Laurence stood behind them with a piercing gaze. Even with her back facing him, Zoey could feel his eyes on her. She shielded her child, though it was no use. He had seen him.Laurence stared at the child’s face.While in the car, she said that he wasn’t even four yet. However, he already looked four or five. He could be four. Or five.While Laurence looked at the child’s face, he felt a sense of familiarity. He hadn’t felt it before. The boy was much more mature than he thought. He was calm when he met strangers. Laurence held his gaze. He felt like he’d seen him before. The boy’s eyebrows looked a little like his. It wasn’t just in his head.Zoey led the boy upstairs. Laurence watched them silently.The boy said something in Zoey’s ear. Her eyebrows relaxed, and she smiled happily. She smiled at other people a lot. He was the only one she treated coldly.Laurence was no longer anxious. He stood downstairs for a moment and only went into his car when he noticed the lights on the

The child was clever. He grew even warier. “And in the future?”Laurence stared at the face that looked like his. He didn’t deceive him. “Maybe.”Teddy’s cold face tensed. A child with an expression like that was still adorable and non-intimidating. He asked, “Why do you want to take me away? You’ve never seen me. And I’ll never follow you.”Laurence was being interrogated by this tiny human before him. He no longer treated him like a clueless child. “But if I am your father, I’m biologically related to you. It doesn’t matter what you think. If we take this to court, I could win.”Teddy frowned. He hated the man even more now. Why was his father like this? He was so disagreeable. He was even more unlikable than his pictures online. Teddy hated his words very much.Teddy looked at him angrily and asked, “Do you like me?”Laurence didn’t quite know what to say. It was unrealistic that he would have strong feelings for this estranged child. But he didn’t think that he didn’t love hi

Not going to take him away from her?Zoey did not believe Laurence. She looked at him coldly. “I’m not afraid of that. The child has nothing to do with you.”Laurence had already predicted her answer. She was a little more aggressive than he’d expected. “You can lie to me, but you shouldn’t lie to yourself.”“Can you show me any evidence?” Zoey looked at him with a sarcastic smile. “Even if you’ve somehow conducted a paternity test, it wouldn’t change a thing. You’ve never raised him. Where were you when he was kidnapped?”Zoey had never spoken to him so much before. “You’re waiting for the results of the DNA test. You think I’m lying to you because I want to use you. You didn’t believe it before. You shouldn't force it now.”All the hatred Zoey had suppressed in her heart all these years came to the surface. She shouldn’t care about anything at all. Even if it was hatred, she shouldn’t hate him. He wasn’t worth an ounce of her emotions.Laurence took her hand. When she tried to

It was easy for Zoey to secure a job after completing her studies in Novarvia. Her job was not significantly affected when she did not return to Novarvia, as she could communicate online on many matters. However, she had to solve the issue of her identification.Zoey was reported dead in police records. Updating her records would be a paperwork nightmare. It would take a lot of time and energy. Even though Zoey did not have much free time, she went to the police station. However, after speaking with the police, she realized it would be a hassle. She was not in a rush anyway. Zoey researched all the kindergartens in Northwell. She concluded that Teddy was enrolled in the best kindergarten there was.Her busy schedule and worry finally caught up to her. Even though she had been careful, she caught a cold. She got better after resting for two days but was still didn’t feel 100%. Zoey's health declined after barely surviving her injuries. She got sick frequently. Even a minor cold le

Even though Teddy could sleep by himself, Zoey still told him a bedtime story. As Teddy slowly fell asleep, she tiptoed out of his room. There were several missed calls on her phone. Zoey returned Rose's call. She always had time for her friend. "I was putting Teddy to bed. What's up?" While Zoey was in Novarvia, she reconnected with Rose. She used Shawn's phone. Rose cried and laughed on the phone, and they talked for a long time before hanging up. She was afraid it was all a dream."Are you going to Skylar's benefit auction tomorrow?" "Yeah. Why not?" "I don't want you to be taken advantage of." Rose was still furious about the incident from five years ago. "I heard many people are attending." The movers and shakers of the business world, celebrities, and the reclusive wealthy were attending. It was going to be a major event. Eliza's sister-in-law was organizing the benefit auction. The upper class was a tight-knit community. Most would attend because of Skylar's status.