Chapter 204 Amber is Missing
"What's it to you?"
A cold look flashed in Julian's eyes.
Janet had never seen such a cold expression on Julian's face before.
She quietly took a breath, immediately lowered her head, and fell silent.
After one round on the carousel, Cordelia came down holding Amber's hand.
Julian walked over to help. He reached out to support Amber lightly, andCordelia's gaze instantly turned defensive.
"Thank you."
After sensing that Julian meant no harm,Cordelia thanked him stiffly.
Amber also politely thanked him following Cordelia's lead, "Thank you."
Looking at Amber's big round eyes and innocent, adorable appearance—a complete copy of Cordelia—Julian's smile became more gentle.
"You're welcome."
"Amber, let's go play over there, okay?" Not wanting too much interaction between Amber and Julian, Cordelia bent down and said to Amber.
Amber nodded.
Cordelia immediately took Amber's hand and walked in another direction.
After a few steps, Amber turned back and waved at Julian.
Julian unconsciously raised his hand and waved back, then cast a quick look at a nearby staff member.
The staff member immediately stepped forward, "Mr. Pierce, what can I do for you?"
Cordelia and Amber walked to another children's play area and were about to get in line when a staff member approached them with a polite expression.
"Ms. Stone."
"Mr. Pierce just instructed us to upgrade you to our amusement park's top VIP customer. From now on, you won't need to wait in line for any attractions."
"We'll arrange for a staff member to accompany you and make special arrangements."
Hearing this,Cordelia cast a quick, displeased look at Julian.
Julian smiled and nodded at her slightly.
Cordelia's eyes darkened. She then picked up Amber and said calmly.
"Please thank Mr. Pierce for his kind offer, but we're a bit tired and won't be playing anymore today."
After speaking, Cordelia left carrying Amber.
The staff member stood frozen in place with an awkward expression, not daring to stop Cordelia, and could onlyturn toward Julian with an embarrassed smile.
Cordelia soon left the amusement park carrying Amber.
Julian watched her retreating figure, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.
Janet stood nearby and sighed softly.
"Ms. Stone doesn't seem to appreciate it."
"How about you upgrade me to top VIP instead? I happen to want to shoot a video at the amusement park today, which could help promote your place."
Julian looked indifferent. He glanced at Janet and her cameraman and said mockingly.
"If I wanted publicity, any celebrity I call would be better than you."
He finished speaking and walked away.
Janet’s face went rigid.Watching Julian's departing back, she took a deep breath.
Julian had been rejected by Cordelia and was taking it out on her. How could Janet not be angry?
The cameraman carefully asked Janet.
"Janet, should we still film?"
Janet gritted her teeth. Julian had already been so blunt—he didn't need her little bit of exposure at all. Did she really want to stay here, wait in line, and film?
"No, we're not filming."
Janet sighed. She had deliberately tried to do something that would make a good impression on Julian, knowing he would be visiting the amusement park today.
She never expected it would backfire, and she'd even get mocked.
Janet left the amusement park full of frustration.
Cordelia took Amber to an indoor playground they often visited. It was Shadowpine's largest indoor playground, and because it was the weekend, there were many visitors.
After swiping her card, Amber ran into the playground on her own.
Cordelia's phone rang. She reached for it while following behind Amber.
Soon, Amber ran into the indoor castle.
Cordelia took out her phone and saw it was a call from Hannah.
She answered while keeping her eyes on Amber.
"Cordelia, sorry about last night. We were having so much fun, I didn't really look after you."
"After Mr. Hughes took you away, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Hannah sounded eager to hear the gossip.
Cordelia sighed softly, "I knew you'd be too distracted by men to care about me. You're the type who values the opposite sex over friendship. You couldn't even find someone to send me home! You had to let me fall into Alaric's hands."
Hearing this, Hannah was certain something must have happened between Cordelia and Alaric.
"In that situation, who would I dare send you home with?"
Hannah paused, then asked curiously.
"How's Mr. Hughes's... physique?"
"Did you two spark any romantic flames last night?"
Hearing Hannah's choice of words, Cordelia gently rubbed her forehead.
"Why is your head full of nothing but dirty thoughts? I'm at the playground with Amber right now. I'm not talking about this."
Hannah: "Okay, okay, I know it's not convenient for you to talk. Text me, text me and we'll discuss in detail."
Cordelia was speechless.
After she hung up, Hannah immediately sent her a message.
It was a curious emoji, with a line below it.
"How's Mr. Hughes's performance in bed?"
Seeing this message, Cordelia's face turned slightly red, and some messy images involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
She shook her head, deciding to ignore Hannah. She put away her phone and looked up at the inflatable castle. Amber, who had just been playing on the slide, was nowhere to be seen.
Cordelia paused, her expression changing. She immediately took off her shoes and went in to search.
She looked around but couldn't find any trace of Amber. Her heart began to race with panic.
She quickly found a staff member to help.
The staff helped Cordelia search everywhere but couldn't find Amber. They began checking the surveillance footage, and someone called the police.
The surveillance showed Amber entering the castle but never coming out.
Cordelia had already searched the entire play castle but found no sign of Amber.
The longer it took, the more panicked she became.
The playground manager rushed over immediately. Upon seeing it was Cordelia, he reported to his superiors, then cleared out the remaining visitors from the playground and offered compensation.
Cordelia felt her heart pounding.
In all these years, nothing like this had ever happened to Amber.
When Alaric arrived, he saw Cordelia still searching inside the castle.
Because she was so anxious, beads of sweat had formed on Cordelia's forehead.
Alaric hurried over and grabbed her shoulders.
"Cordelia."
He called her name.
Cordelia saw Alaric and paused. She immediately reached out and grabbed his wrist. Earlier she had managed to keep herself calm, but the moment she saw Alaric, she inexplicably felt wronged.
"Amber's missing. I've searched several times and can't find her anywhere."
Her voice carried a sob, and it was hoarse beyond recognition.
Hearing this, Alaric felt terrible and couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
He gently patted Cordelia's back, soothing her emotions.
"I'm here, don't be afraid."
"I've checked the surveillance. Amber hasn't left the mall or the playground. Don't worry, I'll find her."
Cordelia nodded solemnly. Somehow, with Alaric here, her panicked heart found a sense of calm.