TWO YEARS AGO:

"Ma'am, there is nothing yet. It seems the Young Miss completely disappeared."

Adriana looked up, and she clenched the pencil in her hand. "Well, that's not what I want to hear now, is it?" The man before her trembled. "We will keep searching. We will find her at all costs!" He declared.

She replied with a dull 'hum,' and she dismissed him. Once the door closed, the pencil in her hand snapped. Her action displayed her anger; she clenched her fist and took a deep breath. She then smiled. It was a smile that did not reach her eyes. It was a calm smile with hidden intentions behind it.

'One day, you will regret taking my daughter away from me.'

KNOCK

KNOCK

Hearing the gentle knock, Adriana composed herself, and she smiled brightly this time. "Baby, Why are you still awake?" She asked him, but he gave her a pout instead. His dark hair and bright blue eyes reminded her of someone. Every time she saw her son, she would remember his father.

"What's wrong? Did my prince have a nightmare?" She asked and stood up from her chair, calmly. She walked around her desk and knelt beside him. "Baby, talk to me. What's wrong?" She asked with a frown on her youthful, beautiful face.

Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail with a few strands of hair loose in the sides of her face. Her grey eyes displayed worry for her child. A child she raised for five years on her own. A child she owes her life to and a child she promised to protect forever.

No matter how small his troubles were, she would always be so concerned. To all the employees, she would be a she-devil, but to him, she is the most gentle and caring woman—the strongest woman in this world and his superwoman.

He teared up, and he jumped into her embrace. He hugged her neck tightly, and he sniffed. "You don't have to act strong in front of mommy. Tell me what happened, James." She chuckled and patted his head.

"Y-you won't like it if I tell you." He whispered with guilt in his voice. Adriana's smile stiffened. "You miss your father…." She mumbled, and her son nodded. James would always fear to ask about the details of his father because her mother did not like that topic.

Adriana never lied to him and told him that his father died or anything like that. She simply said to him that his father is not with them anymore and that it's only him and her together.

She sighed and carried him towards the sofa in her office. She laid him down in her lap, and she ran her fingers through his hair. "Fine. Your dad he…." She paused for a second and thought about something that would not give her son a hint of his father's identity.

"Dark hair and blue eyes just like you." She told him the most straightforward and most obvious fact. James pouted. "Mommy, I already know that."

Right. Adriana closed her eyes, and she thought about any other details. "Well, he is very caring, and he is allergic to seafood just like you." She told him. She refused to open her eyes because she did not want her son to see that emotion in her eyes.

Her son is smart. Sometimes too smart. She once found a book in his bedroom. It had pictures of different men with blue eyes and dark hair. He had put a picture of himself beside them to compare the looks, and he chose the most similar looking ones he could find. He looked up every detail about these men.

By every little detail, she meant EVERY LITTLE DETAIL. From where they live, work, age, last name, family, siblings, the food they ate, and where they had been recently. This event happened right after she told her son a short description of how his father looks.

She regretted ever saying anything about that day, and from then on, she was extremely precautious when she said anything. Her son is just like his father. Smart, cunning, and handsome.

Sigh!

When she would tell him little details about his father like this, she would also close her eyes to hide away her feelings. She had locked her heart away in a profound and dark place, but she could not avoid that look in her eyes every time she thought about him. She promised she would never let anyone see those eyes of hers while she thinks about that man, not even her son. It made her feel pathetic because her love was what brought her suffering.

"Mommy, tell me more."

She sighed again.

'Alright. Well, let's just say Noah is a very picky eater. Obnoxious, arrogant bastard that loves to torture your mother with his teasing.' She answered in her mind, but she did not say it. How could she say such a thing to her son about his father? It would make her look like a bad person that hates his father. Well, she decided not to say anything for tonight because she could not come up with anything.

Even if this might make him sad, she could not say anything. In her house, it's an unspoken rule to never talk about her son's father. This rule was always ignored by her son, of course, because he is just so curious.

She already felt bad enough for hiding such a big thing away from him, and yet he had to make her feel guiltier by asking all the time.

"Baby, mommy is tired. I will tell you more another day, okay?" She opened her eyes and kissed his temple. James nodded his head. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Do you even have to ask?" She laughed.

She carried him back to her room and laid down next to him. She hummed the tune of a song while she caressed his cheek. "Goodnight, my prince." She whispered.

"Goodnight, mommy." He responded weakly. A few moments later, he fell into a deep sleep thanks to the sweet scent of his mother and her warm hands on his face.

"Instant sleeper just like you." She whispered before heading back to her study room.

She took out another pencil, and she continued with her designs.

"We will meet again soon, Noah. Soon very soon…"