CHARLOTTE’S POV
65 Jousters
On Wednesday morning. I drove Liam to school myself. Leslie went back to London during the weekend for an emergency at the hospital and would be back by weekend. Ethan went back with her to see his father, and I was left alone with Liam.
Liam didn’t go to school for two days. Since the rogue incident, he stayed home with his nanny and came to the hospital to see me every evening.
I had honestly considered Ace’s option of changing his school. But SilverCrest Moon Academy was one of the best wolf schools in New York, secured, and extremely hard to get into.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to put you in another school?” I asked Liam, giving him a small look before focusing back on the road.
“No, mummy. I really like it here. Asher is here and we look out for each other,” Liam said with this tiny proud smile. Asher was the same boy he fought the rogue for, and both of them had talked nonstop the whole weekend on the phone.
“Besides,” he added, lifting one eyebrow like a tiny professor, “you know it’s not psychologically okay to be switching schools for a child my age, right? It affects our mental development.”
I turned and gave him the weirdest look. “Where did you learn that from?”
“I read a book from the library,” he said, scratching his head. “I don’t remember the title but it said it’s not advisable for a child’s development.”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh. “It’s for your safety, Liam. I don’t know what I would do if anything happens to you.”
“You worry too much, mummy. Nothing is going to happen to me,” Liam said with this confident shrug. “I’m strong. I’ve been fighting with Uncle Ethan, that’s how I learned self–defense. Now imagine how it’ll be if big Alpha Ace trains me to fight.”
He went quiet after that, staring out the window. His little fingers played with the strap of his bag.
“I wish he was my father,” he whispered. “He didn’t come to see me throughout the weekend, maybe he doesn’t like me anymore.”
My chest tightened so fast I felt the air leave my lungs. Liam never talked about his father. Not once. Hearing it now made some kind of pain settle in my throat. I thought Ethan being there was enough for him, maybe I was wrong.
“But you love Uncle Ethan,” I said softly, brushing a curl away from his forehead. “And he loves you too.”
“I love Uncle Ethan, but he’s not always around,” Liam murmured, his voice small.
It never occurred to me that Liam also needed his biological father like every other kid in his school. It’s not like I planned to keep Liam away from his father. I don’t even have a memory of him. Why didn’t he look for me, or for his son? What did I do that was so terrible that he would abandon me and his child? Did I run away? But why?
I shook my head quickly, pushing the thought away before it swallowed me again. I had struggled with these thoughts and more since I woke up from the coma, I don’t want to go back to that slump.
I drove into the parking lot and slowed down when I saw a group of men dressed in black. They stood around like some sort of private security, their eyes scanning everything.
“Mummy, who are these people?” Liam asked, his excitement about school slowly fading as he clutched his backpack tighter.
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1:34 pm
Chapter 13
“I don’t know, baby,” I said, squeezing his hand gently. “Why don’t we go and find out from the principal?”
We walked together toward the building, Liam sticking close to my side. I could feel his confusion and honestly, mine too. We made our way straight to the principal’s office.
“Dr. Charlotte.” She bowed a little, and I did the same. “I want to apologize again for what happened last week. I promise with my life that it will never happen again.”
You’ve apologized enough,” I said, brushing it aside. “Who are those men outside?”
Those men are wolf warriors. Alpha Ace sent them yesterday to safeguard the school and the students.”
My jaw literally dropped. “He did what?”
She explained everything a bit more, and when it was time to leave, I stopped by Liam’s class to say goodbye, he was discussing with Asher and threw me a big smile. I missed him the moment I stepped out, but I rushed straight to my hospital. Today was a full day. Leslie wasn’t around to ease anything, so the workload looked bigger than usual.
On top of that, I still had to go to Virel Holdings this evening to sign the partnership document. They sent me a text earlier. apologizing again and rescheduling the appointment. I just hoped that this time, it would be for good.
I had no surgeries today, but my day was still packed. I spent the morning reviewing difficult cases the junior doctors couldn’t diagnose, adjusting treatment plans for patients with rare conditions, and signing off special medical reports that needed my approval. I also held a short meeting with the department heads to make sure everything in the hospital ran smoothly while Leslie was away. By the time I finished, my head was aching.
I cleared the rest of my schedule, and by evening, I was driving to Virel Multicorp Holdings at full speed. The sun was going down slowly, brushing the sky with orange. I promised Liam a night out at a small restaurant, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.
Walking towards the secretary’s office, the memory of what happened the last time I was here slipped into my mind.
Just then, a young lady, around my age stepped out of the transparent glass office with a file in her hands. Her heels clicked against the floor, but she froze the moment her eyes landed on me. Her feet stopped.
“Char Char!” she screamed in a bright, excited voice before I could even breathe. She threw herself at me, wrapping her arms so tightly around my body that my feet actually slid back from the force. It was a miracle we didn’t both end up on the floor.
I used a little strength to push her off me, and she finally loosened her hold.
“Where have you been?” she asked quickly, ignoring my push.
“Do I know you?” I asked, my face scrunching into honest confusion.
She blinked her smile dronning in disbelief. “I’m Kathy Your best friend Kathryn.”
“WI
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
