Anna asked sadly, “Are you saying he snuck out because he was abused?”
“Mommy, what are you thinking?” Tammy patted Anna on the side of the head, saying, “Grandaunt Selina said that orphanages now are all great nowadays, and no one will abuse children. Besides, Flower Orphanage is currently competing for the title of best orphanage in the country. They rely on their reputation for compassion and patience.”
Anna gradually became less angry. “Tammy, how do you know this?” she asked incredulously of her daughter.
“Grandaunt Selina told me that. Mommy, you should read the news more often, too.”
“Do you mean Gary snuck out of the orphanage? He didn’t have any food, so he had to eat all of these plastic and fabric scraps?”
“I believe so.” Tammy nodded.
“We’ll have to send him back.”
Anna then began looking for the Flower orphanage’s phone number on her phone. Despite her suspicions about Owen’s intentions, she would never take advantage of this child. Then she dialed the number she found on the website right away.
At that moment, the nurse asked, “Who is Gary? I’m going to give him an infusion now.”
Tammy quickly raised her hand and shouted, “Come on over here! Gary is here!”
Anna leaned back as she waited for someone to answer the phone. She watched as the nurse filled the bottle with drops, connected the line, removed the needle cap, and held Gary’s hand. After a brief pause, the nurse decided to look for a more visible vein on his foot.
The nurse lifted Gary’s trousers the moment someone answered Anna’s phone.
“Hello, this is the Flower Welfare Home in Birmingham. How can I help you, please?”
Anna’s eyes were fixed on Gary’s ankle, and she felt a chill run through her body. Her ears suddenly started ringing, and that made her dizzy. Her hand shook, and the phone fell to the floor loudly.
“Hello? Hello?”
After waiting half a minute without hearing anything, the receptionist hung up the phone angrily.
Tammy turned her head as she heard the phone fall to the floor. Anna seemed shocked and pale. There was sweat on her forehead, and her entire body shook slightly.
“Mommy, what’s the matter?” Tammy asked, concerned.
“Is it okay that we look after Gary ourselves these days?” Anna asked. She sat down, holding onto a nearby chair, and kept her voice calm.
“Okay.” Tammy agreed, although she had no idea what was going on. And Tammy noticed a strange pattern on Gary’s ankle when she looked in the direction Anna was looking.
Two leaves were holding against a green seedling. A crescent moon was supposed to be above, but he didn’t have that on his ankle.
Anna forced herself to relax. Tammy had mentioned something to her on the way to the hospital, and something suddenly occurred to her.
“You said Gary was Irish, right?” Anna asked.
“Well, that’s what the orphanage president said.”
“Would you mind picking up my phone off the floor for me, honey?”
“Sure.” Tammy took up the phone and handed it to Anna. She felt something strange when she touched Anna’s hand.
Mommy’s reaction is so strange. What happened, mommy? she thought to herself.
Anna then took a picture of Gary’s ankle, sent Ryan the photo and asked, “Is this the same pattern?”
Ryan responded, “Yes,”
When Ryan saw the photo, he couldn’t help but frown. He deduced from the photo that it had to be a child and from the child’s hospital gown that he was in the hospital. He went downstairs immediately and texted, “I’ll be right there,” a second before starting the engine.
Half an hour later, Ryan arrived at the hospital. He and Anna sat across from each other in the hospital cafeteria, both looking gloomy. Then Ryan combined the photo Anna had sent him with the tattoo image he had previously printed.
“The top half of this pattern is missing, but the rest is identical in detail and proportions to that. I can assure you this is the one. Who is this person, anyway?”Asked Ryan.
Anna pointed to the building behind her, “He’s a little boy, and he’s getting an infusion upstairs. Tammy said that she had seen this boy at the Flower orphanage and that he was Irish. He was adopted in Ireland and then abandoned after being brought to Birmingham.”
As Anna was speaking, an idea struck her. “Is it possible that he was brought here by the man?” she asked.
Ryan was at a loss for words. He frowned, his mind racing over every detail of the situation. Still, he didn’t dare to make such a quick judgment.
“I’ll look into that later. You must keep this boy with you, Anna. You should bring him home as soon as possible and avoid letting him out.”
Anna nodded, placed the two photos in her bag, and said, “I’m taking this with me.”
Ryan was about to leave when he thought of something. He said, “You have to continue to look for clues about Micheal, and you have to do so quickly. I don’t think he knows much, but there’s definitely something we can get from him.”
Anna nodded seriously. She said goodbye to Ryan before heading back to the hospital.
***
During the morning rush hour, many people were rushing to work in the downtown business district. Isabella was walking here for the first time.
Isabella walked with long strides to Lemon’s office. She was dressed in a beige blouse, a light brown suit, and camel heels. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing her slender arms.
She moved quickly, surrounded by young men who peered at her and appeared interested in her. Isabella, like Anna, had a commanding presence. She possessed the confidence and self-assurance of a strong woman.
Meanwhile, a white car slowly slid against the road’s edge in the constant traffic. The car stopped beside Isabella, and the driver opened the window.
“Come on in, I’ll give you a ride.” Jasper said to Isabella.
Isabella kept her head up and accelerated her pace. Soon, she walked past his car. Jasper had no choice but to start the engine and follow her.
After a few attempts, Jasper gradually lost patience. He eventually had to get out of the car and block Isabella’s path.
“Let’s have a talk.” As Isabella was about to go around him again, Jasper reached out and grabbed her arm. His palm made her arm feel warm, but her heart was still cold.
Isabella looked down at his bony hand and broke away from his grips. “What exactly do you want to say? Say it,” She said this as she locked her gaze on him.
Jasper noticed Isabella had cut her long hair at that point. Her hair was down to her shoulders, which made her seem mature and capable.
“Let’s find a quiet place to talk.”
“I’m sorry, but I have work to do.”
Jasper frowned. “I’m going back to Manhattan in a couple of days, so you can come back with me,” he said after a moment’s thought.
Isabella wanted to go with Jasper when he said he was going back. But then she thought of something and declined. “I’m not returning with you. By the way, Anna really needs me right now.”
Jasper asked in surprise, “You’re going to help her? I’ve found out something about it, so you don’t have to worry. What you should do now is return to Manhattan with me and attend college. I’ve already helped you…”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.