Chapter 46 The Boy Who Disappeared
Chapter 46 The Boy Who Disappeared
Quinton clapped a hand over his mouth. “It really is you! You’re my idol!”
He might not have been great at school, but his idol had always been Nathan, the billionaire philanthropist.
When he spotted the gold bamboo–style bracelet on Nathan’s wrist, Quinton couldn’t help but sigh in awe.
Even a man worth billions had caught the gold fever.
“These seats were carefully picked–best view in the house!” Quinton said with a wide grin.
They were in the front row.
ry for it.
Of course, Ashford High’s gym was only this nice because Nathan had donated the money
“Thank you.” Stella said politely, then turned her gaze toward the center of the basketball court.
The game was about to start, and both teams had already taken the court.
She spotted Jackson right away–black headband pushing his hair off his forehead, full of youthful energy
Her eyes shifted, and she saw the boy standing opposite him–tall, slender, almost too thin.
His long bangs hid his eyes, his presence shadowed and withdrawn.
Recognition hit her instantly.
This was her Louis–Jimmy.
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People often said a happy childhood could heal you for a lifetime, while an unhappy one could take a lifetime to mend.
Stella had always believed that.
Her parents had died in an accident when she was fourteen, but until then she’d grown up under their love and protection.
They’d given her endless affection, endless resources, and endless experiences.
She was their first child, and they’d wanted to give her every good thing in the world.
It had made her confident, sunny, and certain she was worthy of the best life h had to offer.
They had been her role models–brilliant, respected, admired wherever they went.
Naturally, she’d wanted to be like them: outstanding, dazzling, unforgettable.
And with their unconditional love behind her, she’d managed it.
When her parents died, her second brother was eleven, and Xavier was seven.
Their childhoods, while not untouched by loss, had still been whole enough to be called happy.
Only Louis had missed out.
He was just two years old–still toddling–when their parents died.
Stella had done her best to give him all the love she could, to make him happy, to be his example.
But she’d still been a child herself. She couldn’t give him the love of two parents alone.
Luckily, Louis had grown well anyway–adorable, chubby, and cheerful.
Until tragedy struck again. When he was six, she was killed in a car accident.
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Chapter 46 The Boy Who Disappeared
That loss darkened a childhood that had already been incomplete.
By then, though, her second brother was fifteen and Xavier was eleven.
They should have been able to raise Louis well under her influence.
But fate had other plans.
When Louis was seven, he disappeared.
Stella had asked Ethan exactly what had happened.
He told her it was a weekend, and he’d taken Xavier and Louis to the park.
It was a hot day. He told them to wait in the shade while he went to buy water.
When he came back, only Xavier was there. Louis was gone.
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They’d rushed to the park office to check the security cameras, but there weren’t many, and not one had caught sight of Louis.
Ethan had called the police, but the investigation turned up nothing.
Even so, he never gave up. He printed flyers, posted online, searched everywhere.
Nothing worked.
Once he’d taken over the company and had money, he ramped up his efforts, even spreading the search online.
Still nothing
Deep down, he’d started to believe Louis was either gone from this world–or had been taken somewhere so remote there was no internet or television.
If there had been, surely he would have seen the missing notices.
He could have come back to Ashford easily–just a single bus ticket away.
But he hadn’t.
Ethan ofen got calls claiming to be Louis, but every time he checked, they were impostors
And now here he was, standing right in front of her.
He was still in Ashford.
There was no way he didn’t know Ethan was now president of Starlight Group.
He could have walked into the company. He could have come home. Why hadn’t he?
Had he lost his memory?
And how had the chubby, cheerful little boy she remembered turned into this thin, shadowed, brooding figure?
