"Stewart?" The male officer frowned. "You don''t mean *that* Stewart, the head of the city''s legal affairs, do you?"


    "No way!" The female officer chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Attorney Wentworth''s girlfriend is the actress Rosita, remember? They just went public with their rtionship. It must be someone with the same name."


    "Yeah, true enough," another officer chimed in. "Attorney Wentworth isn''t just a big shot in thew world-he''s also the eldest son of the Wentworth family. If he actually had a son this age, the whole Wentworth n would be treating the kid like royalty. There''s no way they''d ever let him go missing! Ridiculous."


    The female officer knelt down and spoke gently to Irwin. "Hey there, do you happen to remember your mom or dad''s phone number?"


    Irwin shook his head. "I don''t remember their numbers, but I know where my mom works!"


    Stewart called Briony four or five times in a row, but she never picked up.


    She was expecting two valuable artifacts to arrive that day and had been swamped with worktely-she simply didn''t have the time or the energy to deal with Stewart. To avoid distractions altogether, she''d left her phone in her office. She had just entered the restorationb when Hannah knocked on the door.


    "Briony, there are two police officers here asking for you."


    Briony looked surprised. "Police? What for?"


    "They''ve brought Irwin with them."


    Briony frowned. Irwin?


    She untied her apron and stepped out of theb.


    "Mom!"


    At the front desk, Irwin caught sight of Briony from the young male officer''s arms and shouted, bursting with excitement.


    "You''re Miss Kensington, correct?" The female officer approached, shing her badge. "We''re with the Pearbrook District Police."


    Briony nced at the ID, bewildered. “Is something wrong?"


    "It''s like this—your son wandered off this morning. Fortunately, a sanitation worker found him and called us. We asked him some questions and he said you''re his mother, and he gave us this address."


    Ran off?


    Briony looked at Irwin, more than a little surprised.


    The moment she met his eyes, Irwin''s nose crinkled and he let out a wail. "Mom! I thought I''d never see you again!"


    Briony frowned, about to speak, when the female officer cut her off with a scolding tone.


    "The boy told us you and his father are getting divorced. Listen, I''m not here to judge, but no matter what''s going on between you two, you can''t just neglect your child. He''s only five. You got lucky this time, but what if something had happened? Can you live with that?"


    Briony''s expression turned cold. "I''m not his mother. You''ve got the wrong person."


    "Really?" The officer frowned. "Let me see your ID. If he''s your child, we''ll find out soon enough."


    Briony hesitated, her frown deepening.


    She and Stewart weren''t officially divorced yet, so on paper, Irwin was still listed as her son.


    "We''re in the middle of a divorce," Briony said, forcing herself to stay calm. "Irwin isn''t my biological child. Stewart has custody."


    "Even if that''s the case, you''re still his legal guardian right now. Stepmothers have a tough job, I get that. But this boy is only five-he kept asking for you the whole way here. He clearly depends on you. Don''t be so heartless. Please, just take care of him."


    Briony realized there was no point in arguing further. She turned to Irwin.


    "Irwin, call your father. Have hime pick you up."


    Irwin''s bottom lip trembled. "Dad hasn''t been home for days. He isn''t answering his phone."


    Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, "Mom, I promise I''ll be good. Can I please stay with you for a few days? I''m scared to be alone at home."


    The female officer shot Briony a look of thinly veiled contempt.


    "This little boy came all this way by himself just to find you. It''s freezing out there, and he''s only wearing pajamas-his feet are bright red from the cold. Look how miserable he is!"