Even in the dark of night, Ian could see her fondness for Matteo, especially when she mentioned the cheerful part. She had meant it genuinely.
Ian looked away and turned around.
Susan quickly caught up with him and walked by his side. “Where should we find her? This side?”
“No.” His voice suddenly sounded cold.
Susan was a little confused by his sudden coldness. But since he had said that, she decided to follow behind him silently instead. When he turned right, she turned right too.
Did I say something wrong again? Oh my god!
Matteo finally found Natalie at the police station.
She was sitting on a chair, surrounded by a male and a female officer. In her hands was a giant lollipop, and she was enjoying it.
“What’s your name, little girl?”
“Natalie.” Her cute voice and the scent of the sweet softened the police officers’ hearts.
They all found her name to be pleasing to the ear.
Just as Matteo let out a sigh of relief at finding her, a vein bulged on his forehead when he saw her sitting there and eating a lollipop casually.
Right as he was about to head in, a policewoman sat next to Natalie because she liked the girl very much.
“Tell us, Natalie. Why did you run away from home?”
“I didn’t run away from home. It’s because Daddy’s sick.”
“What did you say?”
That stunned everyone in the station. Even Matteo paused his steps when he was just about to go in.
Natalie continued, “Yeah. My daddy’s sick, so I’m here. But now I want to go back. Can you take me home?”
She suddenly raised her head to stare at the policewoman. Tears swelled in her wide eyes.
The policewoman asked, “Why do you want to go back?”
“Because I miss Daddy…”
Tears streamed down Natalie’s cheeks as she lowered her head. The entire police station turned silent in an instant.
Matteo’s fists tightened.
Ever since he was a child, he had been an optimistic person. Even when he encountered many upsetting things in his life, he never let them affect his mood.
That was until the current moment.
He wasn’t sure what he was feeling.
There was guilt, but there was remorse and heartache, too.
Vivian had told him that when they went to pick up Natalie, Brandon called them because he learned that they were in Netheria for vacation.
It had been six years since Brandon left with the child and never returned to Avenport. Matteo couldn’t help but wonder how Brandon and Natalie had been living for the past six years.
He also wondered what would’ve happened to Natalie if Vivian and the others hadn’t gone to Netheria.
Matteo stood at the entrance and watched tears fall from Natalie’s eyes. At that instant, he really wanted to slap himself. What have I done?
“Nat, I’m here to pick you up.” He entered the police station after calming down.
However, when Natalie heard his voice, she was so frightened that she jumped into the policewoman’s embrace.
Matteo and the policewoman were speechless.
“No! I don’t want him! I don’t want…” Natalie cried out loud.
It made him feel even more at a loss.
The police asked, “Wait a second. Who are you? Why is this child so afraid of you? Are you really her family?”
“Yes, I’m her brother.”
Natalie shouted, “No, he isn’t! He’s a bad guy! I don’t want to see him!”
She didn’t hesitate at all to call him a bad guy.
A vein bulged on Matteo’s forehead when he heard that. “I dare you to say that again, Natalie Emmanuel.”
Natalie, who was making a scene a second ago, abruptly turned silent. She was so terrified that she stopped moving.
When Matteo saw that, he pulled out his identification card and showed it to the police officers.
A few minutes later, he brought her out of the station.
When he lowered his head and saw that she refused to leave with him, he scooped her up and left the building with her in his embrace.
Natalie was shocked.
“Stop messing around. I’ll take you to eat something nice.” Matteo didn’t feel entirely comfortable either.
After all, aside from hugging his sister, he had never hugged another living being.
The dogs he hugged while training in the military were different.
The girl widened her eyes in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that the tiger-like Matteo was going to bring her somewhere to eat tasty food. Not only that, but he wasn’t scolding her anymore.
Her gaze was fixed on his face.
