result, she passed by different shops and she even tried going inside to check on them.

Despite being an adult, she was still amazed by the mall. She felt like a child going out for the first time. Well, it was her first time in a while. After her graduation, she could barely remember the days when she spent her days off going out and enjoying herself—except for the days that she spent with William.

“Here we go again…” she complained as she rolled her eyes. How many times would she have to stop herself from thinking of him?

She shook her head to dismiss the negative emotion that was swelling inside her and looked for a place where she could eat. Though she was fine with eating in a fast-food diner, she felt like she was craving for something expensive.

Once again, her mind was in a state of confusion. Should she splurge again? It would be the last time. But she already bought herself an expensive meal yesterday. Would it be fine if she used her money more?

While looking around, her eyes were caught by a familiar figure in the middle of the busy establishment. There were people walking to and fro but the figure just stood there in the middle. His head was moving from left to right as if he was in a state of confusion.

She walked towards the figure to confirm and her eyes grew wide when she realized that she was right.

“Caleb, where is your nanny?” After she realized that it was the child, her mouth moved on its own and let out a worried tone. “Are you lost?”

Caleb looked at her and his eyes grew wide when he realized who she was. She smiled as she crouched so that she would be close to his eye level.

“Why are you here alone?” she asked again while looking around for Caleb’s caretaker. Her brows furrowed when she found no one who could have been looking for him.

“Actually…” Caleb looked down and avoided her eyes. “I was the one who wandered away.”

Though she was the one who approached and asked him, she didn’t expect him to trust her easily. It was fortunate that the kid didn’t stop himself from telling her his situation.

The mall was too big and it was easy to lose sight of the young ones if they weren’t attentive enough. Just how did the adults that came along with him end up losing him? They should’ve been more careful especially since it was Caleb!

“Do you have your phone or a phone number that I can call?” Bea asked in a gentle tone, afraid that Caleb would feel scared.

Caleb shook his head. “I have my phone here with me, but I don’t want to be with them yet.”

Bea’s brows furrowed. What was he trying to say?

When Caleb noticed her confusion, he talked again. “Can you just keep it a secret that I’m here? I’ll call them later once I’m done with my plans.”

His plans? What could a six-year-old’s plan be that he needed to get away from his guardians?

“No. I couldn’t just leave you alone without someone who would watch over you.” Bea’s tone was stern. She knew that Caleb was somehow mature for his age, but he was still a kid. She wouldn’t let him go off on his own. “Tell me what are your plans and I would help you do it.”

Caleb looked away. “Amu…ark.”

Bea leaned closer because she couldn’t understand Caleb’s mumbling. “Come again?”

“I want to go to the amusement park…” Caleb looked to the other side, embarrassed. “I know that I shouldn’t be acting like this, but Daddy was too busy and I’ve never been there even once.”

Bea wanted to sigh but she held it in. She could understand that a business tycoon could be busy, but if he had time to pose in front of the camera with his son, shouldn’t he also spend time with him doing something fun?

She managed to let out an enthusiastic smile as she gently patted Caleb’s shoulder. “Shall I bring you there?”

Caleb’s eyes sparkled in excitement. “Really?”

“But, we need to let your father know. I’m afraid he would sue me for kidnapping you if I just took you away without him knowing,” she joked.

Caleb immediately took out his phone and dialed his father’s number. Bea just smiled as she watched the child talk with his dad. He was trying to sound mature but she could see his excitement with the way he talked.

After they finished talking, Caleb looked at her with a smile and handed her his phone. “Daddy wants to talk to you.”

Bea took the phone with slight nervousness. She was afraid that Mr. Suarez might scold her for intervening with their personal lives but she couldn’t just ignore Caleb. She took a deep breath before she put the phone near her ear.

“Yes, this is Bea.” She tried hard to keep her voice calm. Who would’ve thought that it would be nerve-racking when talking to a CEO?

“Miss Bea, can I get your number?”

“WHAT?” She was so startled by Mr. Suarez’s question that she ended up raising her voice. Why would he even ask for her number?

“I need your contact number. Caleb could forget his phone when he’s having fun. I need you to update me with my son’s whereabouts.” Mr. Suarez sounded indifferent as if he was just doing things because he needed to.

Somehow Bea felt annoyed that a father would treat his son that way. Was he really okay with entrusting his son to a stranger like her? What if she had hidden motives while she was taking care of Caleb? Didn’t he know how prone Caleb was to kidnapping?

In the end, she just held her annoyance in and gave him her number. It would be better for her if she could contact him immediately in case of an emergency. After that, he allowed her to bring Caleb wherever he wanted and told her that he would compensate her for the inconvenience.

What kind of mindset was that? Did he think that his son was an inconvenience?