Louis gaze fell on the last line of words on the document.
"Verena and Dain's used to date. Because Ariana stepped in, Ariana got together with Dain instead."
Louis closed the file and stuffed it into Lin Nan's hands. Calmly, he said, "Go and investigate the reasons behind Verena and Dain's breakup. Investigate Dain as well, and find V."
"Yes." joshua committed everything Louis said to memory.
…
Verena pulled her delivery bike to a stop in front of the old apartment building, double-checking the address on her phone.
"Yup. This is it." She nodded to herself and swung a leg off the bike.
She had been doing part-time job in weekends. She couldn't stay idle at all when all she need were money to survive.
Reaching into the delivery compartment, she unzipped the insulated bag—and froze.
Instead of boxes of pizza, two big brown eyes blinked up at her.
"…What the—?!"
A tiny head popped up from inside the bag, grinning. "Hi!!!"
Verena just stared. "Oh my God." She blinked, then blinked again. "You… You're not a pizza!"
The little boy giggled and waved his chubby hands. "Nope!"
"What are you doing in there?!" she yelped, looking around in disbelief. "Where are the pizza boxes?!"
When she glanced back down, his smile had vanished. His face scrunched, and big fat tears began rolling silently down his cheeks.
"Oh no no no—hey, don't cry! I wasn't scolding you, I was just… surprised!" Verena softened her voice immediately. "What is this adorable baby doing in my bag, hmm?" She forced a calm, teasing tone and crouched beside him, brushing his tears with the edge of her sleeve.
He sniffled, lip wobbling. "Sorry…"
Verena sighed and reached in to lift him gently out of the bag. "Come here, troublemaker."
He smelled faintly of cheese and tomato sauce. She chuckled softly as she patted his back. "You smell like extra pepperoni. Did you eat the pizzas?"
The boy nodded with a shy grin, still sniffling.
"Well, I guess someone enjoyed them."
He nuzzled closer, playing with a strand of her hair. His little fingers were warm, curious, gentle. Verena felt her heart squeeze.
She hadn't held a child in years—not since the day she'd lost her own. Since then, even the sound of a baby crying made her skin crawl. In prison, she'd avoided the new moms entirely. Once, she'd snapped at one woman just for letting her newborn cry too long. She couldn't stand it. Couldn't bear the reminders.
But this boy—this sweet, strange little boy—was different.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked quietly.
"Benny," he whispered.
"Benny, huh?" She smiled. "Well, Benny Bunny, what were you doing hiding in my delivery bag?"
He pressed his cheek to her shoulder and whispered, "Hiding…"
"Hiding from who?"
He hesitated.
"Benny?" she asked gently, brushing his hair from his forehead. "Were you hiding from someone?"
"…Daddy."
Verena's brows drew together. "Your daddy? Why?"
The boy's voice cracked a little as he murmured, "Because… he doesn't want me anymore."
Verena's breath caught.
For a second, she didn't say anything. She just held him tighter, like she could protect him from whatever had hurt him. Her throat tightened with an emotion she hadn't felt in years—a mother's instinct, fierce and aching.
"Oh, Benny," she whispered, resting her chin lightly on his head. "Well, that just means your daddy is very, very wrong. Mm, can you tell me where you live? I can take you back to your daddy."
The little boy immediately shook his head. "No!"
"Why not?" she asked gently. "He must be really worried about you."
"He's not," the boy mumbled, clutching the hem of her sleeve.
Verena's brows drew together. "Are you sure? Maybe I can call him. Do you know his number?"
The boy hesitated. His tiny fingers clenched tighter around her sleeve like she was the only safe thing left in the world. Her warmth reminded him of something he'd lost.
She saw the fear in his eyes and softened her voice. She thought maybe he didn't want to give his father's number. "Alright. Then… can you give me your mommy's number?"
At the word mommy, the boy's face crumpled. Tears spilled out of his eyes before he even made a sound. And then, he sobbed.
Verena panicked. "No, no, sweetheart—don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you, I promise—"
"Hands where I can see them!"
The shout came like a gunshot. Verena's head whipped around to find police storming toward her, weapons drawn.
"Put the child down! Now!"
Years of prison discipline kicked in. Verena gently placed the child on the ground and slowly lifted her hands, eyes wide but calm. Her voice caught in her throat. Not in front of the kid.
The boy stared at her in confusion as a suited bodyguard swept him up into his arms, carrying him back toward an armored vehicle.
"Wait—No! Let me go!" he kicked and cried. "Don't take her away!"
But the officers didn't stop. In a practiced move, two policemen grabbed Verena's arms and clicked the cold cuffs around her wrists.
⸻
Half an hour later, in the Heisenberg mansion, silence pressed down like ice.
Louis stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, a lit cigarette forgotten between his fingers. His expression was sculpted from stone—cold, unreadable, terrifying. Not even the faint curl of smoke softened his presence.
Joshua entered with cautious steps, hands behind his back. "Sir… the young master's back. He's safe."
Louis didn't speak.
"In the morning, he had another fight with your brother. He asked for his mother again… kindergarten called before noon. Said he was missing."
The silence stretched. Louis didn't move.
Joshua took a slow breath. "Boss… forgive me, but… he's just a child. He misses his mother. He's not like your employees. He doesn't understand the world the way you do."
That broke the stillness.
Louis turned, just slightly. His eyes were glacial. "This is my family, Joshua. You don't get to instruct me on how to raise my son."
Joshua went quiet, the chill in the room enough to freeze the breath in his throat.
Just then, the study door burst open.
"Daddy!"
Little Benny sprinted into the room, slipping past the stunned guards. He ran up to Louis, grabbed his father's hand with both of his tiny ones, and tugged with all his might.
"You have to come! You have to help the pretty auntie!"
Louis blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"She didn't kidnap me!" Benny cried. "She found me in her pizza bag! She was nice to me—she hugged me and talked to me like a real mommy!"
Louis's gaze flicked toward his bodyguard. "The woman was taken by police, correct?"
The bodyguard nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir. She was found with the young master and handed over immediately. She'll be held for questioning. Potential abduction charges—standard protocol."
Benny stomped his foot. "No! She didn't do anything wrong! She saved me! You're all being mean to her!"
He grabbed his father's phone from the desk and flung it aside. "Don't just call! Go get her!"
Louis looked at him for a long, long moment. No one dared speak.
Then finally, wordlessly, Louis bent down, lifted his son into his arms, and walked out of the room.
"Prepare the car," he said coolly. "We're going to the station."