"Mom, are we eating here again today?"
"Yes, don't you love the braised bass here?"
Nala frowned and pouted. She held back her desire to say, "But I want to eat at home."
Despite her young age, she could sense that her mother had been in a bad mood for the past few days. Even her
response just now seemed indifferent.
Nala couldn't grasp the complexities of the adult world. She didn't understand why things could go from sunny to
stormy instantly. All she knew was that whenever someone sent her mother pictures of her dad with other women,
Kasey would react this way.
"Mom..."
Nala tugged at Kasey's hand, but the latter suddenly let go and stared tensely at something, hurrying away.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNala was startled, and her doll slipped from her grasp.
"Mom—"
"Nala, stay right here and don't move!" Kasey shouted anxiously as she rushed ahead. "Mom will be back in a
moment!"
Helplessly, Nala stood there, watching her mother's figure gradually disappear.
This had happened before. Whenever Kasey found out that Elijah was getting close to another woman, she would
lose control, leaving Nala behind. Nala would have to wait quite some time to see her distraught mother again.
Lurking in the shadows, Drake squinted. Suddenly, he remembered seeing this mother-daughter duo a few times
recently. Sometimes, the woman brought the little girl to eat, and other times, it was just the woman...
Was she there to catch her husband cheating?
Yes, that had to be it!
Drake had been staying at the hotel daily and heard plenty of gossip. He had heard about a CEO who kept getting
involved in scandals. Despite having a wife and child, he was always entangled with other women. Drake had also
heard that this man was the son-in-law of the city's future mayor.
He chuckled. Who knew if these rumors were true or not? It was quite common even if a man was fooling around
with other women.
He continued observing the little girl, noticing how she quietly picked up her doll from the floor and scanned her
surroundings. Her young face lacked panic, only showing a hint of disappointment.
At that moment, two servers approached and politely addressed her as Ms. Chriss. One of them escorted her to the
first-floor lounge.
Drake's expression changed.
It turned out this little girl wasn't that easy to approach either. She didn't have any bodyguards, just a few hotel staff
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmmembers. Compared to the Hamertons' little princess, she should be easier to snatch.
Drake followed them all the way to the lounge's entrance. By now, the servers had prepared snacks and drinks for
Nala and left to attend to other tasks.
Drake scanned the area and refrained from acting recklessly due to security cameras in the corridor.
Unexpectedly, Nala walked out on her own!
Holding her doll tightly, Nala played alone in the empty corridor, seemingly bored. Suddenly, she noticed a small
door leading to the hotel's backyard. Despite the cooling weather, the backyard was adorned with flowers, catching
her attention.
Curiosity was natural for a child. She bounded toward the backyard.
Drake realized an opportunity had arisen!
The backyard was where he had spoken to Bianca that day. According to Bianca, there was nothing there except a
broken surveillance camera.
Before approaching Nala, Drake straightened his clothes and quickly washed his face in the restroom.
"Hey, little girl," he said, approaching with a wrinkled smile. "Are you playing here all by yourself?"