Chapter 398

Chapter 398:

“I’m not in need of funds,” Milly stated firmly.

Howard glanced at her, reminded of the girl he had once met in the slums. The resemblance between Milly and that girl was striking. If that girl had grown up, she would be about Milly’s age now. “Where did you live when you were little?” Howard asked suddenly.

Milly blinked in surprise. “Why are you asking me this out of the blue?”

“You seem… familiar,” Howard murmured.

Milly’s heart skipped a beat. Did he recognize her from those days? She thought it was a distant memory, something he had surely forgotten. After all, it had been so many years. Milly herself had only recently recognized that Howard was that boy from her past.

“I’m…” Milly started, but Howard cut her off, dismissing his own thoughts. “Forget it. I might be overthinking it.” How could there be such a coincidence?

Taking Milly’s hand gently, he added, “It’s cold out here on the balcony. Let’s go inside.”

“Alright,” Milly replied with a small smile.

As autumn settled in, the world outside turned golden, and the air grew crisp. Everyone seemed to be in better spirits, savoring the cooler weather. Madisyn, as usual, headed to work, her thoughts drifting. She drove through the familiar streets, but suddenly, her attention was pulled by a piercing scream. She immediately parked her car and rushed out, following the sound.

A young boy came running from a corner, panic in his eyes. Chasing after him was a man—his demeanor dark and menacing. Something was clearly wrong. The disparity in their speeds was evident; the boy could not outrun the adult and was soon caught.

The man clamped a hand over the boy’s mouth and dragged him toward a nearby van. “Trying to run away? Let’s see if you can still run now,” the man said with a malicious sneer.

In an instant, the man was thrown to the ground, stunned. He turned to see a woman with a delicate but stern expression glaring at him in disgust. Before he could react, she pushed him back to the ground and swiftly took the boy away.

The boy, finally safe, clung to Madisyn and burst into tears, his small body trembling against her. Madisyn’s jaw clenched. She wanted to teach that man a lesson he wouldn’t forget, but the boy was holding onto her so tightly that it made it impossible. Sighing, she knelt down and gently stroked his hair, trying to calm him. “Don’t be afraid. Who was that?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know him! He tried to kidnap me,” the boy said as he sobbed.

Madisyn immediately pulled out her phone and called the police to report the incident. Afterward, she turned her attention back to the boy. “Where is your home?” she asked, her voice gentle.

The boy wiped his tears with the back of his hand, his voice barely a whisper. “I don’t know.” He was clearly still panicked, his little face pale with fear.

“It’s alright,” she reassured him. “I’ll take you to the police station. They can help find your family.”

“No, I don’t want to!” The boy clung to Madisyn tighter, having found a semblance of safety in her presence. Seeing the fear in his eyes, Madisyn knew she couldn’t force him to go anywhere he didn’t feel secure. Deciding on a different approach, she took him to her company instead.

Upon her arrival, her colleagues curiously glanced at the little boy accompanying her. Madisyn asked her assistant to bring some breakfast to her office. The boy eagerly devoured his meal, gradually relaxing in the comforting environment.

After he finished eating, Madisyn asked, “Do you remember your family’s phone number?”

The boy’s face fell, and he shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted, looking up at Madisyn with wide, sad eyes. Madisyn sighed inwardly. The boy looked like he was only three or four years old. He was tall for his age, well-fed, and clearly from a family that took care of him. She couldn’t imagine what he had been through.

She tried again. “Do you know where your family lives?”

The boy hesitated, his little face scrunched with fear. “At my aunt’s place,” he whispered. “She… she wants to sell me.”

Madisyn’s heart clenched. How could someone be so cruel?

She asked her assistant to go to the police station to report the boy’s situation, ensuring that if his parents were looking for him, they could contact her.

Once the assistant left, Madisyn turned to the boy and said, “I need to work for a bit. You can play here, okay?” The boy nodded. He sat on the sofa, quietly playing with blocks that the assistant had brought earlier. Madisyn smiled at him before returning to her desk and slipping back into her work mode.

She didn’t realize, however, that rumors were already swirling outside her office.

After a meeting, a few curious employees lingered around her. “Miss Johns, is that your son? Is Andrew his father?”

Madisyn blinked, caught off guard by the question. “What?” she asked, frowning slightly.

“The boy you brought in this morning,” another employee added, leaning closer, eager for gossip. Madisyn sighed, shaking her head. “No, he’s not my son.”

“Really?” The employees exchanged glances, still skeptical. “But your brothers don’t have children either, right? So, whose kid is he?”

Madisyn felt a headache coming on. “Enough with the gossip. I told you, he’s not my son.”

She certainly wasn’t about to explain that she’d saved him from a kidnapping attempt.

Back in her office, Madisyn found the boy quietly playing with blocks on the sofa, building a tower out of blocks. His concentration was endearing, his small hands moving carefully as he stacked one piece after another.

She paused in the doorway, watching him for a moment. In the past, she had never really liked children. But now, looking at this little boy, she wondered what it would be like to have children of her own someday. The thought didn’t seem so daunting after all.

A small smile turned at her lips as she walked over. “Do you like playing with blocks?” she asked.

“Yes!” The boy looked up at her with wide, expectant eyes. “Do you want to play with me?”

Madisyn glanced at her desk, knowing she had a pile of work waiting. But when she saw the hopeful look in the boy’s eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. With a soft chuckle, she sat down next to him and started helping him build.

The boy’s laughter filled the room, light and contagious. Madisyn found herself relaxing. For the first time in a long while, her office didn’t feel so empty. It felt lively.

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