Chapter 4
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed beside me.
Leo was gone.
My heart clenched. A wave of immense panic instantly seized me.
I burst out of the room, searching frantically through the house.
“Leo! Leo, where are you?!”
In the living room, Caleb was leisurely sipping coffee. Seeing my distraught appearance, a triumphant, cold smirk played on his lips.
“Bro, what are you looking for so early? Did your little bastard son go missing?”
I lunged forward, grabbing his collar, my eyes blazing red. “Where did you take Leo?!”
“I don’t know.”
He blinked innocently, but the defiance in his eyes was crystal clear.
“Maybe he missed his wild woman mom and ran off to find her? After all, a bastard child is always starved for love.”
“Caleb!” I shrieked hysterically. “I’ll kill you!”
Just then, the front door swung open, and Seraphina walked in.
What she saw was me, tearing at Caleb like a madman.
While Caleb wore a look of utter grievance, his eyes rimmed red.
“Liam Stone! What madness are you on about now?!”
Seraphina rushed over, shoving me away forcefully, pulling Caleb protectively into her arms, her face filled with concern.
“Why do you always have to target Caleb like this? What has he ever done to deserve this from you?!”
I stumbled backward from her shove, hitting the wall. A searing pain shot through my leg.
But at that moment, I couldn’t care less.
My hands shaking, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number I knew by heart.
The call was answered almost instantly. A calm female voice came through.
“Liam, what’s wrong?”
“Anya…” My voice choked, I could barely speak. “Leo… Leo’s gone!”
“Don’t be afraid.” The voice on the other end instantly turned utterly calm. “Stay right where you are. I’m on my way. Tell me the address.”
I hung up, feeling as if all my strength had drained away, collapsing to the floor.
Seraphina looked at me, her eyes filled with contempt and disdain.
“Keep acting. Go on, keep it up.”
She sneered, “Liam Stone, your tactics are still so pathetic. To provoke me, you not only got a child, but now you’ve got a woman pretending to be your wife?”
“What, did you rent that kid? Is the lease up today, so now you’re claiming he’s missing?”
Caleb burst into an exaggerated laugh, echoing, “Yeah, bro, your acting is totally fake. Sera, don’t fall for it. He just wants to make you jealous, he wants you back.”
Seeing the nauseating faces of the couple before me, pure rage consumed me.
“If anything happens to Leo,” I lifted my head, glaring at both of them with burning hatred, “I’ll make your lives a living hell!”
Seraphina scoffed, about to launch another taunt, when the front door burst open with a loud bang.
A group of bodyguards in black suits streamed in, quickly securing the entire living room.
Immediately after, a figure walked in, silhouetted against the light.
She walked straight to me, took off her coat and draped it over me, then gently helped me up from the cold floor and pulled me into her embrace.
Then, she lifted her eyes, her sharp gaze sweeping over Seraphina and Caleb, who stood frozen. Her thin lips parted, her voice chilling.
“When my husband wants to make someone’s life a living hell, does he need to put on an act?”
The entire living room fell into a deathly silence.
The mockery on Seraphina’s face instantly froze, her whole body rigid with shock.