Kidnap

The way the head maid so quickly gave in to him carrying the kid without supervision made Noah suspicious of her, but then Leo's stomach started groaning, and every last one of his senses left him.

Getting Leo something to eat was the only thing that mattered at the moment, and all his other concerns faded when he saw that Leo buried his head in his neck, hugging him even tighter, and Noah could feel a small smile appear on his face.

“Fine,” Noah said, glaring at the head maid. “I will return him soon.”

Immediately, a slight smile beamed on her face, and then she walked ahead of the two, making Noah follow after her with Leo.

Just then, the guard that had escorted Noah showed up in the hallway with the Butler in charge of the interview, and the two glared at Noah, leaving with Leo.

“What do you think you are doing with that boy!!” The Butler yelled at Noah.

Before Noah could speak, the head maid stared into the butler's eyes and said, “This young man seems to know little Leo, and he asked to take him to a cafe to get some food for him, and I am permitting him.”

The butler said nothing for a while as he gave her a hard stare before sighing, and then he turned and walked back in the direction he came.

The guard seemed confused by this but said no words, and just as he was about to leave the scene, the head maid said to him, “Tony, please escort this gentleman and little Leo out the gate.”

Immediately, the guard's brows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to protest against her command but then saw how the head maid glared at him and decided to shut his mouth and nod, turning to Noah.

“Let’s go,” Tony said.

“So, you all would rather a stranger carry him to get food than feed him?” Noah blurted out in disbelief, really annoyed now.

“Do you want to leave with Leo or not? If you don’t, then let him down and let him go to his room to continue his punishment.” The head maid said, folding her arms.

When Noah felt Leo tremble in his arms, he glared at the maid before walking off with him, knowing something wasn’t right about this entire situation. Still, he couldn’t bare the thought of leaving Leo hungry and pretending like he didn’t care at all, especially since he did care about the boy.

A moment later, when Noah arrived outside with the kid, Rhodes spotted him from across the road and immediately frowned at the sight of the kid in his hand.

Quickly, Noah crossed the road and got in the rental car that Rhodes was in, and shut the door, sitting Leo on the seat.

“What are you doing with the freaking heir of the Borscht family!!” Rhodes questioned angrily, glowering at him. “Did you kidnap him?! Jack, this isn't good! Take the kid back to the mansion now!”

“Uncle save me… And I don’t want to go back.” Leo said with a pout, looking up at Noah desperately.

“You heard the kid. Now drive to the nearest cafe that is kid friendly.” Noah casually said.

As Rhodes frowned hard at his boss, his face got so red that Leo chuckled, “Sir, is your head going to pop?”

A wild laugh left Noah’s lips, and the sound of his giggling made Leo's eyes widen with this adorable look on his face, happy to see someone order than his mother laughed at his joke, and soon, he joined Noah, chuckling cutely.

Seeing the two find pleasure in his frustration made Rhodes give in with a sigh and then face his front, turning the key and driving away from the mansion.

Since he met Leo, all he knew was the sound of his cry, but now hearing the kid laugh made Noah feel this sense of warmth that was unexplainable, and he stared at him fondly as they drove along the road.

******

Staring at the old, bald guy sitting in front of her, Genevieve tried not to show her nervousness and kept her head high as she said, “Mr. Henson, I am here as you requested.”

“I have a role for you in my upcoming film series...” Mr. Henson said as he pushed a script on his desk in front of her.

A smile appeared on Genevieve's face, and she nodded, taking the scripts and flipping through them briefly before looking up at Mr. Henson, not wanting her excitement to get to her.

“You will play a side character named 'Sarah' on the project. She will be a waitress serving drinks in an elegant bar in Manhattan, and your role will be to serve drinks and do small talk with customers in that place,” Mr. Henson said as he pointed to the script.

Then he paused before giving her a soft look and saying, “I hope you like it so far. You will receive payment whenever we make progress with a particular part.”

After six years of trying to get a job and being turned down countless times for a reason she knew pretty well, Genevieve couldn't help but feel like this was surreal and too good to be true.

Yet, she wore her brightest smile and said, “Thank you so much, Mr. Henson. It's like a dream come true. I promise you wouldn't regret it and that I will do my best.”

“I am sure that you would.” Mr. Henson said, withdrawing a card from his pocket and smirking at her. “Now, meet me tonight at this hotel, and let's finalize your contract. Oh, and do wear something attractive. As an upcoming actress, you must look your best in the public eye.”

“I don't understand. Can't we sign the contract here, now?” Genevieve asked, becoming alert by the look on Mr. Henson's face.

The smirk widened, and Mr. Henson chuckled. “Don’t act like you don't know what I am talking about, Genevieve.”

Even though she had an idea of where this conversation was heading, Genvieve was begging within that he didn't mean what she thought he did.

Just as she was about to respond, her phone started buzzing, and she mumbled, “Excuse me.”

Then she reached into her purse and grabbed her phone, and looked at the caller ID before answering the call.

“Nanny Sue, what 's wrong?” She asked, her mind running towards her son immediately.

“It’s Leo. He's missing.” Sue’s shaking voice said on the other line.

Speechless for a second, Genevieve blinked, processing Sue's words, before she stood up, grabbed her purse, and said, “What do you mean my son is missing?!”

“Well, the guards saw him leaving with a man that he called ‘uncle,’ and thinking he was a friend of yours, they allowed him to leave,” Sue explained.

“You allow my baby to get kidnapped?!!”

“Well… I have already called the police and your uncle, along with the rest of the family.”

“And you are just telling me now!!… Fine! I am on my way home!”

After ending the call, Genevieve was shaking as she moved to take a step, but Mr. Henson's voice stopped her in her tracks, saying, “Don’t forget to take the card and show up tonight.”

In tears, Genevieve was too frustrated to think, and she grabbed the card before walking out of the office as cried in her head, ‘Bambino, please be okay... for mommy's sake, please be. I don't know if I can make it if I lose you too.’