Half-awake, Vicki looked at him through blurry eyes and whispered, âJarrod, donât go tonight.
Stay with me.
â
Jarrodâs expression softened, and he smiled.
âIâll stay with you.
â
Vicki snuggled contentedly into his embrace.
Jarrod carried Vicki inside.
Shortly afterward, the elevator doors opened again, revealing only Jarrod as he stepped out alone.
Jarrod sat back in his car, his face serious as he rubbed his forehead and asked, âGot any updates?â
Alec responded, âNot yet.
â
Jarrod remained silent.
He had expected this answer.
Alec glanced at Vickiâs villa and then added, âMr Schultz, I think the child might either be gone or didnât survive.
â
It had been a month since Nicole vanished.
One day, Jarrod suddenly instructed Alec to go overseas to check if Nicole had any children.
The landlady overseas hadnât spotted Nicole with any kids but did share a helpful detail, claiming having witnessed a man with Nicole guiding a young boy along.
But the very one glimpse of the young boy couldnât confirm if the boy was his son or just a friendâs child.
To Alec, this information seemed insignificant.
He found it hard to believe that Nicole could have managed childbirth, considering the strain it would have put on her health.
However, when Jarrod learned this, he became fixated on locating the child, as if driven by something beyond reason.
Where should Alec even start? After searching for so long, he half-joked to himself about wishing he could just produce a child to satisfy Jarrodâs demands.
Alec attempted to reason with Jarrod.
âMr.
Schultz, if you want a child, why not consider having one with Miss Hampton? It would solidify your alliance with the Hampton family and secure your position within the Schultz Group.
â
Alec thought it was a straightforward solution.
Having a child with Vicki seemed to offer more benefits.
Forget the child Jarrod thought might exist.
Even if such a child were real, bringing it into the open could upset the Hamptons and jeopardize using Vicki as leverage, potentially causing the senior leaders at the Schultz Group to challenge Jarrod.
In essence, Alec hoped, for Jarrodâs sake, that Nicoleâs child didnât actually exist.
Jarrod gave Alec a cold look.
âNot a bad idea.
Why donât you go have a child with Miss Hampton?â
Alec shivered.
âMr.
Schultz, please, that was out of line.
I wonât overstep again.
â He understood that Jarrod was telling him to keep his opinions to himself.
Jarrod waved him off, rubbing his temples.
âLet Shay handle the search for the child.
You focus on the company.
â
Alec bit his lip, regretting his earlier words.
He was well aware of Nicoleâs special place in Jarrodâs heart, and any child of hers would undoubtedly be crucial to him.
The car window was half-open when suddenly, a white bird flew in and perched on Jarrodâs shoulder.
Stunned, Alec quickly recognized it.
âIsnât this Miss Hamptonâs pet bird?â
Jarrod also recognized it.