Since neither Logan nor Clara was at home, Neo just stayed in the playroom and painted things to kill time.
Seeing the landscape painting he was working on, the nanny gasped in admiration. “Wow! You are so good at this! It’s really beautiful.”
She was not fawning or exaggerating at all. Clara started making Neo take the art and drawing class three months ago in the hope of improving his temperament.
Although the youngest student in the class, his grades were among the best. The teacher also thought highly of Neo’s talent in painting so much that she told Clara more than once that Neo could grow up to be a professional artist with proper training.
Clara didn’t take those words too seriously. Of course, she knew Neo was a clever fast learner just like Horace. But she didn’t want to interfere with Neo’s life path that much. She wanted to wait for Neo to grow up and decide for himself what he wanted to be in the future.
The nanny’s compliment didn’t really brighten up Neo’s mood. He couldn’t care less about the painting. Right now, all he could think about was his daddy and mommy.
Sometimes, he had tried to ask Logan about his daddy when Clara was not at home. However, Logan would put on a cold face and only brush it off by saying that a kid didn’t have to know that much.
Seeing the grave expression on his usually kind and smiley uncle, Neo didn’t dare to pester him anymore. But judging from the attitude of his mommy and uncle, he figured that they didn’t really like his daddy very much.
Once he eavesdropped on their conversation and vaguely heard his uncle saying that the reason why he and his mommy had to move abroad was that his daddy abandoned them.
Although he only met Horace a few times, Neo could tell that his daddy was definitely not the kind of person who would abandon his wife and child.
Neo’s perception of his daddy wasn’t groundless. When he went to see Horace last time, Horace thought that Neo was some random kid who got lost. But Horace was so kind to Neo. Not only did Horace send people to help him find his mother, but also stood there keeping him company and playing with him.
Neo grew up in a rather wealthy family and was more sensible than kids of his age. He had seen too many snobby higher-ups in the company.
The fact that Horace was willing to help a random child showed that he was not one of those arrogant snobs. There must be some misunderstanding between Horace and mommy that separated them for so many years.
Although mommy had promised him that she would listen to Horace’s explanation, it seemed that the misunderstanding between them still hadn’t been resolved yet. Otherwise, Horace would have come to see his kid a long time ago, wouldn’t he? But now, Neo wasn’t sure if Horace even knew he had a son out there waiting for him.
Neo felt a little down at the thought of this. It was just sad to think that his daddy might not even know his existence. He thought about meeting his daddy every day!
“I have to find a way to make daddy and mommy get back together. They have to resolve their misunderstanding as soon as possible. I would never see daddy again if they keep this up. But how? What’s the best way to do it?”
Neo frowned a little as he thought to himself, still holding the paintbrush in his hand. Seeing that, the nanny thought that Neo might be in a creative slump and remained silent, didn’t want to disturb the “little prodigy”.
After pondering for some time, Neo’s eyes lit up with a great idea coming up to his mind.
“My tummy is rumbling. I’m craving some bread. Can you make some for me? Please?” Blinking his puppy eyes, Neo pouted as he turned to the nanny and asked.
The nanny had always taken a liking to the sensible and lovable Neo. She could never refuse his request, not when he pleaded with her like this.
“Fine, I’ll go make some bread for you right now. I’ll come up and let you know when the bread is ready. Just stay where you are, okay?”
“Okay. I won’t go anywhere.” Neo nodded in response.
The nanny patted Neo’s head lovingly and went to the kitchen downstairs with a smile on her face. “This kid is simply too adorable.” She thought.
After the nanny walked away, Neo hurriedly got up and went back to his room. Then, he packed a small schoolbag of necessities and sneaked downstairs.
He nervously watched the nanny’s every move as he tip-toed past the kitchen, avoiding making any noise that might alarm her.
When the nanny turned her back to him, Neo hurried across the living room and rushed out the door. After he got out, Neo heaved a sigh of relief with a sly smile on his face. He could finally implement his plan.
“Neo, the bread is ready. You can come down now. I added your favorite corn kernels. It smells really good,” Standing by the stairs, the nanny called. However, she didn’t hear any response for a long time.
“Neo, come down quickly. The bread doesn’t taste as good when it’s cold,” The nanny said as she walked upstairs. However, when she got to the playroom, Neo was nowhere to be found.
“Neo? Where are you? Neo!” Not knowing where Neo went, the nanny panicked and called out his name. Still, no response.
She searched all over the house but still couldn’t find him. “Where is Neo? He didn’t get into any trouble, did he? How should I explain to Clara and Logan when they come back? What if Neo is in danger?” The nanny was on the verge of breaking down.
…
Meanwhile.
“Clara, why did you avoid me back then. And you let Logan…” Horace asked.
However, before he could finish his sentence, Clara’s phone buzzed. Clara fished out the phone from her pocket and saw it was a call from the nanny who was looking after Neo. “I have to answer this,” Clara said to Horace apologetically.
The second the call was through, the nanny said, sobbing, “Miss Hutchinson, I’m really sorry. Neo… he went missing and I can’t find him anywhere…”