“No one in this world is obligated to wait forever for you to repent. Before I became a mother, I was still me,” Isabella pried Benjamin’s hands off her and shook her head, as if speaking to him, but also answering Alexander, “In the past, I lost myself for a long time. Now that I’ve found myself again and found a partner who fits me, why should I give up my current life and boyfriend just because of your repentance?”
She still walked away, with William by her side.
Alexander wanted to chase after her, but suddenly, Old Mr. Carter called, “Mr. Han can’t get through to you and found me instead. Alexander, who taught you to let personal matters mess up your work and make you stand up your partners?”
Only then did Alexander remember that he had come to Toronto on a business trip. If the collaboration with Times Group went smoothly, the Carter family could successfully enter the Toronto market, and their business would rise to the next level.
And now, he had already missed the agreed time.
He was silent for a moment, watching Isabella and William gradually disappear, until they were completely out of sight.
A wave of frustration surged in his heart. Benjamin also looked at him, his eyes full of confusion, as if asking why he wasn’t chasing after her.
“Is Benjamin with you?” Old Mr. Carter suddenly shifted the conversation and asked about Benjamin.
Alexander hummed in response, not hiding it.
After all, Benjamin had come to Toronto using Old Mr. Carter’s private plane, and the description was simple enough.
“Did you see her? Did she bring the child? How did she respond? What do you plan to do next?” His voice carried some dissatisfaction, not only with him but also with Benjamin and Isabella. “Alexander, when I asked her to get close to you, it was to help you forget Olivia, not to make her the second Olivia. Do you
understand?”
The meaning in Old Mr. Carter’s words was clear. If Alexander continued to let personal matters interfere with work, Old Mr. Carter could not guarantee that he wouldn’t intervene again.
“Don’t bully my mom!”
Benjamin, with his sharp ears, caught the last sentence. As the great–grandson raised by Alexander, he
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quickly realized the implication of his words, and his emotions began to rise,
“Hmph, since you care so much about Isabells, the most important thing now is not to argue with me but to return quickly and get that unreliable father of yours to understand priorities.”
Alexander frowned, disapproving. “You were the one who told me back then that I should go to her, explain things clearly, and apologize.”
Why, now, was he being accused of not knowing what’s important?
What is light, what is heavy? What can be delayed, and what must be urgent?
Why should his entire life revolve around the company? Why should Old Mr. Carter dictate his relationships and life choices, telling him who to marry, what to feel, and what he can and can’t fight for?
I told you back then, I could give up this position,” Alexander’s tone was firm, even more so than when he had decided to abandon the Carter family inheritance and stay with Olivia.
The feeling of helplessness surged again. Old Mr. Carter finally began to question where his education had gone wrong, to have raised such a stubborn, headstrong grandson.
After a long silence, Old Mr. Carter suddenly laughed. “Do you think I can’t live without you? Fine, if you want to walk this road to the end, I won’t stop you. But today, you have to send Benjamin back to me.”
The threat was evident, but Alexander felt as if he had been pardoned, letting out a long breath. “I’ll have
him sent back right away.”
The next morning, Isabella woke up from her sleep, instinctively checked the time on her phone.
The next second, countless missed calls flooded her phone, so many that her phone lagged for a moment.
She instinctively thought something had gone wrong at the research institute and hurriedly got up, quickly washed up and changed, about to run out.
“What’s going on? Why the hurry?” William, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen, puzzled by her panicked appearance, but still handed her the warm milk. “Drink a little to settle your stomach.”
“I just saw all these missed calls. It must be something urgent at the research institute. I need to check.” She took the milk, took a sip, and mumbled an explanation, only to suddenly realize something was off.
This apartment was near the research institute. If there was something that required so many missed calls to notify her, they wouldn’t have waited until she woke up naturally. Her colleagues would have gone straight to her door instead of giving up after the calls failed.
Her tense nerves relaxed, and she let out a deep breath. After calming down, she finally had time to check
who had called her.
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Seeing her like this, William couldn’t help but chuckle, guiding her to sit at the table while bringing her a
med ege
since it’s not the research institute, let’s eat while you check
The missed calls weren’t from the same number, but each one had been dialed many times.
She opened the text messages, and the first thing she saw were red notifications, each message short but
alarming
“Benjamin is missing!”
Ch
Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Upon hearing this, Alexander was about to explode, ready to refuse immediately, but after seeing the looks from William and Isabella, he relented.
villingness. She bit her lip in even greater frustration, unwilling to
Olivia clearly noticed Alexander’s unwi
relent
Just as the standoff continued, Olivia suddenly seemed to realize something, her eyes shifting warily
toward them.
“You… you didn’t call the police, did you? I told you, if you do, I’ll make him accompany me to the gravel”
By the time she finished speaking, her voice had already begun to tremble, and the calmness of the three on the other side made her even more anxious.
Her fear surfaced, and her grip on the dagger instinctively tightened. A few drops of blood oozed from Benjamin’s delicate neck, the pain causing him to awaken from his unconscious state.
In the next moment, he began to cry uncontrollably, “Mom, save me…”
The heartbreaking cries made Isabella’s heart ache. She gazed helplessly, her heart pounding wildly, silently praying that the police could rescue him in time.
But she would not use herself to exchange him.
“Stop crying! If you cry again, I’ll kill you!”
Caught off guard by Benjamin waking up and his piercing cries, Olivia’s annoyance grew. She intended to look at Alexander and the others‘ reactions, but her glance accidentally caught sight of a gun barrel
aimed directly at her.
Olivia was no professional criminal, and upon seeing this scene, an overwhelming fear overtook her. Her grip on the dagger loosened involuntarily, and her mind was consumed by one thought.
They called the police.
They had actually called the police.
She will die.
Olivia didn’t want to die, but panic clouded her thoughts, and she could only instinctively grip the one thing she could rely on–the dagger in her hand–and shrink her body as much as possible.
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