Chapter 177 Terrified


    Charles''s POV:


    Upon receiving a message from J that James was fine, I felt so much relief.


    Then, I decided to give Scarlett a call. But when the call connected, the one who answered wasn''t


    the person I had been longing for.


    "Oh, Charles! Scarlett is busy right now. Can I take the message?" asked Nina.


    "James almost got kidnapped. Please tell Scarlett to be extra careful from now on. And tell her I''ll


    pick her upter," I answered. Worry was apparent in the way I spoke.


    "What the hell? How did that even happen? Alright, I''ll tell her everything you said." Nina sounded


    horrified. And her normal cheery voice had be serious.


    Once I hung up, I drove to the TV station to pick up Scarlett.


    Upon entering the building, I saw her running towards me. I could see in her eyes just how worried


    she was.


    "Charles, how is James? Is he hurt? Oh, my God! This is all my fault. I was feeling something bad


    might happen earlier, but I didn''t keep himpany." Scarlett was holding my sleeve, and her


    hurried voice showed just how agitated she was.


    "There''s no need to me yourself. James is fine. In fact, you''re the reason he''s safe, because you


    insisted on lettingj and Tracy look after him." I held her in my arms, stroking her hair in an


    attempt tofort her.


    I was relieved that Scarlett didn''t push me away this time. With trembling hands, she hold onto my


    waist as if she were holding onto dear life.


    "It''s going to be okay," I muttered. Gently, I nted a kiss on her forehead and waited for her to


    calm down.


    A few momentster, Scarlett finally stopped trembling. The moment she looked into my eyes, all


    frailty and hesitation she previously had were gone. "I want to see James," she said.


    "Come on, then. I''ll take you home," I replied with a nod.


    Suddenly, Scarlett became tense as though she had realized something. She loosened her grip on


    my waist and backed away from me. "Sorry, I, urn ... I was really terrified."


    My heart sank at her remark. Oh, how I''d missed how she always threw herself into my arms


    whenever she was scared and neededfort.


    Not long after, I drove Scarlett back to my family''s house. The moment she disembarked from the


    car, she ran to James'' room at once.


    I followed her closely and watched as she sat beside James'' crib, caressing his soft cheeks.


    Our child was sound asleep and he had a lovely smile printed on his face.


    Later on, Scarlett left the room. Strands of her hair were covering her face, making her look


    haggard. It was easy to tell that she was absolutely terrified.


    "Are you okay?" I took a step closer to her, attempting to console her. However, I stopped in my


    tracks when I saw how she looked at me.


    I must admit that for a second there, I was scared that she''d push me away again.


    "I''m fine," she said. "Let''s go downstairs. We haven''t greeted Mom and Dad yet," she added.


    Scarlett didn''t even look me in the eye when she spoke to me. And after she had said that, she


    turned around and left. I could sense that she was avoiding being alone with me.


    I didn''t say anything this time, and just followed her.


    When we got downstairs, we saw how worried Mom and Dad were.


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    "Scarlett, you need not worry so much. James is fine now." My mother, Alice, approached Scarlett


    and gave her a hug.


    "Indeed. Have faith that we''ll find the culprit behind the kidnapping and send them behind bars," my


    father dered. He then winked at me furtively.


    I looked at Scarlett as she hugged my mother, and recalled how agitated she was at the TV station.


    No matter how strong she might be, she still needed someone dependable to rely on.


    Knowing that she needed a shoulder to cry on, I gathered my courage to be there for her and tried


    to ce my arms around her shoulders. But before I could get the chance to do that, she let go of


    my mother and swerved to avoid me.


    "Sorry to have made you worry. I got carried away. Anyway, I''ll be going upstairs now to apany


    my son." Scarlett gave my parents a smile, and went upstairs without even ncing at me.


    "Charles, what are you waiting for? Go after her andfort her!" my father remarked.


    However, I just stood there, watching Scarlett disappear from my sight.


    Scarlett''s POV:


    I went upstairs and closed the door behind me. Then, I gazed at James, watching him sleep safe


    and sound. It was then that I felt like the world came crashing down around me. Unable to bear it


    any longer, I burst into tears.


    I covered my face, rushing to the bathroom. Now that I was all alone, I let myself be vulnerable and


    cried myself out.


    "God, I almost lost James!" I said to myself. And even though he was safe and sound now, I was


    still heartbroken.


    If I couldn''t protect my beloved son, then I didn''t deserve to be his mother.


    All of a sudden, I heard a click, and then the door opened.


    Confused, I looked at the direction of the door. My vision was blurred by tears, but I could tell who it


    was just based on the person''s height.


    Charles held my face and wiped away my tears. He was looking at me with such pity and affection.


    I did my best to suppress my emotions, but when he held me in his tight embrace, I broke into tears


    once more. Bitterly, I cried and hugged him back. I didn''t even care that my tears were falling down


    his broad shoulder.


    Eventually, I calmed down. Once I had gathered myposure, I felt embarrassed when I realized


    that I had sullied his clothes with my tears and snot.


    I grabbed his clothes tightly. Even though I knew it wasn''t right, I couldn''t bring myself to let go.


    It was then that I wondered why God ever let me meet Charles.


    We were madly in love with each other, but we couldn''t be together. Now, there was nothing left


    between us aside from endless pain and heartache.


    All of a sudden, I received a call from Nina.


    I forced myself to stop crying and calm down. Once I was a little moreposed, I nudged Charles


    away and answered the call.


    After a brief conversation, I hung up and turned my attention back to Charles.


    "Do you think you can find out who James '' kidnappers were?" I spluttered. My heart was pounding


    in my chest as I recalled what happened today.


    "I''ll find out everything today. I promise." Charles looked at me with so much determination that it


    rendered me silent for a moment.


    Though I had been trying to distance myself from him, James was dear to his heart as well.


    "Nina called me for something urgent. I have to go back to the TV station," I said.


    "I''ll drive you there," he offered.


    "It''s okay. I have bodyguards, remember? I''ll just ask them to escort me there." Not wanting to be


    alone with Charles any longer, I decided to leave the room.


    But before I could take another step, he grabbed my wrist and effortlessly pulled me back into his


    embrace.


    I struggled to break free from his grasp, but obviously, I was no match to him in terms of strength.


    "Your bodyguards are investigating the kidnapping. You won''t be able to leave on your own until we


    find out who''s behind this. Scarlett, I''ll drive you there. Don''t make me repeat myself," Charles


    commanded.


    Albeit reluctant, I decided to take him up on his offer.


    Not long after, we arrived at the TV station. However, I didn''t get out of the car right away. Instead, I


    stared at his perfectly chiseled face for a moment. I tried to speak, but I found myself at a loss for


    words.


    Charles looked at me with a piercing gaze. "What is it? Do you not want to get out of the car or is it


    because you don''t want to leave me?"


    I willed myself to look into his eyes, and tried to stay as calm as possible. "I, uh... just wanted to ask


    you to tell me who the kidnappers are the second you find out."


    "Of course."


    This time, Charles was the one who turned his face away first.


    Though he was calm, I could sense that he was just as lonely and worried as I was.


    ******


    At noon, Nina and I had lunch together.


    She was utterly shocked when she learned that James almost got kidnapped.


    In a fit of rage, she pounded on the table. "Do you even need to conduct an investigation? It''s


    obviously Rita! She''s the only person I can think of who''s capable of doing something so terrible!"


    "Charles is already investigating the matter. He said he''ll notify me once he finds out the truth." I


    poked on my food using a fork, and found that I wasn''t in the mood to eat.


    "Scarlett, you have Charles. There''s no need for you to worry. I''m a hundred percent sure that he''ll


    make the kidnapper regret what he did to James!"


    "We''re divorced," I said in a hushed voice.


    "Divorced or not, he''s still James'' father, Scarlett. You need to understand and acknowledge that


    he''ll do whatever it takes to protect you and your son," replied Nina.


    I stared at my uneaten food and sighed.


    That night, I returned to the Moore family''s house.


    Alice was cradlingjames in her arms and ying with him. My heart softened when I heard the


    baby''s giggling.


    "Scarlett, you''re back. It feels different to have a child now, doesn''t it? No matter how busy you get,


    you''ll want to deal with everything else as soon as possible, so that you can go home and take care


    of your son," Alice remarked as she ced James into my arms.


    "Indeed. I guess it''s a mother''s intuition, huh?" Imented. A wide grin appeared on my lips. I had


    to admit that Alice was right. At that moment, James gripped my finger using his small hands, and it


    made my heart melt.


    "James should be living here from now on. You don''t need to drop him off in the morning and take


    him back in the evening everyday anymore. It''ll be better for his safety," said Alice, looking into my


    eyes.


    "But I..."


    Just before I could refuse, Alice added, "Scarlett, you can also stay here after work. I''ll prepare a


    room for you. After all, we''re still family."


    "Okay. Thank you, Mom." I decided to just agree with Alice''s generosity.


    She was right. I had been too busytely that I barely had any time to take care of James. Staying


    in the Moore mansion would be good for my child''s well-being.


    And as for me, all I had to do was to avoid Charles as much as I could.


    Alice smiled at my response, and then we chatted for a while. Afterwards, he took James and urged


    me to go downstairs for dinner.


    The moment I arrived downstairs, I saw the butler hurriedly approaching.


    "Mr. Charles is back," he reported.


    Thus, I strode towards Charles at once. "Have you found out who the culprit is?"