"Lucas, are you hidden?"
"Not yet!"
"Once I count to ten, Ill start looking for you!"
Emma Watson called out, wandering aimlessly through the vast villa. She knew Lucas was hiding somewhere, but the mansion was so large that finding a person who didnt want to be found could take an entire day.
As she searched, she pondered her own dilemma. She wanted Lucas to stay and enjoy all the luxuries this place had to offer; it was the best for him. And for her, the comfort and ease here were unparalleled to what she had experienced before.
"Ten, nine, eight, one... Im coming to find you!"
Lucas had always wanted to play hide and seek, but their old home was too small, too easily surveyed with a single glance. Even so, Lucas would always find a place to hide, prompting Emma to search for him, even though she would spot him right away.
Now, with the sprawling villa at their disposal, Lucass enthusiasm for hide and seek was uncontrollable. He dragged Emma into playing along with him.
The villa was enormous, with dozens of rooms, large and small. Finding a person who was intentionally hiding would be a daunting task.
As she searched without purpose, she contemplated her own stay. She wanted Lucas to stay and enjoy everything this place had to offer; it was the best for him. And for her, the comforts here were something she had never experienced before.
"Mom, you lose!" Lucas suddenly dashed out and hugged Emma.
He had been hiding and waiting for Emma to find him, but when she didnt, he grew bored and revealed himself.
Seeing the strange look on his mothers face, Lucas asked with concern, "Mom, is something bothering you?"
"Yes, I have something important to discuss with you," Emma said seriously, looking into Lucass eyes. He too wiped the smile from his face and looked back at her with earnestness.
"The man who looks just like you, hes not pretending to be your dad. He really is your dad. He owns all of this. Would you be happy living here with him?"
"I would be happy, but I think you wouldnt be, Mom."
"As long as Mom is not happy, Lucas wont be happy either. If you dont want to stay here, we can leave together."
Looking at Lucass innocent face and clear eyes, Emma felt a pang of reluctance, but she made up her mind.
Holding Lucas close, Emma whispered, "As long as Lucas is happy, Mom will be happy too. So, Lucas, you must be happy."
"Being together is a kind of happiness," Lucas said, blinking his big eyes. Although he didnt understand why his mother was upset, he could sense her melancholy.
"Yes, being together is a kind of happiness."
For the next three days, Alexander Hunt was out of the country on a business trip, and Emma was glad when he finally returned. She decided to talk to him as soon as possible.
"Mr. Hunt, I need to speak with you."
Alexander was handing his coat to the butler while looking at Emma with a puzzled expression. "Is there something unsatisfactory?"
"No, its not that."
"Lucas is your child, and I agree that he can stay. But you and I have no feelings for each other. I cant stay here and live off you for nothing. You have to let me go."
"I promise you, as long as I have time, I will come back to see Lucas. He is my child too, and I cant bear to part with him."
Emma felt she had made her point clear and her request reasonable, but she saw Alexanders angular face contort with anger.
The air in the room seemed to freeze, and the servants around them didnt dare to breathe heavily. Emma felt the pressure of the atmosphere was suffocating.
Before she could say anything, Alexanders deep voice rang out, "Wasnt I clear enough before? The mother of my son is not allowed to go out and flaunt herself."
"But my identity is not just the mother of your son!" Emma was also getting angry. Why should she obediently stay here just because he said so?
"Keep an eye on her!" Alexander clearly didnt want to engage with Emma any further, leaving that sentence behind and turning to leave.
"Butler, whatever Mr. Hunt says is never disobeyed. I think you should just stay," the butler tried to console Emma.
"And havent you been happy these past few days here?"
"An escort with such a big attitude, just because hes slept with more women, whats so great about that?" Emma muttered to herself as she walked back to her room.
She had no intention of obediently following Alexanders orders. If he could be reasoned with, she wouldnt have to consider escaping. Escaping was a last resort, but it seemed like it was the only option left now.
These past few days, Emma hadnt been idle. She seemed to just be playing with Lucas, but she had been working hard to build relationships with all the servants in the house, trying to get information.
Finally, she found out about a way to escape.
Every morning, the servants would drive to the supermarket in the city center to buy food for the day. This was the time when the guards were the most relaxed, and Emma planned to hide in the trunk of the car when no one was paying attention.
The car swayed back and forth, and after what seemed like a long time, it finally stopped at the supermarkets underground parking lot. Emma took the opportunity when the servants went shopping and quickly slipped out.
Her first stop was to see Mrs. Thompson. Emma was sure she had been worried about her, and she needed to let her know she was safe.
Mrs. Thompson was delighted to see Emma and chatted with her for a while.
"Emma, the other day a very elegantly dressed man came and told me that you wouldnt be coming back here. I saw he was a rich person and thought you had met a wealthy man and wouldnt be coming back, so I hired new people."
"Its okay, Mrs. Thompson. Your shop is always so busy; you cant just wait for me to come back."
Seeing that her job at Mrs. Thompsons was gone, Emma returned to her rented attic dejectedly.
The first task at hand was to find a job. She would need to see Lucas again, and she couldnt let him think she was struggling on the outside.