Chapter 341 Incompetent
From the dead of the night until the early hours of the morning, two tiny figures could be seen walking down the illuminated streets.
“Lucas, how much longer does it take to get there? I’m tired…” she trailed off as she sank to the floor. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she tried to catch her breath.
Lucas glanced at the map on his watch and noticed there were a few more kilometers before they reached their destination.
Walking for two hours without stopping was considered difficult for the two children.
However, they did not mind it. As long as their parents would stop arguing, they were willing to do anything.
Lucas took out two water bottles from his backpack. He handed one to Camila and said, “Drink some water to replenish your energy!”
The brother-sister duo gulped down a few mouthfuls of water as they sat side by side.
After some time, Lucas moved to squat in front of Camila. With his back facing her, he said, “Hold on a little longer. We’re almost there. Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”
His mother had taught him well since he was young. She always reminded him that Camila was a girl, and as her elder brother, he had to take good care of her.
Camila wiped the sweat off her forehead. Exhausted and sleepy, she climbed onto her brother’s back. without any hesitation.
Since Lucas was not used to giving people piggyback rides, he almost fell when he got up. It took him a while to regain his balance.
Because of that, the two tired children, who were feeling miserable about the journey, laughed.
“Don’t drop me, Lucas!” Camila wrapped her arms tight around Lucas’ neck as she giggled.
Lucas tightened his grip on her thighs. “Camila, don’t… don’t grab on so tight! L… I can’t breathe!”
Camila quickly let go and hugged Lucas’ shoulders instead as she leaned against his back.
“Lucas, hurry up. Otherwise, we won’t be home in time.”
Lucas hummed in response. He took tiny steps forward and resumed their journey to their destination.
“Camila, have you gained weight recently? Why do you feel much heavier than before?”
“Lucas, it’s not nice to tell a girl that she’s heavy. Your emotional intelligence is so low. I don’t think you’ll be able to find a wife in the future. Haha!”
Lucas was rendered speechless,
The sky was hazy. It was drizzling, accompanied by gusts of cold wind. The chilly weather jolted Christina awake. She yawned and stretched in bed.
She slowly opened her eyes and turned to glance at the window to see rain streaking down the panes. It’s
raining. I wonder if the kids are tucked in warmly.
Still groggy, she struggled to get out of bed. She grabbed her robe from the couch before leaving the bedroom.
Christina pushed open the door to the children’s room. It was close to dawn, and there wasn’t much light. in the room. She could see the blankets were folded neatly on the bed, and the bed was empty.
She quickly approached the bed and noticed the children were nowhere to be found.
All the drowsiness Christina felt left her body in an instant.
Her heart sank as she yelled, “Lucas? Camila?”
Where did they go?
Christina frantically searched through each bedroom on the second floor but could not find them. In a panic, she rushed down to the first floor and woke up all the housekeepers and the butler.
Tears welled up in Christina’s eyes. Her voice trembled as she asked. “Has anyone seen Lucas and Camila?”
Raymond pushed his gla*ses up the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “We haven’t seen Mr. Lucas or Ms. Camila… All the doors and gates are locked. They shouldn’t have been able to leave the manor.”
A bodyguard from Scenic Garden Manor was panting as he hurried over to report to Christina. “Mrs. Hadley, we couldn’t find Mr. Lucas and Ms. Camila.”
Christina was horrified. She quickly took out her phone to call the police.
“I remember there are surveillance cameras in the manor. Quick! Pull up the footage for me!”
“Right away, Mrs. Hadley!”
Christina could feel her adrenaline flowing as she bit her lip nervously. Various scenarios of her children being kidnapped flashed through her mind.
All of a sudden, the sound of a car stopping in the courtyard could be heard.
The sound of heavy footsteps walking down the hall echoed through the manor. The cold aura emanating. from Nathaniel’s body instantly caused the atmosphere in the room to tense up.
He approached Christina and asked, “How did the children go missing?”
All the emotions Christina had tried to suppress suddenly erupted as she grabbed the collar of Nathaniel’s shirt and questioned him. “Was it you? Did you take the kids away? Just because I don’t want to be with you anymore, it doesn’t mean you can use such a dirty method to take my kids away from me!”
Take the kids away?
Nathaniel was taken aback by her sudden outburst of anger. He tried to understand how she felt as he explained patiently. “Why would I kidnap my own children for no reason?”
Am I such an unscrupulous person in her eyes?
He felt aggrieved by Christina’s doubts. However, he felt more hurt by her distrust.
Christina noticed how serious Nathaniel was and felt her doubts slowly dissipate.
She was silent for some time before she muttered to herself, “Could it be Madison?”
“What does this have anything to do with Madison?” Nathaniel stared at her in confusion.
Christina looked up at him, her eyes filled with anger. How dare he take her side when things have come down to this?
She had been trying her best not to discuss with him about his shameful actions. After all, her heart had been shattered to pieces by him. There was no need for her to add to those scars. However, she could no longer control herself at that moment as she exclaimed. “Isn’t she always worried that I would steal you away from her and that my two kids would threaten her and Norman’s position? There’s a good chance she could have done something to Lucas and Camila! Please! I beg of you! Bring my kids back. I promise to keep my distance from you, Madison, and Norman.”
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. Because this matter concerned the safety of the two children, Christina, who had always been calm and collected, was in a panic.
“Christina, stop panicking. Let’s calm down and wait patiently. The bodyguard has gone to check the surveillance footage. We’ll know what happened soon.”
Nathaniel took her hand as they went to the children’s room. He switched on the lights before stepping
inside.
“The blankets are folded neatly, and the decor in the room doesn’t look like they’ve been messed with. There’s a huge possibility that the children could’ve left the manor themselves. There are also bodyguards situated at every corner of Scenic Garden Manor. Outsiders cannot enter that easily. It’s unlikely that they were kidnapped.”
Christina slowly calmed down. They weren’t kidnapped? They left on their own? Why would Lucas and Camila run away from home? They were all right before they went to bed. They even told me they wanted to eat breakfast I prepared later in the morning. It’s raining right now. What if they’re met with danger…
Just then, a bodyguard approached them and reported, Mr. Hadley, the surveillance footage shows that Mr. Lucas and Ms. Camila left through the side gate at three in the morning”.
All the side gates of the manor had locks on them, and there would always be people standing guard. There was a possibility that the children had taken advantage of the time when the guards changed shifts
to escape.
“Check the surveillance outside immediately. I want to know where they went.”
“Yes, Mr. Hadley.”
Christina felt her heart sink when she heard the news. “Why would they suddenly run away from home in the middle of the night?”
She suddenly felt very incompetent as a mother. I can’t even figure out what my children are thinking…
