CHAPTER 12: CHAPTER 12: RETURNING TO AETHELGARD

"What do you mean by showing me this?"

"These are the suspects."

Damien Lancaster raised an eyebrow, "Three little kids?"

The photo showed the backs of three young children, appearing to be about four or five years old, each carrying a bulging little backpack.

"That’s right, this is the only suspicious group we’ve identified after reviewing the surveillance. Additionally, we tracked the hacker’s location, which shows they’re still in this hotel, very close, possibly still on this floor without leaving."

Kids, hackers.

Damien couldn’t quite connect the two groups.

But he could confirm the hacker’s target was clear: they were attacking them.

As for why they were doing this and whether they had other purposes, Damien couldn’t determine.

"Since they’re still here, go investigate and find them."

"Yes."

Damien’s gaze deepened as he looked at the photo. The little girl’s back was blurry, but her clothes were very familiar to him.

Like the kid who drew on his car.

Damien pondered.

The kid who drew on his car, the kid who answered Ivy Summers’ call, appearing in the hotel, the kid suspected of being a hacker.

After finding Ivy Summers, quite a few kids have appeared around him.

Though everything seemed coincidental.

But too many coincidences aren’t coincidences anymore.

...

Damien returned to the room, and Ivy Summers was already gone.

But he knew she couldn’t have gone far, at most to another room.

At this time, Ivy had already taken the three little ones to another room.

Quietly closing the door, Ivy turned around, placing her hands on her hips to look at the three little ones, "Nathan, Leo, Sophie! Did my words just go in one ear and out the other?"

The three little ones stood behind Ivy with their hands clasped, looking at her in a pleading manner.

Nathan extended his hand, taking responsibility, "Mommy, I brought Leo and Sophie here. You can scold me."

"Leo is also responsible, don’t blame big brother," Leo stepped forward as well.

Sophie tugged at Ivy’s clothes, "Mommy, I’m sorry. Sophie didn’t listen, it was Sophie who wanted to come, don’t blame big brother and second brother."

Ivy knew the three little ones meant well by coming to rescue her, but it was truly too dangerous.

Ivy had no idea what would happen if they were discovered tonight.

The three little ones opened their hands, standing there with very good attitudes, waiting for Ivy to scold them.

Seeing them like this, how could Ivy bear to scold them?

Especially Sophie, whose eyes reddened and tears fell, making Ivy’s heart ache.

Ivy sighed, squatting down to look at the three children, reaching out to embrace them, "Darlings, Mommy knows you mean well, but this is too dangerous, you understand?"

"We know we were wrong," the three little ones said in unison.

"It’s good you know. You mustn’t do this again," Ivy patted their little heads, "Now is not the time to blame you, Mommy needs to think about how to get you out of here."

Nathan looked up, "Mommy, aren’t you coming with us?"

Ivy shook her head. Given the current situation, she knew running would only cause more trouble.

Ivy no longer planned to run away.

Some things have to be resolved.

One can’t hide forever.

Ivy steadied her mind and said, "Darlings, listen to Mommy. Tomorrow I’ll go back to Aethelgard with Damien Lancaster. In the morning, stay hidden in the room and don’t come out. Once Damien and the others leave, I’ll contact your godmother to pick you up."

The three little ones exchanged glances.

Their eyes sparkled with mischief, as if plotting something.

"Did you hear me? You must be good this time."

"Yes, we will."

In the room separated by just one wall.

Damien had his people check all rooms on this floor, finding no one, and the location signal quickly vanished.

He smoked cigarette after cigarette. Whether due to suspicion or not, he felt these frequently appearing kids were too unusual.

Ivy Summers also seemed strange in many ways; even though everything had an explanation, there were still loopholes.

For instance, the woman picking up the children was not the same woman answering the phone.

For instance, the child called Leo, calling "Mommy" on the phone.

And tonight’s suspected hackers, appearing and disappearing kids.

The first child appeared at Ivy Summers’s workplace, the second in her phone contacts, and now these three at the hotel where Ivy was staying.

It seemed all related to Ivy Summers.

At this moment, Damien highly doubted whether Ivy Summers had really aborted the child back then.

"Julian Jacobs!"

Julian Jacobs entered from outside the door, "Sir."

"Keep investigating Ivy Summers. If you can’t find anything on her, investigate those around her, check every single one."

If Ivy really had a child, he didn’t believe no flaws would be revealed this way.

"Understood."

As the sun rose, Ivy woke the three sleeping little ones. Afraid someone would come in, she could only have them continue to hide under the bed.

Sure enough, soon there was a knock on the door.

Ivy walked over to open the door, it was Julian Jacobs, Damien Lancaster’s assistant.

Julian stood at the door and said, "Ma’am..."

"I’m divorced from him, don’t call me Ma’am."

"Uh... then Miss Summers, the private jet is ready. Sir and Miss Shaw have already gone over first, please come with me."

Ivy nodded, "Alright."

Ivy followed Julian out of the room, and as she closed the door, she saw Leo sneakily sticking his head out from underneath the bed.

Ivy quickly gestured with her eyes for Leo to hide properly.

Leo quietly withdrew, whispering, "Mommy has already left."

Sophie nestled between her two brothers, looked at both and asked, "What about us? Mommy said we should stay in Yrador, but Sophie is scared Mommy will be bullied by bad Daddy when she goes back."

"I think so too. There’s also a bad auntie with bad Daddy."

Leo and Sophie exchanged a glance.

Leo suggested, "Why don’t we go back to Aethelgard too and protect Mommy in secret?"

"Sophie agrees," Sophie’s pretty big eyes shone brightly as she looked at Nathan beside her.

Nathan shook his head, "I don’t think that’s possible."

Sophie turned around and eagerly told Leo, "Big brother says it’s possible."

Leo, "Then let’s find the weird uncle to help us go back to Aethelgard."

Sophie turned to Nathan, "Big brother, do you think that’s a good idea?"

Nathan emphasized, "It’s dangerous, I don’t think it’s..."

Sophie raised her small chubby hand to cover Nathan’s mouth, "Big brother says it’s okay."

Leo and Sophie high-fived each other, "Let’s do it that way."

Nathan was left speechless with black lines on his forehead.

Going back is too dangerous and easy to get noticed.

For safety’s sake, he doesn’t support it.

"Sophie!"

Sophie hugged Nathan, softly asking, "Big brother, aren’t you afraid Mommy will be bullied?"

"Yes."

Sophie nodded, asking again, "And do you want Mommy to be bullied?"

"No."

Sophie nodded again, "Right, so who’s going to protect Mommy now?"

"We are."

"Yes, yes, yes, so we have to go back, right?"

It seems...

That’s how it is.