Chapter 743 Side Story: Childhood Sweetheart 3


    "Why are you crouching here?" Damian smiled as he helped her to her feet. "Look at you. Your clothes


    are all dusty from leaning on the walls."


    Alice stuck her lips into a pout. "I was just worried that something might happen to you, Damian. Didn''t


    Mr. Winthrop scold you or anything?"


    "He didn''t say much about me, of course. On top of that, he even helped me to teach those guys a


    lesson," Damian replied. He felt a strong sense of pride welling up in his chest when he recalled how


    majestic and influential his father had seemed earlier. I have to grow up to be someone like


    Daddy. That way, I can really protect Alice. When that happens, no one around here will have the guts


    to bully Alice.


    Alice had no idea what was happening in Damian''s mind, so she assumed he was just in a daze after


    all that had happened. So, she stuck her hand out to tug on his arm. "Stop thinking about all these


    things, Damian. Do you want to y with me?"


    Damian took a nce at his smartwatch before shaking his head. "Your break time is about to end, and


    your ss starts soon. You should be back in ss by now," he said. Alice did not intend to stay in that


    boring ss to learn boring subjects. "I know everything that the teacher''s teaching now. The way he


    teaches is really boring, and he always makes me want to sleep."


    Damian knew about Alice''s capabilities. She had already started with the elementary school sybus


    when she was three years old andpleted all the elementary school subjects even though this was


    only her first year there. She had even started studying some high school subjects. On the other hand,


    Damian often seemedzy and uninterested in his studies. On the outside, he was much weaker in


    academics than her.


    "Well, understanding the subject doesn''t give you the permission to skip sses…" Even though he


    regrly skipped his own sses, he didn''t want to encourage the same behavior in Alice. She was an


    obedient and adorable princess in her eyes, and he couldn''t bear to see her do such a thing. His


    impression of her would change otherwise. "Please, Damian… Pretty please?" She tugged on his


    sleeve and swung it from left to right. No one could reject her when she was acting that way. Naturally,


    Damian, who had a huge soft spot for this precious young girl, finally gave in to her wishes with an


    exasperated nod. "Fine. We''ll skip school. Where would you like to go y?"


    Alice cheered to herself inwardly. Yes!


    "I''d like to collect some seashells by the ocean." Since Alice was a child, her favorite outdoor activity


    was visiting the beach. To her, the beach signified one''s freedom and rxation. She enjoyed staring at


    the clear blue ocean, the seagulls soaring past the surface of the water, and the shiny and twinkling


    seashells scattered across the sand. Beyond that, she also enjoyed having Damian build sand castles


    with her.


    He already had a hunch about her answer, and he let out a sigh after hearing it. "I knew it. Sure. Let''s


    sneak out over the walls." Alice was skipping school on her second day of sses, and this didn''t seem


    like a good sign. Then again, since it was a new semester, her teacher couldn''t possibly recognize her.


    Therefore, she wasn''t the least bit concerned as she followed Damian out of the school grounds.


    Once they got to the beach, the afternoon sun was still hanging above their heads. It was rather hot


    that day, and Damian knew that the heat would make Alice feel rather ufortable. So, he hurried


    over to a nearby store, where he bought her a cup of watermelon juice. He also asked thedy


    handling the store to lend him some sunblock. Damian wore a wide grin on his face and addressed her


    politely while speaking. Naturally, the girl fell victim to his good looks, and she smiled back while


    handing him the sunblock. "How cute of you to take care of your sister like that!"


    Damian took the sunblock and the watermelon juice along with him as he left the store. However, he


    looked around to realize that Alice was nowhere to be seen. He assumed that the girl was fooling with


    him and had probably started building a sandcastle on her own. Yet, after walking around the sandy


    beaches for a while, he realized that she was nowhere to be found.


    As time went on, Damian began to panic. "Alice. Alice!" Damian ran all over the ce, but he simply


    didn''t see Alice''s figure anywhere. He was in a state of utter helplessness when an odd-looking man


    showed up in front of him and shed him a sly smile. The man wore a mask over his face that covered


    more than half his face. However, his smile seemed extremely familiar.


    The angle at which his lips were curled up made it clear that this man was just faking a smile. He


    seems so familiar. I feel like I know him, or like I''ve met him in the past. "Are you looking for a young


    girl?" the man asked.


    Damian hastily grabbed the man''s sleeves upon hearing his words. The man''s arm was terrifyingly


    skinny—Damian felt as if he was holding onto bones. The man''s other sleeve was empty. "Do you


    know where she is?"


    "Of course, I know where she is. I can even bring you to her, but before that, I''ll need you to tell me one


    thing." Damian was rather suspicious of the man''s words, but this was the only chance he had. "What


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    do you want to know?" Damian asked.


    "How is your mom?" The man''s voice was raspy, and he hesitated for a long while before he finally


    produced his simple question. Damian had no idea what made the man ask such a question, but he


    nodded obediently. "My mother''s doing pretty well, but who are you? Why do you care about my


    mother?"


    The man simply grinned in response to Damian''s words. He no longer questioned anything after that.


    "Alright. I have my answer. I''ll take you over to the girl." The man led Damian to a rather secluded


    corner, and Damian quickly noticed a young girl resting against a tree trunk. Her eyes were closed as


    though she was just taking a nap. A striped piece of cloth covered her figure, and her face was nearly


    obscured by it. It was no wonder that Damian couldn''t find her earlier.


    That was because she had fallen asleep in such a secluded corner.


    Damian''s gaze softened at the sight of the girl. He was just about to turn around to thank the man when


    he realized that the figure beside him had vanished without a trace. "What an odd man."


    Nheless, he bent down to give her cheeks a gentle pat.


    She mumbled and groaned for a while before waking up.


    "What are you doing here, Damian? I couldn''t find you for a long while earlier, and then I somehow


    ended up falling asleep here."


    She stretched out her limbs as she drowsily got to her feet. "What exactly happened? What time is it?


    I''m starving."


    He let out a sigh. "I''m not too sure what happened, either. All I know is that a kind man brought me over


    to you. I think he was the one who gave you that nket, too."


    "I''ll have to thank that kind man, then!" Alice looked around her. "Where did he go?"


    "I don''t know. He disappeared earlier. Well, since he''s gone, we should head home now."


    Alice raised her hands, and Damian quickly understood what she meant. He bent himself down, and


    she swiftly climbed onto his back. "Time to go home!" she cried.