Chapter 138 Alfred Was LyingÂ
“There was someone upstairs just now. He stared at us for a while, then left.”Â
Alfred was very sensitive to when other people were looking at him.Â
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He had even tilted his head up on purpose earlier, and for a moment, he made eye contact with Lawrence.Â
Alfred spoke at a steady pace, not fast and not slow, like he was laying out a conclusion he had carefully worked out. “But I think blood relations don’t actually mean anything.Â
“What matters is the time people spend living together, the memories they share, and the trust they build. Those are what make a family.Â
“A purely biological connection is just a random event. It has no real emotional value.”Â
He was going into another long explanation, trying to convince Maya that blood ties weren’t important.Â
But Maya didn’t take in a single word.Â
“Upstairs???” Maya’s mind froze for a second. Her heartbeat jumped. She quickly asked, “Where exactly? Which direction did he go?”Â
Alfred stopped and looked at her.Â
He was silent for a few seconds.Â
Then he said, “I don’t know.”Â
He was lying.Â
Maya could tell.Â
It was the first time she had seen that kind of expression on Alfred’s face.Â
It wasn’t his usual blank look or his logical, analytical one. It was something she had never seen before. What was it? Resistance? Unease?Â
“Alfred.”Â
She called his name again.Â
Alfred lowered his eyes.Â
“He was on the fourth floor. As for where he went after that, I really don’t know.” His voice dropped lower. For once, he spoke a lot, like he was trying to say everything he had ever held back, all at once, as if he might never speak again after today.Â
“Are blood ties really that important? Important enough for you to come all the way here?”Â
“I don’t think you should go look for him,” he added, staring at her with stubborn eyes.Â
Maya noticed the faint unease on his face. Her own rising panic slowly settled a little. Her voice softened.Â
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Chapter 138 Alfred Was LyingÂ
“I don’t think blood matters either. As you said, what matters more is experience.Â
“Just like I love all of you. I love him too.”Â
Alfred still didn’t understand. “You need him that much?”Â
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“No.” Maya was very good at talking to people. She curved her eyes into a gentle smile. “I need you. Please help me.”Â
Alfred was stunned.Â
That one sentence was enough to make Alfred lose all sense of direction.Â
“Okay,” he said.Â
His voice was soft. He took Maya’s hand and started running toward a place from his memory.Â
Maya couldn’t help but let out a small, excited sound. She lifted her long dress so it wouldn’t get in the way and followed him upstairs.Â
The building had seven floors. Where they would end up, no one could really say. In Alfred’s memory, the boy had stopped on the fourth floor.Â
“Are we searching here?” Maya asked, already feeling slightly dizzy just looking around.Â
Alfred said, “He probably isn’t here. The first floor is the main banquet hall. Most people there are familiar with each other. The second and third floors are for business talks and meetings.Â
“The fourth floor is a lounge. It’s for guests who don’t want to attend the banquet but also aren’t ready to leave yet. You can watch who goes in and out.”Â
Maya followed his gaze.Â
A few women in elegant dresses passed by. They looked young, their makeup perfect. They were holding onto men’s arms as they walked through a door.Â
Before the door closed, Maya caught a glimpse inside-people sitting on sofas with drinks in hand, laughing in a soft, suggestive way.Â
She understood.Â
In a place like this, it was normal for people who didn’t like public socializing but still needed connections to end up gathering.Â
A child like Lawrence would never appear here.Â
Alfred said, “The second and third floors are mostly for business meetings. The seventh floor isn’t used for events. It’s usually empty.Â
“We’re a bit late today. The banquet started over an hour ago. He would’ve planned to leave early. What I mean is, whatever his reason for coming, he should be getting ready to go by now.Â
“But unfortunately, when he reached the fourth floor, he instinctively looked down….Â
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Chapter 138 Alfred Was LyingÂ
“I also looked up. We made eye contact.”Â
The moment Lawrence saw him, his expression was full of shock.Â
Alfred thought that the boy definitely knew him.Â
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Maya said, “Let’s start by checking the lounge. There are guest rooms on the fifth and sixth floors too. He could be anywhere.”Â
All they could do now was hope that her strange brother hadn’t run off too far, but had instead hidden somewhere.Â
If he wanted to run, catching him in a place like this would be almost impossible.Â
But if he was just hiding…Â
Then Alfred felt like maybe he actually wanted to be found.Â
He used to play hide-and-seek with Maya like that, too. He would pick one hiding spot and wait, quietly hoping she would find him.Â
And when she did, he would say, “You win.”Â
Maya used to ask why he never changed his hiding place. At first, he didn’t understand it either.Â
But later, he thought about it more carefully. The reason was simple.Â
He just wanted to be found quickly.Â
“Talking is so tiring,” Alfred said faintly.Â
It felt like he had already used up all the words he would need for the next week.Â
“Thanks for your hard work!” Maya said brightly.Â
She enthusiastically patted his back a couple of times.Â
Alfred frowned. “That hurts.Â
“You’re really strong.”Â
Maya immediately pulled her hands back. “I just gave you a massage, and you’re still complaining.”Â
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