"Royce Cox!"
Carole blurted out. If she is not mistaken, this man standing and talking in front of her right now is the only son and heir of the Diamond Town Estate. Who wouldn't recognize him if he's always showing up on the news? Aside from being a businessman, Royce is also an international actor.
"Nice to meet you, Miss?"
"Carole," Carole introduced herself with a smile.
Royce nodded and smiled at Carole. He already knew that the lady recognized him. There are a lot of paparazzi everywhere that have their eyes on him. He will not be surprised anymore if this beautiful lady knew his name.
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble." He said, "They are my niece and nephew. We are here because my father wanted to invest into this mall."
Even though Carole wasn't asking for an explanation because they are not even close, she found that respectful. In fact, she's the one who put herself into helping the kids.
"It's okay," Carole replied, smiling at the little girl.
She didn't find it annoying. In fact, it made her entertained since both of the kids looked cute. Although her expression turned gloomy. She thought that maybe Aston is acting that way because they have been married for five years and she still hasn't borne a child.
Does Aston want a child on his own?
What would he do if Carole gave birth?
Will he change and become a loving husband?
A lot of thoughts occupied Carole's mind that she stayed there quiet. She went back to reality when someone grabbed her bag. When she looked down, it was the little girl.
"Auntie, are you okay?" the little girl asked.
Carole smiled and brushed the little girl on the head. "Yes,"
The little girl tilted her head down and looked around. Her grip tightened. "But you are alone. Aren't you scared, Auntie?" she asked.
Carole was surprised to hear the kid suddenly talking like that. Maybe the kid noticed earlier that she was alone. Though she is not a kid anymore that will get scared if left alone. She smiled at the little girl.
"Grown ups aren't scared of anything," she said softly.
Hearing this, Royce chuckled, getting the woman's attention back. But before he could speak, the little girl spoke again.
"As expected! Uncle is also brave. He's not scared of anything, even ghosts!" then she giggled.
Carole found it cute, having her time with them. However, she doesn't belong there. In fact, she didn't even know them.
Suddenly, the little boy walked towards Carole looking guilty of what he did earlier. He looked down, hesitant and then finally grabbed the woman's bag.
"Auntie, do you want to come with us to kiddieland?" he asked, looking like a cute puppy soaked under the rain.
The kiddieland he was talking about is another part of the store where kids can play with their parents. Carole was taken aback for a while. Those puppy eyes of his struck her heart.
"Are you busy?" Royce asked, smiling handsomely. "Don't get me wrong, I will not leave the kids to you. Of course I will accompany them to kiddieland. This is my promise to them after all." he added.
Carole wanted to come, but she didn't want to be seen next to Royce by the paparazzi. She is also a married woman and she didn't want people to misunderstand something.
Meanwhile, Royce finally understood her silence when he saw the ring on her finger. His expression changed as he looked down at the two kids.
"Kids, listen. I know you want Miss Carole to accompany us, but she had other business she needed to attend to." He explained to them.
Carole wasn't expecting it but she felt relieved. She didn't know how to explain to the kids that she is married and she didn't want other people to see her with another man. With Aston's influence, someone might have misunderstood and put it in the news since the whole country knew who she was because of her husband's influence.
"Aww…" The two kids chorused together with sadness in their eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Carole apologized.
"It's okay, Miss Carole. I will explain to them. Don't worry about them. Kids are kids," Royce said, comforting the woman who looks sad.
"Thank you for understanding." Carole replied. "I need to go now," she added.
The woman was about to turn around when Royce called her. He took out a card out of his pocket and then gave it to her.
"This is my personal calling card. I didn't mean to cause anything, but if you need help or something, you can call me. I already bothered you with the kids, let me return the favor next time," he said.
Carole was hesitant at first because she would not expect to see the man again, but her hands took the card and smiled.
"Okay,"
Royce then told the kids to say bye to Carole before she walked away. He gazed at the woman's back with a smirk on his face until she disappeared from their sight.
"What a lovely day," he whispered to himself.
He turned back to the kids and bought them ice creams, but before leading them to the kiddieland something hit the side of his eyes. A quick flash of camera snapped before he turned his head. Royce became alert and scanned the surroundings, thinking if that camera flash had been there since earlier.
It made him remember Carole. Is someone spying on them? He needs to find out immediately.
Meanwhile, Carole walked alone feeling guilty about the kids' requests. She really is not busy and wants to accompany them but doing so is dangerous. She sat down on one of the benches there and took out his phone.
A smile showed on her face when she saw a text message from her husband, but her eyes widened when she saw the content.
It was a photo of her with Royce.
Her hand tightened her phone and fear showed in her eyes as she immediately turned her head to look around.