Chapter 129

Chapter 129

"That's good." Holden nodded.

Vivienne paused, lowering her eyes. After a long silence, she sighed and finally voiced the words weighing on her heart. "Holden, Mommy wants to ask you something. Please don't tell anyone you saw Mommy, okay? Especially not Daddy or Grandma. If they find out where Mommy is, Mommy will be caught again."

Holden lifted his head from her embrace and looked at her for a long moment. He blinked, then suddenly wiped his tears with the back of his hand and took a step backward.

"Then I have to go now." Holden said.

Vivienne froze. "Holden?"

"I can't let anyone find out I saw you." He tugged the straps of his backpack higher and took a deep breath. "If someone sees me here, they'll follow me to you. I can't let them find you. Mommy has to stay safe. And my little brothers or sisters too."

Vivienne's heart felt like it was being carved with a dull knife, the pain excruciating.

She hadn't told Holden anything yet. Hadn't even had the chance to tell him there were two baby sisters in her belly.

But he was already thinking ahead for her.

This child she'd once loved so dearly, and later resented—when had he grown up? He was already trying to protect his mother in his own way.

In that instant, all the past grievances seemed to dissolve into nothing.

"Holden, you don't have to..." Vivienne couldn't help but step forward, reaching out to pull him into her arms.

"Mommy." Holden cut her off.

He took two steps back. Though his eyes were red, he forced himself to smile at Vivienne. "Don't worry about me. I'll eat well, do my homework, and listen to Grandma. When you can come back, you'll come back. And if you don't want to come back... that's okay too."

With that, he turned and ran.

Vivienne watched his retreating figure. Her legs moved forward as if beyond her control.

But in the end, she could only stop helplessly.

That was the son she'd carried and given birth to. How could Vivienne not feel heartbroken?

Watching his small figure run away, trying so hard to stay composed, Vivienne felt her heart shatter.

But she couldn't. She couldn't take that step forward.

Maybe she was selfish. But right now, Vivienne had no other choice.

She'd already been hurt too many times. She was carrying two children in her belly. Her life couldn't withstand any more upheaval.

Holden's figure finally disappeared at the end of the ginkgo-lined path.

Vivienne stood there, frozen for a long, long time.

Sabrina walked over, smoothed Vivienne's wind-tousled hair, then squeezed her hand tightly.

"Let's go." Sabrina said.

Vivienne took a deep breath and pulled her gaze away from the empty path.

The iron door of the detention center slammed shut behind him. Archibald stood there for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and sitting down on the small iron bed.

The police had uncovered all the evidence. The incident was indeed Archibald's negligence, so they'd transferred him to the detention center.

Compared to the interrogation rooms at the criminal investigation unit, the conditions here were definitely more spartan. But at least he wouldn't be interrogated repeatedly anymore.

He'd been assigned a private cell. Sixty square feet. One iron-frame bed. One sink. A window on the wall narrow enough to fit only a single hand through.

The officers said a lawyer would come visit him during this time. That would be his only channel of communication with the outside world.

Archibald didn't resist. Didn't show any reluctance. He simply settled into the detention center.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

During that week, he hadn't slept through a single night.

Probably from burning the candle at both ends for too long, the gray at his temples had thickened another layer. He'd lost weight too.

The lawyer Ryder arranged to take over his case was named Lloyd Wallace—a specialist in criminal defense with some reputation in the industry.

When Lloyd met Archibald in the detention center's visitation room, he felt a little uneasy.

He'd seen plenty of entrepreneurs behind bars. Some raged. Some collapsed. Some pinned all their hopes on their lawyers, practically demanding blood oaths.

But Archibald was surprisingly none of those.

He was quiet. When Lloyd entered, Archibald even nodded at him politely.

But that quietness unsettled Lloyd.

The calmer he was, the more it seemed like his heart had turned to ash—like he'd already given up hope of getting out.

Lloyd sighed, shook his head to clear the chaotic thoughts, and sat down across from him. He pulled a file from his briefcase and opened it.

"Mr. Carnegie, I have some news for you." Lloyd lowered his voice. "Allegra has been formally arrested by the prosecution."

Archibald's calm gaze finally flickered slightly.

"But she's disappeared." Lloyd's tone shifted, growing more grave. "When the arrest warrant was issued, police searched Gavin's apartment. It was empty. All the phone numbers she'd been using are turned off. All her bank accounts show no new transactions. The police have issued a citywide manhunt, but there's been no substantial progress yet."

He paused, then added, "According to police analysis, she likely got wind of it ahead of time and ran before the arrest warrant was issued. It's even possible she fled right after she tricked Mrs. Carnegie that last time. If she's still in the country, it's only a matter of time before she's caught. But if she left the country, things will get very complicated."

Archibald was silent for a few seconds before asking, "What impact does her disappearance have on my liability?"

Lloyd answered honestly. "A huge impact. From inception to construction on that East Suburb project, Allegra was involved as a consultant every step of the way. Contractor selection, material procurement standards, budget reviews—her signature is on everything. If we can bring her back and prove she committed major negligence or even intentional illegal acts in the project, your liability could be significantly reduced. Best-case scenario—you pay compensation, take administrative responsibility, and criminal liability drops to the minimum. But the problem now is..."

"She's gone." Archibald finished the sentence.

"Right." Lloyd closed the file and nodded gravely. "With her gone, a lot of key facts become impossible to verify. Even though her signatures are on the project documents, without her testimony and cross-examination in court, those signatures lose much of their evidentiary weight. The prosecution will lean toward pushing the main responsibility onto the legal representative."