Chapter 5: The lost boy

Kristoff Montenegro spent the whole day working in his office when Lucas knocked on his door.

 

“Mr. CEO, the headquarters just informed me that the young master was missing.”

Then all of a sudden a loud sound of something breaking echoed inside the room. With all his might, Lucas tried to reduce his presence in the room. The moment he received the call from the CEO’s home, he knew that a disaster was inevitable. But as his personal secretary, no one but him could report it that's why, his life was always hanging by a thread every time his boss would explode from anger.

 

“What are they slacking for?! Tell them to find him immediately!” Kristoff bellowed. He was beyond furious. He was already angry because of those incompetent bugs that kept pestering him everywhere and now, even his subordinates couldn’t look after a child?!

 

Kristoff stopped himself from throwing another object inside the room. He didn’t want to spend another penny for a new table. Kristoff hastily stood up and left the room while Lucas followed behind him.

 

Inside the car, Lucas relayed the news that was reported to him.

 

“The young master has been missing for an hour. Th—”

 

“And they’re reporting it to me just now?” Kristoff growled as he rubbed his temples. He already resolved himself to fire all those employees at the villa due to their incompetence. He paid them to watch over a mere child and they couldn’t even do their only job.

 

“Fire them. Deploy Ren’s security and find him within half an hour. If not, they didn’t have to bother coming back.”

 

Lucas immediately called back to the headquarters to relay the CEO’s instructions. Hearing the instructions, the subordinates at the other side of the phone knew that they would punished heavily by their boss when he comes back. Not delaying any more time, they gathered the young master’s security detail and deployed all of them.

*****

“Ah, I forgot to buy some groceries.” Alisha spoke to no one as she opened the refrigerator to whip something up. She examined the empty fridge and was reminded that she already used up the last of her food supplies two days ago and had to get take out yesterday.

 

After spending almost three hours lying on the bed just to calm herself down and gather her thoughts once again, Alisha went to change herself into a casual wear and walked out of her apartment.

 

“Big sis!! Can you pick up my ball?!” A shout of child could be heard from her left. Not even knowing if she was the one being called, she unconsciously looked at the source of the voice and saw a little girl waving her hands trying to catch someone’s attention.

 

When the little girl met her eyes, she beamed and waved once again before pointing something at her…rather, at her feet. Alisha blinked in confusion as she looked down to see a yellow ball just a few meters away from her.

 

“Oh.” She picked it up and crossed the distance between the two of them and arriving at the playground where there are other kids who are playing. She was welcomed with a couple more kids who were watching her hand over the ball to the little girl and some were parents who were gossiping at the side.

 

“Here you go.” Alisha flashed a smile at the kid as she handed the ball to her. The little girl gave her thanks with a sweet smile as she ran off with the other kids to continue playing with them while Alisha just stood there for awhile to watch them for a little bit.

 

Smiling at the innocence of those kids, how she wished that those innocence of theirs won’t be tainted and wouldn’t have to face the reality of this world. If it were her, she would have chosen to just keep playing while thinking mindlessly what the others thought.

 

Giving one last look as she eyed the whole playground, she turned her back to go to the nearby supermarket.

 

It was already past 6 pm when Alisha finished shopping. Holding 4 grocery bags, she walked to the familiar road of her house. She would’ve directly went home by now if she didn’t stop herself from walking as she passed by the playground once again.

 

But it wasn’t the noisy kids playing that attracted Alisha’s attention this time but the supposed-to-be empty playground right now is left with a handful of kids playing on the swing and a little kid sitting under the tree.

 

She tried to remember the scene when she left before going to the supermarket and remembered exactly that the kid was also sitting in that same position. Her eyes furrowed and she grew concerned as she thought that the child was just sitting there for almost an hour and a half without moving about.

 

She even looked around at the other adults who was still around but they were all focused on gossiping and it looks like they didn’t even care about the lone child. The weight of what she’s holding is slowly crawling back to her arms as she fixed her hold onto them.

 

Hesitating whether to ignore the child and go home, she felt a drop of water fall on her face.

 

“…well, shit.” The weather forecast is not really reliable!!

 

Alisha took a deep breath and walked over to the tree where the child is squatting under.

 

“Are you not going to play with them?” Alisha looked over at the little child staring blankly at the other kids playing on the swing.

 

“…”

 

The little guy just remained sitting on the tree root at the center of the park. He made no motion to look at her as if he didn’t hear her that’s why she thought that this kid must’ve just really stared blankly at the kids for that whole an hour and half from the last time she saw him.

 

The empty stare that the kid gave disturbed her heart that stirred something within her. She was getting uncomfortable on seeing that kind of expression on a kid’s face.

 

There was no emotions in his eyes unlike the other kids. He did not move a single muscle and he was staring away like he couldn’t see everyone in front of him. Alisha didn’t like that feeling. That look… that’s not what you normally see on a kid’s face. They should be happily smiling and freely playing around but this kid… his eyes was saying that he had no care about his surroundings nor the world. He was just… there.

 

Knowing that the kid planned to not talk to her, she still pushed her luck as she sat down beside him. She rummaged inside her bag as she looked for the candy that she bought awhile ago. Finding it, she handed it to him as she tried to catch his attention.

 

“Do you want to play?”

 

“…”

 

Still no answer. Alisha scratched her head. She really didn’t know how to talk with kids like him.

 

“Where’s your mom and dad? Did they go somewhere or something?” She was now spouting any question that comes to mind because she had no idea how to make this kid speak. Expecting no response, she was surprised when the kid finally opened his mouth.

 

“Yes.”

 

It was just a single word but Alisha felt extremely delighted when she heard him.

 

“So what time are they picking you up?”

 

It was already past 6 pm and it looked like it will also rain sometime soon. She was also sure that his parents weren’t around because if it were her, she wouldn’t let her child be alone and just be isolated from the other kids like this.

 

That’s why she got worried that his parents weren’t picking him up when it’s already this late. This was the business district and even if the community is very secure, some people would still try to do bad things and kidnap a child here and there at any time of the day.

 

She scolded in her heart how irresponsible this child’s parents were.

 

“They’ll never pick me up.”

 

Alisha gasped. Did his parents…. Abandon him here?

 

But his next words was something she didn’t expect to hear from him.

 

“They’re dead.”

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