Zoey Zhang whimpered softly in his arms, then, thinking Xavier Foster was about to take her outside to play, stopped moving and settled down obediently.
Cecilia Ye awakened as if from a dream and bolted toward the door.
"Zhiye, Xavier Foster, you can’t take Zoey Zhang away! Where are you taking her?"
With his long legs, Xavier Foster moved quickly; by the time she chased after him, the elevator doors slid shut right before her eyes.
Cecilia Ye trembled all over, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her pale face streaked with tears.
She flung open the fire escape door; the dusty, stale air rushed out at her. She dashed down the dimly lit stairwell, barefoot in her haste.
The emergency staircase was nearly pitch black. Normally, the dark scared Cecilia Ye out of her wits.
Suddenly she stepped on something sharp, pain jolting her, but she grit her teeth and kept running.
Seventeenth floor. All Cecilia Ye wished was to go faster, much faster.
She didn’t know where Xavier Foster intended to take Zoey Zhang.
Today she had just promised Zoey Zhang that they would stay together from now on and that she would never let anyone bully her again.
Xavier Foster, I’m begging you…
Fourth floor, third floor—
She was drenched in sweat, panting desperately, when she finally glimpsed a sliver of light from the building’s front entrance.
The sky outside was gloomy, with rain pouring down and thunder rumbling.
Cecilia Ye glanced at the elevator; it had gone down to the basement level.
Of course—the garage. Xavier Foster must be getting the car.
She dashed through the doors. A torrent of rain instantly drenched her thin pajamas.
Her body’s heat was washed away in a heartbeat, leaving only icy cold cutting to her bones.
Xavier Foster’s car was just pulling up from the underground garage. In one glance, he saw her slender figure standing in the middle of the road.
He slammed the brakes and rolled down the window, shouting, "Cecilia Ye, are you crazy?!"
Cecilia Ye rushed to the car and clung to the window. Tears mingled with rain, leaving nothing but her reddened eyes.
Zoey Zhang sat quietly curled in the passenger seat. Cecilia Ye gasped for breath, her voice coming out choked with sobs.
"Where are you taking her? I’m begging you, please."
"I’ll apologize to Vivian Belle, beg for her forgiveness, just don’t take Zoey Zhang away."
Chill autumn rain blew in through the car window, dotting Xavier Foster’s cheek with cold drops.
Seeing Cecilia Ye’s lips almost white from the cold, Xavier Foster’s anger spiked. He flung open the car door and draped his jacket over her shivering shoulders.
Noticing she was barefoot, his expression grew even darker.
"Cecilia Ye, what are you doing!"
His deep voice was thick with fury. Xavier Foster was nearly driven mad by the sight before him.
Cecilia Ye clung tightly to his collar, most of the jacket slipping off her trembling body.
"Xavier Foster, where are you sending Zoey Zhang? Please don’t, I’m begging you! I’ll never bother Vivian Belle again, it’s all my fault—don’t give her away."
His heart softened. Xavier Foster wrapped Cecilia Ye up tighter.
"I’m just sending her to my grandparents for a while—not to Vivian Belle."
Cecilia Ye let out a shaky breath but still shook her head.
"You promised: when we brought Zoey Zhang home, we’d take care of her and never send her away. She’d be heartbroken."
Xavier Foster, you brought me home, and now you’re sending me away. I’m devastated.
We brought Zoey Zhang home, only to give her away—she’ll be heartbroken too.
You don’t understand what it’s like—to be abandoned.
But I understand all too well…
As a child, she had always asked why she was at the orphanage, why she had no mom and dad.
The caretakers told her that maybe her parents had their reasons—so they temporarily sent her to the orphanage.
But as she grew up, Cecilia Ye realized she was simply left there, discarded. Left to be adopted by that terrifying family.
Just like her, Zoey Zhang had been abandoned once too…
The car door remained open, and the little dog, confused, crawled into the driver’s seat. Outside, a kitten mewed from the grass, then darted out of sight.
Zoey Zhang glanced over with curious, wide eyes, and in a flash, she leapt off the seat and bolted into the grass.
The rain was relentless. Neither of the adults standing by the car noticed the little dog run off.
Grinding his teeth against his anger, Xavier Foster pushed Cecilia Ye into the passenger seat. She was still shaking all over, her face white as a ghost.
"Zoey Zhang, Zoey Zhang…"
She turned to look for the pup, but the familiar little ball of fur didn’t come out wagging her tail as usual.
The car was so small—the two of them stared, dumbstruck.
Where had Zoey Zhang gone…
Cecilia Ye immediately tried to get out, but Xavier Foster’s tall frame blocked the door, holding her back.
The rain was coming down in sheets. Xavier Foster was already soaked, his white dress shirt clinging to his chest.
His hair was plastered to his face; he ran a hand through it, never having looked so disheveled.
"Don’t move. If you run out again, I won’t go looking for her anymore."
His tone carried barely contained anger, his expression colder than the autumn rain.
Cecilia Ye stared at him with desperate eyes, as if he were her last lifeline.
Xavier Foster shut the car door and slid into the driver’s seat, pulling out his phone.
"Henry Hart? Pull up every surveillance camera in Qinghe Community* from the past ten minutes. Look for a small dog that got out of my car."
"Yes, at building fourteen's entrance. Have someone check there right away—I’ll be over soon."
He hung up, massaging his brow.
Cecilia Ye huddled at his side, sneezing twice, her sobs reduced to little sniffles. "I’m sorry, Xavier Foster, it’s all my fault."
He turned and pulled her into his arms—the poor girl was scared out of her mind.
"It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have tried to send her away. It’ll be fine. We’ll find her."
His words were gentle, patting Cecilia Ye’s back softly.
"Let’s go back upstairs and change clothes, okay?"
"I’m fine. I want to go look for Zoey Zhang."
Her eyes were swollen like walnuts, tears falling with every blink, her hair a wet, tangled mess stuck to her face.
Xavier Foster reached over to wipe her cheeks, his rough fingertips brushing gently.
It stung a little, but somehow the touch calmed her.
"Since you’ve got my jacket, you won’t be cold. Now I’m the one freezing."
Just as he predicted, Cecilia Ye nodded, "Okay, but let’s hurry."
"Alright, just a quick change."
Xavier Foster got out of the car first, came around, and scooped her up before heading inside.
"I can walk by myself," Cecilia Ye protested, wriggling a little.
"You’re barefoot—you actually ran down here like that?"
"Mm." For some reason, Cecilia Ye ducked her head guiltily into his chest.
Back in the bedroom, he fetched her a set of fresh clothes.
"Hurry and change. Dry your hair, too."
Cecilia Ye nodded and went into the bathroom to find a towel from the rack.
Standing on tiptoe, she suddenly felt faint and dizzy, as if countless needles were stabbing at her head.
"Zhiye…"
Her world spun; she crashed hard to the floor. The things from the shelf tumbled down with her.
Xavier Foster, halfway through buttoning his shirt, heard her weak cry and the loud crash that followed. He dashed into the bathroom.
Seeing her sprawled on the floor, his heart twisted painfully.
He scooped her up—her brows were tightly furrowed, clearly in distress.
He touched her forehead; it was burning up. Her face was drained of color, and a faint bruise was blossoming near her temple.
He immediately called the family doctor and turned up the air conditioner, but couldn’t bring himself to let her go.
Cecilia Ye snuggled into his embrace, bearing through the pain wracking her body.
Her little hands clung tightly to his shirt, desperate to soak up any warmth. Her voice was feeble, barely more than a whisper: "Zhiye, I’m so cold…"
"Don’t be afraid, it’s just a fever. The doctor will be here soon."
"Zoey Zhang…"
Even with her pale, drawn face, her worry wouldn’t let her sleep.
"They’re already out searching. Rest for a bit—when you wake up, Zoey Zhang will be home."
Reassured by his gentle promise, Cecilia Ye finally closed her eyes and slipped into a deep sleep.