Chapter 4 Could It Be Such a Coincidence?

The little girl stared at Charlotte with wide, unblinking eyes.

Her tiny hands clutched Charlotte's dress tightly, like she was scared Charlotte might leave.

She seemed to really like Charlotte.

As Charlotte met the girl's intense gaze, a weird feeling tightened in her chest. She looked at the girl, unsure why she felt this way. Pushing down the strange emotion, Charlotte crouched down and picked up the girl.

After a moment's hesitation, she placed the girl in the car.

She said, "Ava, we're going to the hospital."

She thought, 'Kids are fragile; better get her checked out.'

The little girl said nothing, but her hands clung tightly around Charlotte's neck, her small face pressed against Charlotte's cheek.

A quick smile flashed in Charlotte's eyes as she gently patted the girl's back, soothing her.

Charlotte said, "Sweetie, it's okay. Don't be scared. I'll take you to the hospital, alright?"

The girl still didn't speak, but her body gradually relaxed.

Sensing the girl calm down, Charlotte loosened her hold a bit, sitting her on her lap and giving her a gentle smile as she spoke softly. "Sweetie, what's your name? Can we contact your mom and dad?"

The girl opened her mouth but couldn't find the words, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes.

Seeing this, Charlotte quickly comforted her, patiently reassuring her. "It's okay, take your time. We can talk slowly, alright?"

The girl looked at Charlotte and finally nodded obediently after a long while.

She tried to speak again, her voice barely above a whisper. "Em... Emma..." It was so soft, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time, that Charlotte could hardly make out her words.

With her medical background, Charlotte made a preliminary assessment of Emma's condition.

Charlotte suspected autism, though she wasn't sure if it was congenital or something that had developed later.

Noah and Andy stood nearby, watching Emma with curiosity, feeling an instinctive closeness to her.

Noah looked at Emma and encouraged her. "Hi, I'm Noah. What's your name?" As he spoke, Emma's gaze finally shifted from Charlotte to Noah.

She seemed to like Noah, too, and tried to speak again, her voice a bit louder this time as she repeated, "Emma."

This time, Charlotte was ready, leaning in to hear Emma's words.

Charlotte finally made out that her name was Emma.

Noah gently patted Emma's hair, pretending to be mature. He said, "Good girl!"

Andy, not wanting to be outdone, extended his hand to Emma, revealing a piece of candy in his palm.

He gave Emma a sweet smile. "Here, it's really sweet."

Emma looked at Noah and then at Andy, and cautiously reached out to take the candy, holding it tightly in her hand.

Then, as if feeling shy, she buried her head back into Charlotte's embrace. She thought to herself, 'So soft, so warm—my mom must be just like this.'

Charlotte smiled, gently stroking Emma's hair, and asked again. "Emma, where are your parents? Do they know you're out here? Can you contact them?"

After a long pause, Emma's muffled voice came through. "Dad, at work. Mom, gone."

The car was very quiet, so everyone heard Emma's words.Noah and Andy exchanged a glance and held Emma's hand.

Emma didn't resist, gently holding back.

Charlotte and Ava both looked at Emma with affection, and Charlotte chose not to press further.

Her gaze fell on Noah and Andy, deep in thought.

With Noah and Andy around, Emma relaxed a lot, occasionally interacting with them.

They soon arrived at the hospital.

After a thorough check-up, the doctor prescribed some medication and told Charlotte to go pay the bill.

Charlotte nodded, holding the prescription, and passed the kids over to Ava.

But Noah and Andy insisted on following Charlotte.

Charlotte, feeling helpless, had to take them along. Meanwhile, Emma looked at her with pleading eyes, her small hand clutching Charlotte's dress.

Charlotte hesitated but ultimately decided it wasn't safe to take Emma along, speaking softly. "Emma, I'll go pay the bill and be right back. Be good and wait here, okay?"

Emma struggled for a while but eventually let go.

Seeing this, Charlotte smiled and said, "Good girl."

Meanwhile, James's men quickly tracked down Emma's whereabouts.

Upon receiving the news, James rushed to the hospital. Seeing Emma safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief and picked her up.

Yet Emma struggled, unwilling to go with him. James coaxed her, saying, "Emma, be a good girl, or I might have to lock you up next time."

Hearing this, Ava immediately took a dislike to James and stepped in to stop him, speaking sharply. "Who are you? Give Emma back to me."

James stood in front of Ava, furious at the thought of losing Emma. His eyes were cold with intense worry as he glared at Ava. "Emma is my daughter. What are you trying to do?"

Yet, Ava looked at him suspiciously and sneered. "Just because you say so? Can't you see Emma doesn't want to go with you? I think you're a kidnapper!"

James laughed angrily; it was the first time someone had called him a kidnapper.

"You're the first to target my daughter. I don't care how you took her, but if anything happens to her, I'll make you wish you were dead. If my daughter loses a single hair, I'll shave your head bald. If she gets a scratch, I'll make sure you lose a limb." His tone was vicious, his eyes looking at Ava as if she were already dead. Ava, both angry and terrified, stood frozen, unable to speak.

At that time, Charlotte returned from paying the bill and noticed people looking in one direction.

After asking around, she learned there was a commotion. The next second, she heard James's voice, stopping in her tracks.

James's daughter was missing?

Charlotte was momentarily surprised but quickly dismissed it.

She lowered her presence, leading Noah and Andy along the wall, carefully taking another route.

She didn't see that James was holding Emma.

Back in the hospital room, Ava was fuming, cursing James under her breath. "That damn man, if he cared so much about his daughter, how did she get lost? And he dares to threaten me? Does he think this is ancient times and that he's some kind of emperor?"

Noticing Ava so angry, Charlotte suddenly remembered the earlier incident, her heart racing with alarm.

Could it be such a coincidence?