Cosset You Forever
Chapter 724 Let Go of My Child

Samuel had been buttoning up his shirt but now he paused. His son was shrewder than he was.

"You should talk to your mother. She's the CFO in our family."

"Dad, you're breaking our word," said Jane in fluent English. It startled everyone except Samuel.

They wondered what she had said so secretly.

Samuel smiled and waved a hand to Jane. "Come here, sweetie"

Samuel bobbed Jane up and down on his knee. "I'm talking to your brother. Here you are. This is yours."

With that, Samuel took out a red envelope. It was lighter than the other three.

Jane was satisfied. "Thank you, daddy." She kissed Samuel and said after a brief hesitation, "Daddy, I'm going to share a secret with you tonight."

Samuel raised his eyebrows. "Why tonight? You can't tell me now?"

She tilted her head to affect a thinking posture, and said, "Because people share secrets when it's dark." Ella had told her as much. Back in America, she couldn't spend much time with her daughter during the day. So when the day broke, Ella would unload all her news and strife.

That was why secrets were shared at night.

At the very beginning, Jane asked the same just as Samuel did and Ella made up an excuse to dodge.

"No problem," said Samuel. "Tonight it is." Samuel reached Jane's braid and patted it with joy.

Jerry pursed his lips and stared out at his father, eyes popping. "Dad! You're being stingy."

His father rolled his eyes, irritated. "Be a man and earn the money on your own."

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Viola. "How can he when he's so young? You want him to work in a labor camp, is that it?" To this, Samuel grumbled something before taking out another red envelope. He handed it to Jerry, who beamed with joy.

But, his face soured when he noticed how thin it was. It was worse than he thought. There couldn't be more than one piece of paper in it.

"Stingy..." murmured Jerry into his envelope.

Samuel scoffed with satisfaction.

Jerry headed upstairs hand-in-hand with his little sister while his father browsed the feed on his phone.

Ella had woken up by now, and posted on the film company website, "Happy New Year, everybody."

While Samuel was reposting her New Year blessing, the two cheery kids sprinted from the stairs and hailed, "Daddy, I love you." "Daddy, you are my superhero."

They jumped like trapeze artists into his lap. Samuel's phone almost fell on the ground.

"What are you doing! Calm down!"

"What's the matter, Jerry? Jane?" inquired Melody, removing her thick glasses. She looked at the ecstatic kids in bewilderment.

Jane ran into Melody, who enfolded her in her arms. "Look Grandma! Dad just gave me and Jerry a check. Jerry has 666666 and I have 888888. Jerry said we can buy a big car with this money." Having a dad had its benefits, she giggled to herself.

Dad was nothing like the bad guy in the TV, and she couldn't wait to tell Samuel her secret.

That afternoon, the family of four went out to see a movie.

In the shopping mall.

Ella took Jane to the bathroom while Samuel and Jerry waited for them in another store.

In the bathroom, Ella helped Jane take off the pants and waited for her outside.

"Mom, I want to poop."

"Ok, I'll be waiting outside. Call me when you finish, all right?" Ella walked out of the women's WC and sat on a bench next to a fake palm tree.

As she was rooting through her handbag, she didn't notice the door of the WC was opened, and a tall muscular figure slipped inside.

Three minutes later, after Ella had gone through her phone's feed, she looked at the door of the bathroom. She wondered what was taking so long. She put away her phone and approached the door hesitantly. "Have you finished, Jane?"

No response. "Jane?"

No response. She turned around again, trying to calculate her next move. She didn't wish to embarrass Jane, but she sill got worried.

She decided to peep her head in. The whole bathroom was empty. She checked the stalls one by one. No trace of Jane. Ella clapped her hands to her mouth in a panic.

"Jane!"

She screamed. "Jane! Where are you?" She rushed out from the bathroom. In the distance she saw a man carrying a large black duffel bag. The bag looked suspicious, and Ella trusted her hunch. She had the feeling that Jane was in it.

She chased the man and shouted, "Stop where you are! And let go of my child!"

But the man already shoved past a dozen people on the down escalator.

He was faster than she could aspire to be. Ella took off her high heels and followed him down, pushing past the same people.

"Stop, you son of bitch!" In the parking lot, she tried to smash her shoe against him, but stopped in case Jane got hurt.

She grabbed onto his jacket, but he shunted her backwards. She fell to the ground. Just as she was getting up from the hard concrete, she caught a glimpse of him getting into a car with blacked-out plates. He reversed as she came hurtling up. Her palm thud against his back window, but he jet off, his engine revving loudly above her cries.

Ella fell apart in an instant.

Samuel...Where was Samuel?

Samuel would know what to do. She took out her phone with a trembling hand and dialed his number. "Sam!"

"Hey Honey." Samuel's voice sounded casual.

"Samuel... Samuel." Her broken voice touched his heart. He took Jerry by the hand and got up.

"Sam, it's Jane! He took Jane!" Sam thought for a moment. He had allowed the bodyguard he had hired a few days off for the holidays, expecting nothing to happen. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to his wife.

"It's all right. What's wrong? Tell me what happened."

"Samuel, it's Jane." She tried to calm herself down. "Jane was taken by someone. It's all my fault." She kept blaming herself for losing Jane.

"Jane was kidnapped?" Samuel breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God it wasn't Ella.

"Don't get upset. Where are you? We will meet up and find her, okay?"

But despite his control, despite his protective ethos and demeanor, he was as angry and anxious as Ella was.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐