6. Alex's Son

"Andrew," Alex called as he ran towards his son.

 

Seeing his father arrive, Andrew's eyes lit up. "Daddy?" The boy ran along, closing the distance.

 

"Daddy ...." He hugged Alex with a beaming smile, forgetting that one of his arms was in a cast. Only when the pain hit him did he manage to control his strength, so he wouldn't hug him too tightly. "Why didn't you come earlier? You were supposed to accompany me to the doctor."

 

Alex caressed his son's hair, then bent his knees. Now at eye level, he could finally see Andrew's swollen eyes. He could guess how long his son had been crying.

 

"Sorry, Hero. I had an important meeting earlier. My phone was on silent. I was very shocked when I heard the news about you. What happened? Why is your arm ... in a cast like this? Does it still hurt?"

 

Andrew shook his head. "Not anymore. But in that room, I was in pain. The doctor said my bone had shifted. When he put it back in place, it made a really loud crack. I had to grit my teeth to hold back the pain. But, because there was a fracture in my bone, I still need a cast. The doctor said it would heal quickly, but I need to eat lots of nutritious food and drink milk."

 

Alex sighed in pity. He examined his son's arm closely. Guilt welled up in his heart.

 

"Didn't you and Mrs. Powell go to the bookstore? How did you get hit by a car? Weren't you chauffeured?" he asked softly.

 

"Mr. Carl left after dropping us off. Mrs. Powell asked him to pick us up in an hour. That's when I saw Mommy across the street. She was with a guy, about to get into a car. I told Mrs. Powell about it, but she didn't believe me. I said I wanted to see Mommy, but she told me not to. So, I decided to go alone. Because I was in haste, I didn't have time to look left and right. Turned out, there was a car. I was hit by it."

 

Alex gritted his teeth. "How could you go across the street? Wasn't Mrs. Powell holding your hand?" His eyes now focused on the person who had been listening to their conversation.

 

Mrs. Powell swallowed hard. Her hands clenched together. "My apologies, Sir. I actually held Young Master's hand, but he kept struggling."

 

"Mrs. Powell pulled me into the bookstore. Of course, I didn't want to. I wanted to see Mommy," Andrew reported with a pleading face.

 

"That's because I already knew that Young Master was mistaken. Madam was still abroad. How could she possibly be across the street? That's why I invited Young Master into the bookstore," Mrs. Powell explained.

 

"Why didn't you do what Andrew asked? You could take him across the street and check his suspicions. If he's wrong, you could go back to the bookstore. What's so hard about it?" Alex's voice rose.

 

Mrs. Powell began to stutter. "Th-that's ... because ...."

 

Suddenly, Alex raised his hand. He didn't want to hear anymore from the nanny. "Enough, Mrs. Powell. This is the third time you've neglected Andrew. As agreed, you're leaving this job."

 

"But it wasn't entirely my fault, Sir. The driver of the car was too! She was the one who hit young master and broke his arm," Mrs. Powell argued.

 

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Powell. My decision is final. I can't let you look after Andrew any longer. Thank you for your hard work over the past two months," Alex said with finality.

 

Mrs. Powell could only lament her fate. If only she could hold out another month, she could have earned a hefty bonus. But alas, Andrew was indeed a tough nut to crack. No wonder his previous nannies never lasted long with him.

 

"By the way, where is the driver of that car? Did she run away? She didn't take responsibility for what she did to you?" Alex asked Andrew.

 

"She does, Daddy. She's the one who drove Mrs. Powell and me here. She's also the one who accompanied me to take my bone photoshoot and to the doctor. She even planned to take me home and buy me a gift," Andrew explained enthusiastically.

 

"Is that so? Then where is she?"

 

Andrew pointed toward the pharmacy with Briony's car key. "She's picking up some medication for me."

 

Alex's attention was immediately drawn to the teddy bear hanging from the car key. For some reason, it felt familiar. Perhaps because of its striking pink color. That color always reminded him of someone.

 

"Is that hers?" Alex inquired.

 

"Yes, this is her car key. I didn't want her to run away, so I asked for a guarantee. She left it with me. After this, we're going to go buy a ball and stickers. Can you come with us, Daddy?"

 

Alex blinked. His thoughts about Briony had been interrupted by the word ball. He and Andrew began to argue.

 

Meanwhile, Briony finally got Andrew's medicine. She returned with light steps. But when Alex caught her eyes, she froze. Her breath hitched. Her entire body tensed.

 

"Alex? He really is Andrew's father?" Briony screamed in her mind. Imagining what was about to happen to her, she turned around. Her pale face was now grimacing. "What should I do? Should I run away? But what about Andrew's medicine?"

 

Her eyes glanced at the plastic bag in her hand with confusion. After a brief silence, she shook her head.

 

"No. This is not the time to think about others. I have to save myself. That's more important. Besides, I can send this medicine to Alex's address. Yes, I have to escape first."

 

Briony decided to walk away. However, just as she was about to turn around, her feet stopped again.

 

"Wait," she reminded herself. Her head snapped back. Finding her car key in Andrew's hand, she wanted to cry. "Why did I entrust something so important to someone else? How am I supposed to escape? Should I just take the bus? Or maybe there's a taxi outside? But what about my car? And how do I get the key? God, why was I so stupid?"

 

Suddenly, Mrs. Powell's voice echoed through the corridor. "There, sir! That's the girl who hit the young master. She's the one who should be blamed, not me."

 

Lightning struck Briony's chest. The electric shock traveled all over her body. She was unable to move. She could only tremble in horror as her gaze met Alex's.

 

"Oh, no. No, no! My life is over if Alex catches me!" Briony thought in panic. She tried to run, but her feet seemed glued to the tiles. She had trouble dragging them.

 

Meanwhile, Alex still couldn't believe what he was seeing. He thought his eyes were misreading the image, or his brain was processing it incorrectly. Until finally, Andrew's voice brought him back to his senses.

 

"Briony, why are you standing there? Come here! Let me introduce you to my father. Oh? Where are you going?"

 

Alex blinked. When he realized Briony was gone, he quickly got up. "Andrew, wait here. I'll make the person who hurt you pay the price. She'll regret it her entire life."