Chapter 260: We don’t have all day

The next morning, Clara called Adrian and told him everything she had discovered about the children’s missing records.

At first, Adrian remained silent, seemingly trying to process the information. After a brief pause, he finally thanked her for her efforts and assured her that he would find another way to locate Nana.

Clara pursed her lips, feeling a little disheartened that the information she had uncovered hadn’t been of much help.

"Adrian, I promised I’d help you find Nana, and I intend to keep that promise. There must be something else we can do," she said.

"I know, Clara, and I appreciate everything you’ve done," Adrian replied gently. "But you’ve already helped me more than enough. Don’t worry about this anymore. I’ll figure something out."

"But—"

"Clara," he interrupted softly, "trust me. I’m not going to give up on finding her."

Hearing the determination in his voice, Clara realized there was little point in arguing with him.

"Alright," she finally relented. "But if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me."

"I will. Thank you, Clara."

With nothing more to add, Clara reluctantly accepted his reassurance and ended the call.

She knew finding someone whose records had been completely erased would be difficult, but since Adrian had promised to look for another way to find Nana, Clara decided to trust him.

With a quiet sigh, she could only hope that Adrian would eventually succeed in finding her.

***

Meanwhile, at Adrian’s residence, the man sat quietly on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the documents spread across the table.

Just then, Logan walked into the room. Noticing his boss’s unusually contemplative expression, he raised an eyebrow before approaching him.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind lately, Boss. Should I be worried that you’ll grow old before your time?" he joked, hoping to provoke a response.

However, Adrian didn’t even spare him a glance.

Logan waited for a few seconds, but when his boss remained silent, his smile gradually faded.

He cleared his throat and stepped closer, abandoning his playful act.

"Boss, you know, your silence is far more terrifying than your nagging, right?"

This time, Adrian finally lifted his head and gave him a lazy look.

"What are you talking about?"

Logan let out a sigh of relief. At least his boss was still willing to speak to him.

"Nothing. I was just wondering whether you’ve been replaced by someone else. The Adrian I know would have told me to get back to work by now."

Adrian rolled his eyes and leaned back against the sofa.

"Do you have nothing better to do than stand there talking nonsense?"

"There he is!" Logan exclaimed, placing a hand over his chest in mock relief. "For a moment, I thought something was seriously wrong with you."

Adrian ignored his theatrics, but Logan couldn’t help noticing the faint crease between his brows.

His boss might have brushed off his jokes, but something was clearly bothering him.

"Seriously, Boss. What’s going on?" Logan asked, his tone turning more cautious. "You’ve been unusually quiet since yesterday. Is there something I should know about?"

Adrian remained silent for another moment, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.

Then, as though he had finally made up his mind, he straightened and looked directly at his assistant.

"Logan, I want you to do something for me."

Logan immediately grew alert.

The sudden seriousness in Adrian’s voice, coupled with the calculating glint that flickered in his eyes, made him suspicious.

"What is it, Boss?" he asked warily. "And why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like it?"

A faint smile tugged at Adrian’s lips, which only made the assistant look at him with conflict.

***

Meanwhile, Clara stared at her phone in shock as she read the news about Adrian announcing a public search for Nana, along with a reward so substantial that it left her momentarily speechless.

"So this is what he meant by finding another way," she murmured.

For someone like Adrian, offering such a generous reward was hardly a financial burden. However, Clara couldn’t help worrying that his kindness might be taken advantage of if someone falsely claimed to be Nana just to get their hands on the money.

"Well, at least he’s doing something," she muttered, scrolling through the announcement once more. "I’m sure he’s thought this through carefully."

Clara had no doubts about Adrian’s abilities. Although he could be friendly and approachable, he was also sharp-witted enough to recognize when someone was lying to him. Anyone hoping to fool him for the sake of the reward would have a difficult time getting away with it.

With that thought, Clara decided not to worry herself over the matter any longer. She could only hope that Adrian’s efforts would finally lead him to Nana.

After all, the man deserved a little encouragement, and she sincerely wished him success in his search.

Putting her phone aside, Clara settled back into her seat as the car continued toward its destination.

Soon, the vehicle came to a halt outside Zane’s school.

Clara glanced at the school gates before taking a deep breath.

She had initially assumed that her job would involve tutoring Zane and helping him with his studies. However, after carefully reading through the contract, she had come to a rather startling realization.

She wasn’t merely his tutor.

She was practically being hired as his nanny!

Clara rubbed her forehead, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.

"Just what have I gotten myself into?" she muttered under her breath.

Still, there was no point in complaining now. She had already accepted the job, and she intended to fulfill her responsibilities.

With one final sigh, Clara opened the car door and stepped out, waiting for Zane to show up.

In her previous life, Clara had met Zane only once, and that had been during a business event.

Back then, Maria had made sure the boy was introduced to as many influential people as possible. She intended to groom him into becoming the next successor of the Keningstone Group, and she spared no effort in making him known within their social circle.

Although Zane had appeared less than enthusiastic about the attention, there was something Clara couldn’t help noticing.

Despite his proud demeanor and stubborn attitude, the boy possessed an undeniable innocence that was difficult to overlook.

His circumstances, after all, were hardly ordinary.

It was widely known that after being heartbroken by Jonathan’s marriage to Grace, Maria had eventually married Landon. However, their marriage had ended in divorce, and Maria had returned to the Keningstone household with her one-year-old son.

There had been plenty of speculation about the reasons behind their separation.

Some believed Maria had deliberately left Landon because she had never truly loved him in the first place. Others suspected that her marriage had been nothing more than a calculated move to secure her position within the Keningstone family and gain control of the Keningstone Group.

As for Clara, she was inclined to believe the latter.

After all, she had witnessed firsthand how Maria had held on to her resentment toward Grace for years. Even after marrying someone else and having a child, Maria had never seemed willing to let go of the past.

Clara couldn’t help wondering whether that lingering hatred had influenced the way Maria raised Zane.

Perhaps the boy’s stubbornness was simply a reflection of his upbringing, or perhaps there was more to him than people realized.

Either way, Clara knew better than to judge him based on what she had heard.

She had only met Zane once in her previous life, and that brief encounter had hardly been enough to understand him.

Now that she would be spending considerably more time with him, she would have plenty of opportunities to discover what kind of person he really was.

With that thought, Clara straightened her shoulders, only to spot Zane walking out through the school gates. However, the moment he noticed her waiting nearby, he stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, kiddo! What took you so long?" Clara greeted him with a cheerful smile.

Zane’s expression immediately darkened.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, clutching his backpack tightly as he glared at her.

Clara raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

"Well, guess what? I just realized that I somehow ended up signing a contract to be your personal nanny."

Zane’s face grew even darker.

"Who said you could—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Clara walked past him and opened the car door.

"Come on, Master Zane. We don’t have all day."

"I’m not going anywhere with you!" he snapped.

Clara turned to look at him, her smile never wavering.

"Oh, really? Then I suppose you’ll have to explain that to your mother."

Zane immediately fell silent, his grip on his backpack tightening.

Clara hid her amusement and gestured toward the open door.

"Now, would you please hurry up? I can barely stand in these heels any longer."

She glanced pointedly at her shoes before looking back at him.

"Unless, of course, you’d prefer to carry me to the car yourself?"

Zane stared at her as though she had completely lost her mind.

Clara merely smiled.

"That’s what I thought. Now, get in, Master Zane!"