Chapter 9

Adley took Connor's words at face value. Ultimately, he was still a young boy, and there was no way he would try to trick her. Right? "Yeah, I'm not angry. I'm good friends with your Mommy. Is she around? Where is she?" Adley crouched down so she could be on eye level with Connor. "Mommy didn't come with us." Connor was no fool. He did not believe this woman was his mother's best friend at all. Upon hearing that Braylee was not around, Adley knew this was her chance. "Then, did you come here with your Daddy?" As she spoke, she reached out to stroke his head. At the same time, she thought of using that opportunity to pluck his hair for a DNA test. Yet, the moment her hand came close to him, he instantly backed away warily. For a moment, Adley's hand hovered in mid-air before she let it drop. From the gleam in her eyes, Connor could tell she was planning something. Hence, he played along, "Yeah, I'm here with Daddy." Earlier, Adley had meant to test the waters with that question about his father. She did not expect he would answer in the affirmative, though. Was my suspicion wrong? Unable to contain her impatience any longer, she pressed, "What's your Daddy's name? Where is he?" Connor took in the anxious yet eager expression on her face. Curiosity swelled in him right that instant. Maybe... Just maybe, he could use this chance to get some answers there and then. "Ma'am, aren't you best friends with my Mommy? How could you not know who my Daddy is?" He tilted his head to the side adorably. The smile on Adley's lips froze. After a few seconds of hesitation, she fibbed, "Oh, I didn't attend your Mommy's wedding." Connor saw right through her obvious attempt as she lied because he knew his mother never had a wedding ceremony. Still, her strange reactions led him to believe she knew more than she was letting on. But he soon realized he had already been here a little too long. At this point, his mother was probably starting to worry about him. Right then, an idea occurred to him, and he stated, "My Daddy is right outside. Let me bring him in here and introduce you!" Then, he did not wait for Adley to give a response before dashing out. After he left, Adley remained in that spot for two whole minutes. When Connor still did not return, she headed outside and looked around. There were a lot of people bustling to and fro, but the little boy was nowhere to be seen. With her eyebrows scrunched in confusion, her gaze moved down to stare at the stain on her dress. Then, it dawned on her. I've been tricked by a child! Ugh... That lil' brat! Meanwhile, Connor hurried into the crowd. Worried that his mother would start to panic, his short legs pumped faster and faster. As he turned a corner, he crashed right into someone. "I'm sorry, mister!" Connor raised his head and apologized to the person in front of him. At the sound of the young voice, Cara glanced down. Something flickered through his eyes when his cold gaze landed on Connor's face. At the same time, his thoughts were racing inside his mind. Why does his face look so familiar? Behind him, Silas's mouth dropped open in shock. This little boy looks exactly like Mr. Cara! Cara and Connor's eyes remained locked on each other for several seconds more. When the man made no move to berate him, Connor continued on his way. At last, Cara snapped out of his stupor and strode off as if nothing had happened. Connor suddenly stopped in his tracks and twisted his head to glance back. The tall man was nowhere to be seen. On his way back to the train, he thought of that man and he wondered why he resembled him so much. In the meantime, Cara headed back to Nikolai Group after completing the inspection at the mall. He leaned back against the car seats and stared out the window. Despite where he was looking, he was not registering the scenery outside at all. Instead, he found his thoughts focusing on the little boy from earlier...