Chapter 4

Henry's assistant stood nearby, barely daring to breathe. "Mr. Hearst, don't worry. We've already notified the airport to lock down the exits. We'll definitely find Miss Hearst."

Everyone knew that five years ago, Henry had gone on a trip to Mirathia and returned with a barely alive baby in his arms. That baby was Tiffany.

Over the years, Tiffany had become Henry's most cherished treasure. Any mishap involving her could send him into a frenzy.

This time, no one knew what had upset Tiffany so much that she ran away from home.

If they couldn't find Tiffany, Henry would turn all of Neoville upside down.

Henry's expression was icy. "Cancel all my appointments for today!"

"Yes, sir." The assistant didn't hesitate and immediately turned to make the necessary calls.

If Tiffany wasn't found, they would all be in deep trouble.

Henry strode towards the Maybach parked by the curb and said coldly, "Keep searching here. I'm going home to check."

Tiffany only became upset after receiving a phone call from home.

As soon as they landed, she had slipped away while he was on the phone.

He needed to find out who had been filling Tiffany's head with nonsense, causing her to run away.

Meanwhile, Caroline was driving Julia and the kids to a pre-booked private dining restaurant.

In the backseat, the three little ones were strapped into their car seats.

Caroline hadn't expected Julia to pick up a child along the way, so she had only prepared two car seats.

Joseph, being the older brother, generously gave up his seat for the little girl and sat beside her, buckled in with a seatbelt.

Julia sat in the front passenger seat, occasionally glancing back.

Each time, she saw the little girl looking at her with a gaze full of admiration, which made Julia's heart melt.

Caroline had a good idea why Julia had taken the child. She felt a pang of sympathy for Julia.

Julia had lost her youngest daughter from her triplets years ago, and the grief had nearly consumed her. She had been so distraught that she almost had an accident in the lab.

Joseph and Stephen had been in the lab with her at the time and were nearly caught in the incident.

That scare had jolted Julia into realizing that she still had two children who needed her.

Julia had then forced herself to bury her pain deep inside and carry on.

Caroline glanced at the beautiful little girl in the rearview mirror. The girl's eyes bore a striking resemblance to Julia's.

Caroline leaned over and whispered, "Did you find this little girl at the airport? Why didn't you contact the airport's announcement desk to find her parents before leaving?"

She had thought Julia's urgency to leave earlier was a bit suspicious.

It was as if Julia was trying to avoid someone.

Julia rubbed her temples in frustration. "I ran into Henry at the airport."

Julia's voice was even quieter, worried that Joseph and Stephen might overhear.

Caroline gasped. What a coincidence that Julia had just returned and already bumped into that jerk Henry.

"So what now? You can't just take someone else's kid. If they report you for kidnapping, you'll be in serious trouble!"

Julia thought for a moment. "Let's eat first, then see if we can contact her parents to come get her. If not, I'll have to take her to the police."

Caroline nodded. That seemed like the only option.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant.

The group got out of the car. Caroline held Joseph and Stephen's hands, while Julia reached out to the little girl who looked on enviously.

The little girl hesitated, then tentatively took Julia's hand.

Her hand was incredibly soft.

As Julia held it, she felt a missing piece of her heart being filled, making it hard to let go.

They entered the restaurant and sat in a private room.

While Caroline was busy ordering, Julia gently asked the little girl, "Do you remember your parents' phone numbers? If you do, tell me, and I'll call them after we eat. If you don't, I'll have to take you to the police so they can help find your parents. They must be worried sick about you."

The little girl's eyes welled up with tears, and she looked heartbroken.

Her dad might be worried, but her mom wouldn't care. Her mom would be glad if she didn't come back.

Seeing the girl cry, Julia's heart ached.

Julia quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears. "What's wrong? Don't you want to go home?"

The little girl shook her head, looking pitiful.

"Did something upset you so much that you don't want to go home?" Julia asked softly. "If so, you can tell me, and I'll talk to your parents. But if you don't go back, they'll be very worried."

Judging by the girl's well-dressed appearance, it didn't seem like her parents neglected her.

Julia guessed there must have been some misunderstanding that made the girl unhappy.

Sure enough, the girl pouted and stayed silent.

Julia tried to explain as plainly as possible, "If you don't want to tell me your parents' phone numbers, I'll have to take you to the police. Keeping you with me could easily be misunderstood."

The girl looked up at Julia with tear-filled eyes.

"Julia, do you think she can't talk?" Caroline asked. "She hasn't said a word this whole time."

Julia had considered that possibility but didn't want to bring it up and hurt the girl's feelings.

She felt even more sympathy for the girl but knew she had to be firm. "I have my own things to do. I can't keep you with me."

The girl's eyes dimmed, and after a long pause, she reached out to Julia.

Julia handed her phone to the girl after unlocking it.

The girl dialed a number.

"Is this your mom's number?" Julia asked.

The girl shook her head, looking uncomfortable with the term.

Joseph and Stephen whispered, "Is she really mute?"

Julia shot them a warning look. "Eat your food and be quiet."

Caroline sighed. "What a shame. Such a pretty girl, and she's mute."

Julia felt a pang of sorrow and couldn't help but gently ruffle the girl's hair. "Eat your food. I'll call your dad to come get you."

She then dialed the number on the screen.