Chapter 436
“Whether you appreciate her or not is your own business, but I see her as unfit for the task. You should find someone else to follow up.” Neil rejected without hesitation once again.
Mitch fell silent on the other end, and after a moment, he said, “Alright, I understand.”
Then he hung up.
With that, the tension in my chest eased, yet at the same time, I was intrigued.
Neil didn’t tell Mitch that I was holding Yara in the car at the moment.
But I didn’t ask. I just held the child tighter in my arms, lost in thoughts about what to do next. Should I involve Stella in this and let her make the decision?
“We’re here.” Neil didn’t step out of the car when we reached my house, just reminded me.
“Thanks for today.” I got out of the car, still cradling Yara.
Through the car window, Neil’s gaze remained on the child in my arms, which made me anxious. He didn’t say anything earlier, but he might spill the beans to Mitch as soon as I leave.
With this uneasy feeling. I returned home, while Neil drove off.
Norah came to check on Yara. After I told her about the dosage, I went to check on Serena and Brandon. The two were playing, their innocent gestures and babbling melting my heart.
Every time I saw these two, all my worries disappeared. With them by my side, there was always hope.
I wanted to tell Stella that Neil knew Yara was with me, but I was worried that it might affect her situation.
After two days of anxiety, Mitch didn’t show up, and my worries gradually faded, the matter momentarily forgotten.
“Ms. Finch, I’m taking Serena and Brandon for a walk.” By late afternoon, after dinner, Norah greeted me with her usual baby carriage.
“Sure.” I nodded. Fearing that Yara might be seen, or that Mitch might have someone lurking around, I didn’t take Yara out. Instead, we stayed home most of the time, while Norah would take Serena and Brandon out for walks.
After Norah left, I found a set of clothes, preparing to bathe Yara.
Just as I got Yara into the bathtub, the doorbell rang. Could Norah have forgotten something? But didn’t she know the code?
I went to check the situation first, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw Mitch.
Why was he here again? Wasn’t he supposed to return to Rosemont?
In confusion, I decided to ignore him.
But Mitch said, “Irene, open the door! If you don’t, I’ll kick it down! Or you can wait for the cops. You’ve hidden my child!”
At his words, my mind went blank. From his tone, it seemed he was certain that Yara was with me. How did he know?
“Bang!”
The loud noise startled me. Someone had kicked the gate.
Yara must have heard it too, her faint cries coming from the bathroom.
Without hesitation, I rushed back in, picked up Yara, quickly tidied up anything related to her, and left through the back door towards Russel’s backyard. There was a small door there, and I knew the code.
I wasn’t sure if Russel was home, but I had to keep Yara safe first.
I could open the door to the backyard, but I couldn’t open the one leading into the house. As I was fumbling with the lock, the door opened.
Russel, freshly bathed, his hair still glistening with moisture, was dressed in his usual casual attire, simple yet stylish.
He raised an eyebrow, first at me, then at the baby in my arms.
“Mitch is here, Russel. Can you look after Yara for a bit?” I didn’t have time to explain and spoke quickly.
“Sure.” Russel agreed readily, taking Yara from me. He was quite skilled at holding a baby, probably from taking care of Serena and Brandon.
Relieved, I immediately returned to my house.
As I entered the living room from the backyard, I saw Mitch storming in. It seemed my gate had been broken. I didn’t expect such strength from him.
“Mitch, have you lost your mind?” I questioned in a stern voice.
“Have I lost my mind or have you? Irene, on what grounds do you hide my child? Where’s my Yara?” Mitch was seething, glaring at me.
I’ve never seen Mitch, who always seemed laid-back and afraid of women, with such a fearsome expression, even more so than last time.
Now that Yara wasn’t with me, I faced Mitch’s fury unafraid. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you have any evidence that Yara is with me?”
“Someone saw it with their own eyes!” Mitch blurted out.
The first person that came to my mind was Neil, who had accompanied me and Yara to the hospital a few days ago, but he didn’t tell Mitch about it then.
Did he feel guilty and spill the beans to Mitch recently?
Frustrated, I wished I hadn’t gambled on Neil keeping quiet. I should’ve discussed this with Stella earlier.
“Really? Who saw it? Call that person up to confront me.” I suppressed my emotions and calmly challenged him.
“Irene, quit playing innocent. If I said someone saw it, then it’s true. I have no reason to lie about this!” Mitch was getting more agitated. He pushed past me, frantically searching for Yara in the house, “Yara, where are you? Daddy’s here. Daddy’s come to get you!”
I let him search the entire house, even the storeroom wasn’t spared.
Finally, realizing that Yara wasn’t there, he looked at me in disbelief.
I stared back coldly, “Found your child? Where is she?”
“No way! She has to be in your house. Where are you hiding her?” Mitch asked me through gritted teeth.
“Didn’t you already turn everything upside down?” I sat down, asking nonchalantly, “Why don’t you give it another shot if you think you’ve missed something?”
Mitch stared at me, his eyes filled with suspicion and hostility. He didn’t respond because he had searched thoroughly earlier, and another round would be a waste of time
Yet, he was still convinced that I hid Yara. After all, Neil had told him so. How could he not believe it?
