Chapter 552

Cathy said , “ Just give me the money , I’ll buy it for Cheryl myself . ”
Werner said , “ I’ll order it for her myself . I’ve got connections . ”
Hearing this , Cathy didn’t press further .
Night fell . After clearing his backlog of documents and getting ready to call it a day , Jonathan spotted Michael crouching by his car .
Michael was idly tracing circles on the ground with his finger , looking bored .
Jonathan watched Michael for a few moments and called out , “ Who’s this little guy ? ”
The moment Michael spotted Jonathan , his face lit up . He scrambled to his feet and darted straight toward Jonathan . He called out excitedly , “ Mr. Lime . ”
Jonathan scooped Michael up and carried him into the car . He asked , “ How did you get here ? ”
Michael replied , “ I was worried about you , so I came to check on you . ”
“ Worried about me ? ” Jonathan said gently .
Michael nodded and said , “ I was scared something bad might have happened to you . ”
Jonathan felt a warmth in his heart , thinking , ‘ He must have seen the news .’
Sanford’s detention had been widely covered by the media , with Jonathan’s name splashed across the headlines .
But for Michael , that was a different story .
Before Teresa left for Shaville , she dropped Michael off at Miriam’s place .
Michael was asleep , but as Teresa was about to leave , he drowsily crawled out of bed and overheard Teresa telling Miriam at the door , “ Jonathan seems to be in some trouble in Shaville . I’m going to check on him . ”
Michael was particularly sensitive to Jonathan’s name . So after Tefesa left , he nervously tugged at Miriam’s sleeve and asked , “ What’s wrong with Mr.
Lime ? ”
Naturally , Miriam kept the truth from Michael .
Michael was worried that something bad might happen to Jonathan . After two days of restless anxiety , he finally saw his opportunity when Miriam went out on a date with Edward . He quietly slipped out and took a taxi straight to Jonathan .
As soon as Michael saw Jonathan , he wrapped his arms tightly around Jonathan’s arm and , all of a sudden , burst into tears .
Jonathan asked softly , “ What’s making you cry ? ”
Michael kept crying and shook his head .
The driver kept stealing glances at Michael . He wanted to say something , but held his tongue .
Michael sniffled and said , “ You’ve gotten so thin , Mr. Lime . It makes me so sad to see you like this . ”
A peculiar tenderness suddenly stirred within Jonathan’s heart . During those days in Shaville , he had been swamped with family matters and had grown used to poor food and little sleep .
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Yet no one had ever shown him any real concern or told him he’d lost weight . Michael was the very first .
Michael wept bitterly as if Jonathan’s looking thinner was all it took to bring
con
his tears .
Jonathan asked the driver for some tissues , then gently pulled Michael onto his lap and wiped away his tears . He said , “ No more tears , okay ? I promese
I’ll eat well . ”
Michael rubbed his eyes and said , “ I can share my baby fat with you . ”
Jonathan looked at Michael’s skinny arms and legs , thinking , ‘ How much baby fat could he even have to share ? ‘ Then he said , “ That’s so sweet of you . What would you like to eat ? Let me treat you to dinner . ”
Michael thought fora moment , then shook his head . He said , “ I think I’d better go home . Miriam will be worried if she can’t find me . ”
Jonathan asked Michael for his address , then asked , “ Where’s
your mom ? ”
Michael replied , “ My mom’s on a business trip . She told me to be a good boy and wait for her to come back . She never takes me with her when she goes on trips . ”
Jonathan gently ruffled Michael’s hair . At that moment , he didn’t associate Michael with Teresa , since he knew Teresa had already returned to Nareigh .
Meanwhile , just as Teresa was about to head to Miriam’s place to pick up Michael , Miriam called her in a panic .
Miriam exclaimed , “ I just got home and Mike’s missing .”
A