The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 62

Aveline

"What do you mean he ran away?" I practically shouted into the phone, causing every head in the café to turn toward me. "Where could he have gone? How long has he been missing?"

Mitchell's voice was strained with panic. "We don't know, Ms. Reeves! He's been upset ever since he learned about the transfer, barely eating, barely speaking. This morning he left a drawing on his pillow and just... vanished!"

"Send me the drawing immediately," I said, already grabbing my purse and signaling frantically for Luna to follow me. "And why are you just calling me now if he's been missing since morning?"

There was a pause, and Mitchell's voice dropped to a guilty whisper. "Mr. Blackwell specifically instructed me not to contact you. He's been... well, he's been quite moody since your dinner. But Ms. Reeves, you know Master Ryan better than anyone. I thought you might have ideas about where he could have gone."

My blood boiled at Orion's stubborn pride. How could he let his personal grudge against me interfere with finding his missing child? "Send me that picture right now, Mitchell."

I stared at my phone screen, waiting for the picture to load while Luna hovered beside me with worried eyes. When the image finally appeared, my heart clenched with understanding.

It was clearly Ryan's artwork—his distinctive careful lines and thoughtful composition unmistakable. The drawing showed a small boy walking alone through what looked like a park, carrying a tiny suitcase. In the distance, there was a building that looked like a school. But what made my throat tight was the way Ryan had drawn the boy's posture—head down, shoulders slumped, clearly searching for something. Or someone.

"Mitchell, listen carefully," I said urgently. "This drawing shows Ryan is looking for me. Start checking all the areas between your house and places he might think to find me. Check any routes he might know that lead toward Arlington Academy or anywhere he's seen me before."

"Oh thank God," Mitchell breathed. "I'll mobilize the security team immediately."

I hung up and turned to Luna, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Luna, I have to go right now. A little boy is missing, and I think I know what he's trying to do."

"Then I'm coming with you," she said immediately, already standing and throwing her purse over her shoulder. "You look like you're about to have a panic attack, and I'm not letting you drive around Manhattan in this state by yourself."

The drive through Manhattan was a nightmare of traffic and construction, but I navigated it with a single-minded focus that probably broke several traffic laws. I weaved between taxis, took corners at speeds that made Luna grab the door handle, and ran at least two yellow lights that were definitely closer to red.

"Jesus Christ, Aveline!" Luna gasped as I squeezed between a bus and a delivery truck with inches to spare. "I had no idea you could drive like this! Where did you learn to—"

"European driving instructor," I said tersely, my eyes scanning the street for any sign of a small boy with dark hair. "They believe in real-world application."

We reached Arlington Academy first, where Principal Foster was already there with a small search team, her face creased with worry.

"Ms. Reeves!" she called out when she saw me. "We've been looking for over an hour. He's not on school grounds. Oh God, if something happens to that child, Mr. Blackwell will—" She didn't finish the sentence, but her expression said everything.

As we walked around the school perimeter, I kept thinking about Ryan's drawing. Something about those background details was nagging at me. The way he'd drawn the trees, those curved benches, that distinctive fountain...

Suddenly it clicked.

"Luna!" I said urgently. "I know where he is."

Back in the car, I pulled up the image on my phone again, studying it with fresh eyes. "Look at this park he drew in the background. Those aren't random details—Ryan never draws anything randomly. This fountain, these specific benches... it's Riverside Park, near my house!"

"He's trying to find your home?" Luna asked, gripping the door handle as I took another sharp turn.

"He's probably been there before with Mitchell or his father. Ryan notices everything—he would remember the route."

We abandoned the car near the park entrance and split up, Luna taking the eastern path while I headed toward the area with the distinctive fountain from Ryan's drawing.

That's when I saw him.

Ryan was sitting on a bench near the fountain, a small Spider-Man backpack beside him and what looked like a hand-drawn map spread across his lap. He was wearing his favorite navy jacket—the one that made him look like a miniature businessman—and I could see the corner of his beloved stuffed elephant poking out of the backpack. He looked so small and determined, his dark hair slightly mussed as he studied his homemade map with that same serious concentration he brought to everything.

"Luna!" I called softly, not wanting to startle him. "Over here!"

The moment Ryan looked up and saw me, his entire face transformed. The serious, worried expression melted away, replaced by pure joy and relief.

"Miss Aveline!" he cried, jumping up from the bench and running toward me with his arms outstretched.

I caught him as he launched himself into my arms, his small body warm and solid and wonderfully alive against my chest. He wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face in my shoulder, and I could feel him trembling slightly.

"I found you," he whispered, his voice thick with tears. "I've been looking and looking, and I finally found you!"