3. Interrogation

“Sir, can you smile a little? You look more handsome when you smile. Aaakh!”

Summer finally got away from Louis. She was wincing in pain as she held the hand that was twisting her ear.

“Sir, why are you pulling my ear? I am a good kid,” she said with her head tilted.

“This is the consequence of you disobeying my warning. Call your mother now!”

“Mommy's not there. I came here alone.”

“I won't let go of your ear until your mother comes here.”

The little girl frowned even deeper, her eyes filled with tears. “Then just keep pinching until my ear falls off. Mommy won’t come. She doesn’t even know I’m here.”

Louis' eyebrows knitted together suspiciously. He glanced away, trying to get a clue. That's when his eyes caught the presence of paparazzi at the window.

“You guys,” he glanced around at the guards, “catch those rats! Delete all the photos on their cameras. I don’t want this incident to spread. And you .…”

As the guards moved out, Louis stared at Summer with an unfriendly expression. Her little face reminded him of someone. It made his heart more annoyed.

“You have to take responsibility for the mess you have made!”

***

Meanwhile, in the country where Summer came from, Sky was sitting in a police station. She tried her best to remain calm. However, her heart was still restless. Her hands couldn't stop squeezing each other.

“Can you tell me the chronology, Miss?” a police officer asked after looking closely at Summer’s picture.

Sky took a deep breath. “My daughter asked me to make biscuits this morning. She helped until she said she wanted to sleep. I wondered why because it wasn’t even midday. But then, I let her sleep while I finished my work. When I checked her room, she wasn’t there. I looked everywhere, even to the nearest neighbor’s house. I still couldn’t find her.”

“Was your house locked when it happened?”

Sky nodded confidently. “I always lock all the doors when it’s just the two of us at home.”

“What about the windows?”

“Summer’s bedroom window was open. That’s what made me so worried.”

“Do you think this is a kidnapping?”

Sky shook her head hesitantly. “I’m not sure. I checked the closet. Several of her clothes were missing. Her backpack was gone too. I’m worried that Summer has secretly planned an adventure of her own. Besides, her phone is off. It seems like she left on purpose without my knowledge.”

“Your daughter has a phone? Can you give me her contact number?”

After Sky gave him what he asked for, he asked again, “Where do you think your daughter might have gone? Did she mention any places lately? A dream vacation destination, for example?”

Sky fell silent for a moment. Her eyes moved left and right. “My daughter is adventurous. In just one day, she can name dozens of places. I think it’s a bit hard to guess where she's going.”

“Any places she mentioned around here?”

Sky shook her head. “She’s been mentioning places abroad more often lately. Oh, wait! She mentioned Lake Louise yesterday.”

“Okay, we will track her phone and check her call history. If there is no result, we will send personnel to check the area around your house and also Lake Louise. Your daughter is still very young. She can’t have gone far. In addition, we will also check CCTV at various points.”

Sky tried to nod, but her neck was too stiff. Her heart doubted the police's statement.

She knew very well that Summer could go anywhere. Now, she could only hope that her daughter was in a safe place with a kind person.

“Oh, God …. Please protect Summer. Don’t let anyone hurt her,” Sky prayed with her eyes closed and a restless face.

***

Upon arriving at a penthouse, Summer was stunned. She didn't care about her ears still being red. Her eyes were already mesmerized by what was in front of her.

“Mr. Harper, I heard you have many houses. Is this one of them? It’s so beautiful and cool. Like a palace!”

Louis snorted at the chatter. He was increasingly convinced that the person who sent the toddler was a gold-digger.

“Come in,” Louis stepped forward toward the couch. His tone was flat, unfriendly.

However, the toddler didn't mind at all. She sat next to a shoe rack with a cheerful face.

“What are you doing?” Louis wondered.

The little girl looked up while pulling on her shoelaces. “Mommy said, we are not allowed to wear shoes inside the house, especially in other people’s houses. It will make the floor dirty.”

“Are you trying to get my attention by pretending to be a nice kid?” Louis' eyes narrowed.

“No,” Summer shook her head casually. “That’s the rule. Mommy always reminds me to wash my feet, face, and hands before getting into the bedroom, so that germs from outside don’t get carried in. We can also change clothes if we want to be safer. And when we want to sleep, we must not forget to brush our teeth. If we don’t, our teeth can get damaged.”

After taking off her shoes and socks, the little girl put them neatly on the rack. Her shoes looked so tiny next to the other shoes.

“Oh, Sir? Why don’t you take off your shoes? Your floor will get dirty.”

Louis sighed indifferently. “Someone will clean it up later. Now come here! Don’t act up. Sit!” He pointed to the couch in front of him.

The little girl obeyed. She put her backpack on the table. Then, she crawled up onto the couch. When she managed to sit there, she hummed and looked around. She was adorable, but Louis was disgusted at her.

“There’s no one else here. You can be honest now,” Louis said coldly.

Summer turned her head to him. "Honest? About what?" Her gray eyes were perfectly round.

“Who sent you to ruin my proposal?” Louis started his investigation.