?Chapter 531:


    Ewing Racey was Averi’s best friend from kindergarten.


    Watching Averi’s ted face, Noah felt a swirl of emotions wash over him.


    “Mr. Wall?” Averi tugged gently at Noah’s sleeve, noticing his silence. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”


    Noah snapped back to reality, masking his sadness with a smile. “I’m fine, Averi. I was just thinking about what gifts your mommy might bring you.”


    He shifted the conversation, hoping to distract Averi.


    “What could they be?” Averi’s curiosity was piqued.


    He tilted his head as he spected. “Maybe a red toy car, like a fire truck? I want one!”


    “That’s possible,” Noah replied, his voice slightly hoarse.


    “And a Transformer? I want Optimus Prime!”


    Averi’s excitement mounted, his cheeks glowing with enthusiasm. “That’s possible too,” Noah murmured, his voice softening, unable to meet Averi’s eager eyes.


    “And…”


    “Averi,” Noah interjected, his voice steady. “Your mom’s business trip might take a while. Why don’t you head to bed, okay? When she gets back, I’ll make sure she tells you a bedtime story. Alright?” He was aware he was misleading Averi, but it felt necessary.


    He wanted to shield Averi from worry and the harsher truths.


    “Fine…” Averi nodded, somewhat disappointed. “Alright. I’ll go to sleep now. Good night, Mr. Wall.”


    With that, he hopped off Noah’sp, his building blocks in hand, casting longing nces back as he walked to his bedroom.


    Noah watched Averi’s small figure vanish through the door, his heart heavy with sorrow.


    Endless adventures await on gα?ησν????s


    The first rays of morning light filtered through the curtains, illuminating Alex’s handsome yet weary face.


    He rubbed his eyes, haunted by thoughts of his mother’s disappearance.


    Getting out of bed, he walked to the window and flung the curtains open.


    The bright sunlight made him squint, but his mind was too fraught with anxiety to mind.


    Alex quickly freshened up, dressed sharply, and headed to his study. He powered up hisputer and pulled up the surveince footage from the previous night.


    On the screen, Susannah appeared at the entrance of their vi.


    She paced anxiously, waiting for something.


    Suddenly, a ck car pulled up. The door opened, and several men in ck dragged Susannah inside.


    She struggled and shouted, but it was futile.


    The car sped away into the night.


    Alex watched the screen, fists clenched, anger and worry making his face pale, his teeth grinding.


    “Mom…” he whispered, his voice trembling.


    He scrutinized the footage repeatedly, searching for additional clues.


    When he noticed the license te of the ck car, his pupils narrowed sharply.


    “Wall Group…” he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice ice-cold. The te was registered to Wall Group.


    Fury surged within Alex. He wanted to confront Noah and demand an exnation.


    “Noah Wall, what are you up to?” Alex mmed the desk, scattering papers.


    He took a deep breath, calming himself.


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