Alpha's Twins Chapter 81

Aria clung to my neck, terrified. I crossed the street and headed back to my car.

My driver did a double-take when he saw me approaching.

I slid into the backseat with Aria still in my arms. I couldn't get over how tiny she was—I could easily hold her with just one arm.

Aria didn't move a muscle. She pressed her head against my shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.

I rubbed her back gently. I had no clue what had happened to her or why she'd been standing in the middle of the street.

"Alpha, who's the kid?" my driver asked.

"Shut the hell up. Can't you see she's crying?" I snapped, shooting him a glare.

His eyes went wide and he quickly turned back to face the road. He didn't start the engine—he was waiting for my orders.

After a few minutes, Aria lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up at me.

Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, her little nose bright pink.

I set her down in the seat next to me and asked, "Where's your mom?"

She sniffled. "I-I lost mommy."

"What? How?"

Tears welled up in her eyes again. I told my driver to start the car as Aria began telling me what had happened.

FLASHBACK

...

Earlier that day, Aria and Noah had gone to the park near their school with their mom. They'd had a great time playing together. Aria was really happy. As they were getting ready to leave, she and Noah begged their mom for ice cream.

Natalia told them to sit on a bench while she walked over to the store to buy some. After a little while, Noah said he wanted to go back to their mom and asked Aria to come with him.

But as they were walking, Aria stopped when she spotted a kitten on the path leading out of the park. When she went to pet it, the kitten ran away. She chased after it, and before she knew it, she was completely lost.

She didn't recognize anything around her and started looking everywhere for her mom. She had no idea which way she'd come from.

At one point, she saw someone who looked like her mother from behind. She ran up to her, but it was a stranger. That's when Aria really started crying—she was lost and had no idea how to find her mom.

When I found her, she felt like I was her lifeline. She hugged me because she was scared of getting lost again.

...

END OF FLASHBACK

"If you ever get lost again, the first thing you should do is ask someone to borrow their phone so you can call your mom, okay?" I told Aria.

I hated seeing her cry. She was just a little kid. How could Natalia be so careless?

"Uncle, can I use your phone?"

I couldn't help but smile—she was already putting my advice to use.

"To call your mom?"

She nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She looked so much calmer now, like she actually trusted me. It was weird how she'd gone from crying her eyes out to feeling safe just because I was here.

Why did she trust me? I was a complete stranger. She shouldn't trust random people like that.

I wanted to tell her not to trust anyone, but looking at her pale little face, I couldn't bring myself to say it.

She could trust me, though. I wasn't that bad, was I?

"You don't need my phone. I'll let your mom know you're okay. Don't worry."

I pulled out my phone and called Patric.

"Are you coming back or what?" Patric answered.

"I've got Natalia's daughter with me right now."

"You what?"

"I don't like repeating myself."

"What are you doing with her kid? Please tell me you're not trying to get back at Natalia for what her family said."

I frowned. Did he really think that little of me? That I'd hurt a child to get revenge on their mother?

"Just tell her that Aria's with me."

"Oh, okay," Patric said, finally understanding the situation.

"Tell me where you are so I can let her know where to pick up her daughter."

Something clicked in my mind and I smirked, looking out the window.

"That's her problem to figure out."

I hung up and turned to Aria.

"Your mom's going to know you're with me."

She smiled when she heard that. "She won't worry anymore."

I was surprised by how mature she sounded. She wasn't thinking about herself—she was worried about her mother.

I told my driver to stop at an ice cream shop since Aria had wanted ice cream before she got lost.

I was about to tell my driver to go get some, but I noticed Aria's face had fallen.

She was staring at a little girl holding hands with a young man. It looked like a father taking his daughter out for ice cream.

"Want to go inside?" I asked.

She quickly turned away from the window and shook her head, looking down.

I felt awkward about her reaction.

"Tell your dad to bring you here next time," I said, looking away from her.

I didn't like talking about Eric, but seeing this kid so upset, I felt like I had to say something.

She looked up at me. "My d-dad?"

"What? Doesn't your dad take you and your brother out?"

"I-I don't have a d-dad."

I frowned. Didn't she know about her biological father? But I'd heard that Eric even went to parent-teacher conferences.

"Isn't Eric your dad?"

She shook her head. "Everyone thinks he's our dad. Even my friends' parents think that."

"What do you mean? Isn't he your dad?" I asked, my voice more urgent than I intended.

But her answer completely threw me off guard.

"No, Eric is our uncle. Mommy said he's not our dad."