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"Mommy! Daddy!" Lan was busy playing with his cousin when he saw two figures walking inside their hospital room. When he realized they were Ian and Hanlu, he quickly ran towards his parents, jumping into Ian's arms.
"Hi, my baby," Ian smiled and hugged his son. Even though it was a brief moment, he saw Lan's bandages and he couldn't help but feel like crying. But hoping to keep his tears hidden, Ian chewed on his lips while burying his face against his son's neck. "Mommy missed you so so much." He wasn't able to prevent his voice from breaking. Lan had never seen him cry before. He always showed his toughest side to the boy because, aside from being a mother, Ian also needed to be the father for 8 years. He needed to keep a tough image so his son would view him as someone he could rely on.
"I miss you and Daddy too, Mommy," Lan giggled, not noticing Ian's voice cracking.
"How are you?" Hanlu asked, joining in the hug. He kissed Lan's temples, trying to avoid seeing the bandages his son had on his hands. Seeing it broke his heart just as much as Ian's, but instead of feeling sad and crying, he was feeling more and more resentment towards the man who did this to his son. He heard the details about what had happened from Tian Zi and he was sure that he would torture the man to death when he find him. He would start off with breaking each of his bones before cutting his limbs off one by one.
"I'm fine, Daddy," Lan replied brightly. Even though they haven't been away for two weeks, he missed both his parents so much.
"How about Mommy and Daddy? Why are you back so soon?" Lan asked this time, slightly leaning back to look at Ian and Hanlu. Although he missed both of them and is happy that they're finally back, Lan still wanted to know why they came back so early, when the initial plan was to go back after two weeks.
"It's simply because we missed you. Your Mommy and I realized it's more fun to go on a vacation together," Hanlu replied while he brushed Lan's hair softly, while Ian nodded in agreement, still suppressing himself from bursting into tears. When Tian Zi said earlier that their parents decided to keep the fact that he was kidnapped from the child, Hanlu and Ian agreed. They realized that it's probably for the best if Lan didn't know anything for now.
"Really?" Lan giggled, hugging his mother again.
"H-how about these wounds? Do they hurt?" Ian asked finally, barely holding on that Hanlu put his palm on his back, giving him courage and comfort, which really helped him.
"Ahh this? This is nothing. It doesn't hurt at all, Mommy. You don't need to worry," Lan assured, telling the truth. Yesterday, it did hurt, but now the pain went away enough for him to ignore it.
"Let Mommy and Daddy see it, please," Ian asked softly, looking briefly at Hanlu. Lan immediately complied and showed his hands. Hanlu touched it softly and he couldn't describe the rage he felt inside, however none of that showed on his face, the same with Ian, who chose to remain silent.
"Hmmm, I'm so proud of you. You're such a brave boy like your Mommy," Hanlu said, putting down Lan's hands, making the little boy smile.
Walking deeper into the room, Ian and Hanlu first saw Daniel's sleeping figure on the hospital bed. Since they've already heard the crucial details from Tian Zi, Hanlu and Ian know why the Omega is now back in the hospital bed. Even though Daniel didn't necessarily do anything, both are still thankful that the Omega was willing to risk his life to save their son. Both Hanlu and Ian were planning to properly thank Daniel when he's awake.
"How was your flight?" Laura asked, looking at the group. Right now, she and Diane were the only ones in the room aside from the patient and the kids. Of course, their husbands, George, and Ronald would want to stay in the hospital as well, but since it might cause more stress to Daniel if there are too many people in the room, they all decided that Diane and Laura should stay, as they were the once who took care of Daniel back then too.
"We were able to fly immediately without delay so we came back early," Hanlu replied before he approached and hugged his mother briefly. Ian also did the same after putting Lan down who quickly ran towards Luangmin, who he was playing with before his parents arrived.
Meanwhile, the moment Ian hugged Laura, she whispered something that made Ian finally let out his suppressed tears, silently.
"I'm sorry. We weren't able to protect Lan properly," Laura said, making Ian hug his mother-in-law tighter as he shook his head. Honestly, he was really glad that his mother-in-law and father-in-law were such good people. Even though he didn't come from the wealthiest family, they still treated him and Lan as their own. Being labelled as a Mo may be considered as the highest title anyone could receive, however, that privilege includes danger that anyone could imagine.
It takes a brave and good heart to be able to stand with them, making Ian proud to be able to be part of this loving family. He lost his family at a very young age, he had been orphaned for more than half of his life, but now that he had been given another family to cherish, Ian would do his best to protect its interest.
"Please don't apologize, Mother. You, Father, and Daniel had done enough for Lan. Thank you so much for taking such good care of Lan for us," Ian whispered, still embracing Laura as his voice cracked from crying. Hearing Ian's words, Laura softly smiled.
"Of course, Darling. Lan is part of this family, we would take care of him anytime if you're unable to," Laura replied, tapping Ian's back. She noticed the Omega sniffling and she knew how painful this was for the Omega. Omegas are known to be very protective of their kids, so it was natural for Ian to feel this emotional when seeing his son harmed.
"Thank you," Ian said again, pulling away and quickly wiping his tears.
"Uhmm, how's Daniel and Luangmin?" Ian quickly changed the topic, looking at Daniel again and then to Luangmin, who was now playing with Lan on the floor with their toys.
"We bought so many things for Lan and Luangmin in France," Hanlu mentioned after greeting Diane, before squatting on the floor with the children.
"Luangmin is fine. Daniel and the twins on the other hand…" Laura replied, a sad and worried expression appeared on her face. Laura quickly explained the details making the room become silent. Ian and Hanlu didn't know what to do aside from praying for the Omega to be well.
"Daniel is strong. He survived this last time, I'm sure he will again this time," Ian assured, earning a gentle smile and nodding from Laura and Diane.
"We know. We're praying for him to be well, but for now, his body requires a large amount of rest," Laura said, Diane nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Hanlu was listening and could only imagine how his older brother will react when he sees his wife in this state.
"By the way, it's past lunchtime, have you two eaten already?"
"Actually, we haven't yet, Mother, but it's fine. Ian and I will just leave to have lunch and then we'll come back when we're done," Hanlu replied while standing up. Laura nodded and was about to suggest bringing the kids out because they have been in the room the whole day, when a knock suddenly emanated from the door, and moments later, April and another person came in carrying flowers and paper bags.
"Madam, I brought the desserts," April said, heading straight to the table to put down the paper bags she was carrying. Seeing April, Laura and Diane smiled, becoming more and more fond of the Beta. Unlike Diane, who didn't know April's real identity, Laura was glad that April and Daniel became friends, because that way she could protect Daniel when the bodyguards couldn't.
"Hello Madams, I heard what happened and I came immediately," Following April, Joshua Bronson flashed his charming smile towards everyone. Of course, the reason why he was even here is because Laura asked April to contact the man and inform him that Daniel wouldn't be able to continue the collaboration anymore. That was just supposed to be it, however, upon getting informed, Joshua Bronson persistently begged April to let him visit. April told this to Laura and now he's here, believing it would have a positive effect on Daniel if he sees more of his friends.
"Thank you for coming, I apologize about the collaboration. This was an unexpected event," Laura said and offered the man a chair.
"It's okay, Madam. I understand. I also want what is best for Daniel so he can heal quickly," Joshua replied, glancing at Daniel's sleeping figure. In his thoughts, despite Daniel's pale complexion, he still couldn't help but admire how beautiful the Omega was, even laying on his bed unconscious.
"Anyway, Daniel is asleep now, so let me introduce you to my second son and his wife," Laura quickly said, seeing the Alpha looking at Daniel. Meanwhile, Hanlu and Ian looked at Joshua curiously, as this was their first time seeing the visitor, especially Hanlu, who was with Daniel long enough to know that Daniel was not someone who had a lot of friends.
"Oh hi, I apologized for the intrusion. My name is Joshua Bronson, I'm new in the country. It's a pleasure to meet you," Joshua said, extending his hand to handshake with Hanlu.
"Mo Hanlu, I didn't know Daniel had a friend like you," Hanlu said curiously as he raised his eyebrows. An Alpha becoming friends with Daniel all of a sudden definitely sounded suspicious to him. This was definitely something he must report to his older brother.
"Glad you were able to visit Daniel. This will definitely cheer him up later," Ian said, extending his hand to shake Joshua's as well. When Ian heard the man saying his surname was Bronson, he was reminded of that one client he had more than 6 months ago who suddenly disappeared after a few interrogations. Since the client disappeared, Ian had to put his case on-hold until now. As far as he remembered, it should be a missing person report.
"As his friend, this is all I could do for him," Joshua said, flashing his most charming smile at Ian, quickly irritating Hanlu so that he purposely wrapped his arms around Ian, pulling him closer.
"Yes, MY WIFE and I are very thankful," Hanlu said with a smile while emphasizing the words "My Wife". Joshua caught on to it, but he just maintained his professional smile to avoid unnecessary situations. He really came here because he was worried about Daniel, he was dreading to see the Omega again so when he heard that Daniel was sent to the hospital again from April, he begged the Beta to tell him where the Omega was admitted.
"Luu…" Ian said, also catching on, and he pinched the Alpha's side so he would behave.
"Whaaat?" Hanlu whined in complaint. He was just letting the man know that Ian is already his wife, so there was no need to act like a playboy with that ugly smile of his. Hanlu was about to defend himself when he heard someone was calling Lan to come. And since the bed where Daniel was sleeping was just a few meters away from where they were standing, all of them realized that Daniel had woken up.
"Yes uncle, I'm here with Minmin," Lan said, running over quickly, holding hands with Luangmin. Lan held Daniel's hand with his free hand, assuring the Omega that he was there and safe. Since yesterday, whenever Daniel would wake up, he would then look for Lan and Luangmin with a worried expression. His back and hair would be soaking wet with his sweat and he would be panting heavily as if he had been running a marathon. The only way to calm him down was to let him see Lan and Luangmin before his expression would shift in relief seeing that both kids are fine.