Avery excitedly rushed toward Caleb, who lifted him into the air, spinning him around like a classic father-son duo.The laughter of the boy echoed in the air as Caleb finally put him down.Watching this tender moment between father and son, Ember felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness in her heart.Noticing Ember's unusual demeanor, Caleb asked with a concerned frown, "Where are you headed? Is it a business trip?"Not wanting to hide anything, she sighed and shared, "There are some students from the school who've gone missing. I just got word that they've been located in Millerville. I'm planning to go there to assess the situation and hopefully bring them back."Caleb's brow creased with worry, and he probed, "Are you intending to go there by yourself?""I've already contacted the local police there."Before Ember could finish, Caleb interrupted her, his tone laced with worry, "You're being too careless about your safety. What would Avery and I do if something happened to you
Nick displayed a gesture of defeat, speaking with a tone of resignation, "How can anyone guess what he's thinking? I just checked on him, and he's all set to leave for Millerville by tomorrow. It's just a desolate village. What could possibly attract him there?"At the mention of that name, Penelope's heart thumped ferociously. She asked guiltily, "What's Caleb's reason for going to such a remote place?"With a shake of his head and a sip from his drink, Nick replied, "Who can say? He's always been impulsive. Let's not dwell on it, let's just enjoy our drinks."They clinked their glasses and chatted about other matters.Penelope was preoccupied. Despite drinking the glass of wine, her mind kept returning to the reason for Caleb's visit to that location.She had an epiphany all of a sudden.Could Caleb have found something? Her alcohol-induced haze vanished in an instant.She quickly excused herself from Nick, sought a quiet area, and called Donelle."Caleb will be in Millervill
Caleb and Ember had just reached the edge of a small village when Ember suddenly cried out, "Hold on! There's something odd by the roadside."Caleb immediately braked, bringing the car to a halt."What is it? What did you spot?" he asked.Ember pointed at the spot on the roadside they had just passed by, frowned, and said, "Right there! Do you see a pair of red shoes?"Caleb squinted and peered intently. He felt a sudden sense of unease and said, "Indeed, they're there. They don’t appear to be abandoned. Someone might be wearing them."As Ember was about to step out for a closer inspection, Caleb quickly held her back and said, "Wait! Stay in the car, I'll check it out. I'll call you if it's safe."He left the car, a stun gun in hand, and cautiously approached the bushes.The area was deathly quiet. When he parted the bushes, he discovered a young girl who was pale and was lying there motionless.Caleb gently prodded her to confirm that it was safe before signaling to Ember, wh
The young girl, Hazel Rowse, nodded affirmatively and revealed, "Before you became the principal, I was abducted. Those evil men showed us your photo, speaking ill of you. We all understood they resented you because you stood against them and you're a kind person."This revelation caused Ember deep emotional pain. She had not expected the girl she had randomly saved to be one of the missing students she was searching for.She asked gently, "Hazel, what can you share about what you went through?"Memories of her traumatic experiences caused Hazel to shudder, and her eyes welled up with tears.Quickly wiping Hazel's tears away, Ember felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she took in the sight of Hazel's battered body."I'm sorry for being late. I rushed to the village to save you all as soon as I heard. I found you on the roadside... and brought you here."Upon hearing Ember's words, Hazel burst into tears. Between sobs, she recounted, "It's the fault of those bad people. They beat
As Ember drove home and stepped inside the house, Avery excitedly jumped out.The boy exclaimed, "Mommy, you're finally back! I've missed you so much!"Hazel quickly hid behind Ember when she saw Avery.The time the two had spent together had created a deep trust in Ember, who had become a beacon of hope in the little girl's life, rescuing her from a perilous situation.Avery noticed Hazel behind Ember. He widened his eyes in surprise and curiously asked, "Mommy, who's she? Did you find me a sister?"He then adopted a serious look, stifled his joy, and rebuked her mother maturely, "Mommy, this isn't right. Daddy and Uncle Lugh won't like this when they find out.""You little rascal," Ember lightly tapped Avery's head, reprimanding him in a playful tone, "Hazel is a student of mine. She's here to rest and get better, so she'll be staying with us. You must take good care of her, okay?"Avery blinked his eyes and nodded enthusiastically. "Awesome! I've been bored, and now I have a
Upon entering the building, Avery was immediately recognized by the receptionist, who recalled the previous encounter with the boy. She braced herself, anticipating potential mischief from him.Avery surprised her by being really courteous this time, asking, "Hello, could you please get Caleb for me? He's my dad."She considered it for a while. Then, she dialed the internal line with a smile and informed him, "Mr. Gerry, there's a boy here claiming to be Mr. Lane's son, asking to see Mr. Lane."Gerry was somewhat confused and responded skeptically, "Mr. Lane's son? Could be a hoax."He was not regularly in Caleb's company and was thus less aware of his personal life.Overhearing the conversation, Caleb stepped forward and questioned, "Who wants to see me?"Before the receptionist could reply, Avery piped up eagerly, "Daddy, it's me! Avery!"Caleb immediately softened his tone, urging, "Avery, wait for me downstairs."The phone call came to an end with a click.It was not long
Caleb agreed with a nod, "Absolutely. We must move quickly for the safety of these children."They resolved to head back to Millersville to conduct a more thorough investigation.Just as they were about to set off, Caleb's phone rang.It was Nick, sounding irritated. "What's going on? Why haven't you been answering your calls?"Caleb contemplated for a moment and then chose not to hide the truth."I'm tied up with the human trafficker case. It's hectic. Can you manage the company for a while? Please call only if necessary."With that brief explanation, Caleb ended the call before Nick could respond and hurriedly got in the car to leave.On the other end, Nick, hearing the call end abruptly, called out for Caleb a few times in frustration.Annoyed, he then gave Penelope a call, "Hey, how about a drink? Caleb is on the hunt for human traffickers and just hung up on me."Penelope's ears perked up at the word 'human traffickers'."What about human traffickers?" she asked sharply.
The buyer was not one to be intimidated, arriving with several burly men. She stood her ground firmly against the traffickers, leading to a heated argument.Ember and Caleb observed the confrontation from their concealed location, silently condemning the way these individuals treated children as mere objects of trade.Surprisingly, they discovered that the two groups were in conflict.Ember reasoned that they should let them fight it out because it might work in their favor.As the situation became more intense, the traffickers tried to take the child and leave in a desperate move.The duo exchanged glances, understanding each other's plans without words.Caleb immediately texted his assistant. Briefly, his aide quickly brought a readily assembled team and arrived on the scene.The sudden intervention caught both the traffickers and the buyer off guard.Caleb's team immediately began to apprehend the traffickers, while the buyer seized the moment to escape.Caleb intervened to