Chapter 1215: 635: Side Story: The Little White Rabbit Falls Into the Trap, the Big Bad Wolf Secretly Laughs (1/2)

"I understand.""Good... Now call Aunt PA, she’s worried sick."

"Oh... Mommy, Mr. Dalton is already calling Aunt PA."

"That’s good... Go home with Mr. Dalton, and don’t worry Mommy and Aunt PA anymore."

"Okay..."

"Good."

"Mommy, when are you coming back?"

"Very soon, Mommy will be back in Paris in a couple of days."

"Is Uncle coming back with you?" Rachel asked with anticipation over the phone.

Alice glanced at Chester, "Uh..."

Rachel hurriedly interrupted Alice, "You must come back with Uncle, I miss him so much..."

Alice made a vague "Hmm" sound.

Rachel said happily, "Mommy, Uncle promised to buy me a gift, you have to remind him not to forget..."

"Okay."

After finishing the call with Rachel, Alice’s worried look faded, leaving only delight.

"Thank you." Alice handed the phone back to Chester.

Chester casually tossed the phone to a servant, then tenderly wiped away the remaining tear marks from Alice’s cheek, rasping, "See, you get so flustered over Rachel’s matters... I promised to keep Rachel safe, naturally, I wouldn’t let anything happen to her in Paris."

Alice, feeling a bit wronged, said, "How was I supposed to know Rachel left with your people?"

"I’ll have someone investigate why the kindergarten teacher didn’t convey Benjamin’s words to Aunt PA, or else such a big misunderstanding wouldn’t have occurred."

Alice nodded, "As long as Rachel is safe..."

Chester smiled, pulling Alice into his embrace, "Silly, how could I let anything happen to our daughter?"

Leaned against Chester’s chest, Alice felt a warmth like never before. Knowing that when she heard Rachel had gone missing, her whole being lost its warmth.

She didn’t understand why, but leaning against him made her feel so secure.

Chester slightly lowered his head, seeing Alice with her eyes closed resting against his chest. He was very satisfied and couldn’t help but plant a kiss on the top of her head. The faint fragrance of her hair lingered in his nostrils, and he softly whispered, "Scared you just now, didn’t it?"

Alice nodded.

Chester tightened his embrace around Alice, "It’s alright now, I’m here."

Alice cherished the warmth of being held by him at this moment, her mind going blank as she only wanted to be held like this.

Only after several seconds when she came back to her senses, did she suddenly lift her head from his chest.

He looked at her, his eyes as deep as a pond.

It was then that Alice realized she was unable to extricate herself from being nestled in his arms. She slowly disentangled herself with some embarrassment and backed away, maintaining a meter of distance between them, saying, "Since Rachel is fine, I’ll be leaving now..."

Chester grabbed Alice’s hand, "It’s so late; there’s fog on the sea. It’s very dangerous to leave the island now."

"It’s fine, there was fog when I came too."

Chester moved in front of Alice and cupped her hands, "I can’t feel at ease letting you leave."

Alice gently freed herself from Chester’s grip, "Claud is worried about Rachel and has already returned to France. I have to find a way to contact Claud. He’s on the plane now and must be very worried. Besides, Robin is waiting for me outside."

"I’ll have Keith Antony contact Robin. Robin will find a way to let Claud Laurence know that Rachel is fine."

Alice hesitated on the spot.

Chester looked toward the sea, "Look, the fog over the sea is already very thick. Leaving the island is very dangerous."

Alice followed Chester’s gaze towards the sea, indeed finding it misty and obscure, impossible to discern direction.

As Alice wavered, Chester spoke again, "Stay here tonight, I’m leaving the island tomorrow too, we can leave together."

After struggling within herself for a long time, Alice finally nodded.

Chester smiled and wrapped an arm around Alice, "Come on, let’s go back to the villa."

When Chester’s sturdy arm rested on Alice’s shoulder, she finally realized he was only wearing a pair of trunks, having just finished swimming.

The water droplets on his chest, tracing the pleasing contours, slid downward.

His physique was very well-maintained due to regular exercise.

Catching a glimpse of his taut black trunks from the corner of her eye, Alice’s cheeks inexplicably heated up.

She pushed Chester away, saying, "I’ll walk by myself," and distanced herself from him.

Chester had long noticed her flushed cheeks, smiling as he allowed her distance.

Returning to the villa, Alice stayed in the room she previously occupied.

Once inside the room, she closed the door and leaned against it, her heart inexplicably racing.

Alice placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm herself down.

She had to admit, whether in the past or now, he always gave her a sense of reassurance.

Being with him seemed to mean never having to worry about running into trouble, because he would always solve it for her.

Taking a few deep breaths, Alice sat on the bed.

Images of her rushing to him out of concern for Rachel flashed through her mind...

Why, when she encountered something beyond her control, was he the first person she thought of?

Why did she instinctively confide her grievances to him, instinctively depend on him?

This isn’t like the her from before...

Yet, throughout the past year, she had clearly let him go, had clearly felt nothing for him...

However, her behavior just now was not that of someone who felt nothing towards him; she still depended on him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sought him out first...

Her dependency on him seemed instinctual.

Why is it like this?

Could it be... that she really hasn’t let him go?

No... it can’t be... the one she likes is Claud Laurence, the one she cares about is Claud Laurence... yet why is her mind filled with thoughts of him now?