Chapter 175: Busy getting lost

Adrian’s lips twitched. "Is that the real reason you want to visit me?"

Penelope considered the question carefully. "Not the only reason."

Logan lowered his head, hiding his laughter.

Adrian chuckled softly. "I see. Well, we can discuss that another time."

"Good." Penelope nodded. "Then it’s a promise."

"It’s a promise."

Jenny gently placed a hand on Penelope’s shoulder.

"We should let Mr. Adrian continue greeting the guests."

Penelope nodded but then looked at Adrian one last time. "Thank you again."

Adrian smiled at her. "And thank you for the card."

As Jenny began guiding Penelope away, Adrian watched them for a moment. The little girl’s life had once hung by a thread, yet now she was laughing, speaking confidently, and worrying about cookies and cake.

It was a sight he would never grow tired of seeing.

Logan glanced at him. "You look happy, boss."

Adrian looked down at the card in his hand.

"I am."

"That’s rare."

"Don’t ruin the moment."

Logan smiled. "I wouldn’t dare."

Adrian carefully placed the card inside his suit jacket, close to his chest. Then his stomach growled loudly.

Logan stared at him. Adrian remained perfectly composed.

"Now," he said, "I believe I’ve earned some dessert."

Logan sighed.

"You’ve been waiting for an excuse this entire evening, haven’t you?"

"Of course not."

"You’re smiling."

"That’s because I’m thinking about dessert."

"Which is exactly what I said."

Adrian turned toward the dessert stalls without another word. Logan hurried after him, shaking his head.

"One day, I’m going to start charging you extra for emotional supervision."

Adrian glanced at him. "Put it on the company account."

"That is not how emotional supervision works."

"Then consider it a charitable contribution."

Logan stopped walking and stared at his boss.

Adrian continued toward Clara’s stall with a faint smile, leaving Logan to follow while muttering under his breath.

"He gives money to charity and somehow still manages to exploit his assistant."

***

Meanwhile, Jonathan scanned the crowd, searching for his daughter.

"Darling, where do you think Hannah disappeared to?" he asked, glancing around in confusion.

Only then did he realize how much time had passed since he had last seen her. Hannah had a habit of wandering off whenever she became bored, but that did not make her parents any less concerned.

Grace, who was standing beside him, also looked around. When she failed to spot Hannah anywhere, her brows furrowed.

"This girl... Where has she disappeared to?" she muttered.

It wasn’t as though Hannah were five years old and needed constant supervision. She was a grown woman perfectly capable of taking care of herself. However, for Grace and Jonathan, the habit of keeping track of their children had never disappeared—especially when the entire family was gathered in one place.

"Let me call her," Grace said.

She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Hannah’s number. To her surprise, the call went unanswered.

Grace stared at the screen, her expression darkening.

"This girl. When is she going to stop giving me headaches?"

Jonathan glanced at her.

"Perhaps she’s busy."

"Busy doing what? Getting lost?"

"She’s probably talking to someone."

"Then she can talk and answer her phone at the same time."

Jonathan wisely chose not to argue. He had been married to Grace long enough to know that defending their daughter while she was already irritated was a dangerous hobby.

Grace tried calling again, but Hannah still didn’t answer.

"Just wait until I find her," Grace muttered, slipping her phone back into her purse.

Jonathan gave a small sigh.

"I hope Hannah knows she’s being searched for."

"If she doesn’t, she will soon."

***

Meanwhile, outside the venue, Hannah continued walking briskly, trying to catch up with Julianna.

However, the moment she stepped outside, she stopped in surprise.

Julianna was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?" Hannah looked around. "Where did that girl disappear to?"

She scanned the entrance, the driveway, and the area beside the building. There were several guests standing outside, but Julianna was not among them.

Hannah was certain she had seen Julianna leave the venue. She had followed her almost immediately, yet somehow, the woman had vanished.

"Did she grow wings?" Hannah muttered.

She walked a little farther, checking both sides of the path. Still, there was no sign of Julianna.

Hannah frowned. "Impossible. I couldn’t have imagined it."

She glanced back at the venue, then toward the driveway. Perhaps Julianna had gotten into a car. But if that were the case, Hannah should have seen her.

She waited for several minutes, her patience slowly wearing thin.

"What is this?" she grumbled. "I leave the event for two minutes, and suddenly I’m chasing a ghost."

The more she waited, the more ridiculous she felt. She had abandoned the lively gathering merely because she suspected Julianna was up to something. Now she was standing outside like a detective who had lost the criminal before the investigation had even begun.

Hannah folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the empty driveway.

"If she has already left, I’m going to be furious. And if she’s hiding somewhere, I’m going to be even more furious."

After another minute passed, she let out an annoyed sigh.

"Why do I keep getting involved in other people’s nonsense?"

Yet despite her complaints, Hannah remained where she was. Something about Julianna’s sudden disappearance felt suspicious.

And Hannah had never been particularly good at ignoring suspicious things—especially when Clara was involved.

Just when Hannah finally gave up and turned toward the venue, a sudden rustling sound came from the bushes.

She froze. Slowly, she turned her head toward the thick greenery, her eyes widening as another faint movement came from within.

"Please don’t tell me there’s an animal hiding in there," she muttered.

For a moment, she considered walking away and pretending she had heard nothing. After all, whatever was inside the bushes was none of her business.

Unfortunately, curiosity—and her terrible habit of involving herself in troublesome situations—kept her rooted to the spot.

Hannah had also developed an unusual fear of bushes lately. The last time she had encountered one, Clara had caught her and Mark kissing after she had foolishly jumped out from behind it. Ever since then, bushes had become an unpleasant reminder of that embarrassing incident.

But now, with Clara nowhere around, the possibility of an actual animal hiding inside frightened her even more.

"Alright, Hannah," she whispered to herself. "Stay calm. It’s probably just a harmless little creature."

The bushes rustled again. Hannah immediately took a step back. "Or a very angry creature."

She glanced toward the venue, then back at the bushes.

"Should I call someone?"

Another movement came from within.

Hannah swallowed.

"Of course. And if it’s a tiger, I’m blaming Julianna for making me follow her."

Just as Hannah was about to run, something jumped out and scared the crap out of her.

"AHHH!"