"Elijah?"

At the familiar voice, Elijah's head abruptly moved toward the entrance of the private lounge. Seeing Kai standing there with a docile smile on his face, a momentary concern & panic passed through Elijah's calm face as his gaze flickered toward the esteemed men he was in discussion with. Nial Delton, whose attention also moved toward the door, was staring at Kai with a raised brow, trying to figure out how he was able to enter. The other man just sat there, indifferently overlooking everything.

Elijah wasn't concerned because Kai interrupted them, but he knows how much Allea doesn't want Kai to meet the people from the business world until he reaches his proper age. Pacifying his nerves once again, he excused himself from the men and walked toward Kai.

"Kai, how did you find me?"

Noticing the seriousness in his voice, Kai's smile dimmed, "I saw you coming here when we were leaving."

Hearing his words, Eijha was confirmed that Kai came running without telling Allea. He was not blaming Kai, it was not his fault, Allea never stopped Kai from approaching Elijah. For countless times, Allea has sent Kai with him to enjoy proper long drives. But if today she decided to leave, then Elijah could guess the reason, she didn't want Kai to meet the people around him, "You were leaving? Did you tell Allea before coming here?"

Kai pressed his lips and gave an awkward smile, slightly ducked his head down while scratching it. Shaking his head at Kai's sheepishness, Elijah turned toward Dan, who was unusually quiet the moment they stepped inside the room, and told him to text Allea.

"I just wanted to see you and the car!" Kai tried to explain, but now seeing Elijah's tensed face he was feeling culpable and somewhat conjectured his mistake.

Sighing softly, Elijah neared him and bent to reach his level, he looked straight at Kai and asked, "What did Allea say?"

The child's voice was dripping from guilt, "That we should go home."

"Then, shouldn't you have listened to her?"

At Elijah's question, Kai comprehended that If Allea was stopping him then he should have heard her, bowing his head Kai apologetically nodded. The moment he entered his eyes met Elijah so Kai didn't notice the two other men in the room, so when Elijah moved toward them, he noticed a man in a gray suit staring at him with a smiling face. But his smile was not of good ones, Kai brows furrowed and his face hardened, he could only see the back of the head of the other man seated on the sofa and he truly apprehended his mistake, he shouldn't be here.

On the other side, Allea has long ago noticed that Kai was no longer following her -she was not mad at him but concerned- the moment she turned to see him, he was dashing toward the opposite side of the crowd. When she followed him to see where he disappeared to, her gaze fell on the familiar faces of guards standing outside the room, not long ago they introduced themselves as Aris Salvadges' security. Her steps halted, she wanted to follow Kai but also assumed whom he followed -he must have seen Elijah going in there. Allea was well aware that Elijah will never let Kai hear anything unwanted but...she still couldn't ease the restless feeling inside her.

Kai rarely acts rashly like this, and does something Allea stops him from, she could suppose he genuinely wanted to see the car and couldn't help his teenager's rebellious urges. But now the problem was not Kai's disappearance but where he disappeared to, as she was thinking, Dan's message reached her iPhone informing her about Kai's whereabout and people inside the room. Seeing this, she really couldn't leave Kai alone there, even if Elijah was also there, he doesn't know them the way she does, and her heart won't allow ever leaving Kai among the kind of people that could harm him in any way. Without wasting another second, her steps moved forward.

"Gentlemen, I would like to excuse myself. If there's something, we can discuss it later," Stating this Elijah waited for the men to respond.

"Is this kid your friend?"

Instead of Elijah's expected reply, Nial Delton asked, but Elijah managed to solemnly nod at his words, then Nial's gaze once again flickered toward the kid and with a chuckle added, pointing toward Kai's clothes, "He sure knows how to support you."

Hearing his words, an embarrassed smile appeared on Kai's face and when he looked at Elijah he too was smiling subtly as his hazel gaze flickered toward the trousers, and mumbled, "Allea made me wear this..."

Once again listening to the familiar name, Nial Delton's interest was again aroused, and he inquired, "What's your name kid?"

Kai, to whom the question was directed, faced the man standing a few steps away from him with a smile he really didn't like. Elijah, who was once again going to excuse himself as his earlier words were overlooked, paused, he also can't act hastily it was just harmless questions.

Kai, with a skeptical tone, voiced his name, "Kai."

Kai deliberately skipped his surname, but Nial Delton with his sly smile added, "Allgaier?"

At his words, Kai neither answered nor nodded, being a child he always has to be careful to make friends, because once his father advised him that many people will try to take his advantage. Additionally, from the moment his sister started handling the company, he realized that the people who tried to approach him somehow became triple. Including media, other kids even their parents would sometimes try to near him, and ask ridiculous & strange questions. He long ago learned the reason Allea never liked him meeting that kind of people, so he had a notion: the person who bothers to remember a child's surname can never bring any good to him. Kia started at Nial Delton full of hostility and faced Elijah, "I think I should go, Allea must be looking for me."

Noticing the cheeriness and childish innocence disappeared from Kai's face, Elijah too nodded, urging him to go with Dan. But before they could leave, Nial Delton once again interrupted, "Didn't you want to see the car? I can show it to you."

Kai hesitated -no matter how much he wanted to see the car but he will never go with this man and if Allea came to know of this, she'll surely be angry with him- so without thinking further he was going to decline his request when the man who sat silently the entire time slowly stood up and turned with his hands inside his pants pockets. Kai's eyes went slightly wide staring at the man, he could feel the unfriendly vibes the man was giving him and the way his cold face and black eyes staring at him when he muttered the words, "Show him the car."

At Aris Salvadge's sudden intervention, for a moment silence fell in the room, seeing Kai stunned staring at the man, Elijah was going to answer for him when a new presence entered the room.

"There's no need for that, I believe Kai has seen enough on the track."

Following the cold voice, Allea stepped in front of the people. (The security outside the room didn't stop her, as they recognized her being their employer's guest.) Her eyes first moved toward Kai, who after hearing her voice abruptly averted his head to face her with the same stunned look. Then her gaze met Elijah, giving him a slight smile as in saying -she'll handle from here, her eyes moved toward the man standing in the center. His dark eyes were already on her, Allea held his intimidating gaze with the same indifference. Not moving her eyes away from him, she stepped behind Kai and placed her arm around his shoulder, if one could keenly notice then Allea's protective stance wouldn't go unseen. Kai leaned in her hold, his stunned face filed with ease, and stared at the man with hostility.

"Hello, Mr. Salvadge, I apologize for the inconvenience my brother caused," Allea formally addressed the man in front of her, her voice was calm yet full of aloofness. She didn't wait for him to respond and continued, "Now, without further interruption, I would like to excuse ourselves."

"Now that you are here, how could you leave just like this?"

It was Nial Delton, he had an utterly amused smirk on his face, as he said those words. His voice reached Allea's ears, one meeting all it took for him to talk to Allea this freely, she deliberately avoided looking at him but his obstinate self couldn't bear it. Elijah who stood at the side, seeing this, had his brows tensed in confusion, even though this was Allea's usual way of treating strangers but after years of being with her, he could notice the aversion and diligence in her stance.

Without caring to answer his words, Allea was about to turn to leave, when Aris Salvadge's response reached her ears as she broke the eye-contact with him, "He was no bother."

Allea's eyes again flickered toward the man -who had the same look the entire time and acknowledged, "I'm relieved."

Then she turned toward Elijah, "I'll see you later."

Earning a stern nod from him, without further due and not wasting another second, turned to leave, with her arm around Kai's shoulder arm, moving him along with her, who also without any resistance gladly followed. Nial Delton who was clearly ignored by the girl, like he wasn't in the room, his smile was nowhere to be seen. To just satisfy his irate, when he was going to say another snarky comment to stop her, he saw his friend's hand gesturing him to let her go without interference, so he had to swallow down his words.

Leaving the private lounge, no one talked as both of them went through VIP exits and reached the parking lot. Kai had quite aggrieved expressions on his face and Allea's face was blank, she refrained from saying anything and just entered the car to drive out of the stadium.

At last, after a few minutes of drive Kai couldn't hold the silence and asked, "Are you mad?"

"Now, why would I be mad?" For her tone it was apparent she wasn't angry.

"You refused but I still ran off."

Allea -in actuality- didn't think it was such a big thing, Kai was a child she can't really stop him from doing these little mischiefs. So, without moving her focus from the road, she responded in a soft tone, "It's good that you realize your mistake. In places like this, there's every kind of people, you have to be more careful next time, Kai."

Her words made him feel guiltier, "I know I was wrong I just wanted to see Elijah & that car and didn't think anything else...I'm sorry."

Allea gave him a side-way glance with a smile, "Kai, soon you'll not be a child anymore, you have the right to decide what you want to do and how."

She looked at the boy already staring at her and extended her hand to ruffle his hair, but he didn't push her hand like always, and earnestly heard her words, "If there's bad then there's as much as good too, you just have to differentiate it from each other. And never let trivial things bother you, don't forget, good or bad, I'll be always there for you."

Saying this with one last smile toward Kai, she again moved her focus toward the road. Allea has always been extra careful with Kai, telling him things and making him understand has never have been difficult but she still put extra care into making things clear with Kai. People might not express it on her face but deep down she knows what the world thinks, as she has never let him in the company, in front of media, or any party, they think she's hiding Kai from the world so she could keep a hold on him and his money. Allea doesn't really care what others think but she does care what Kai thinks. She doesn't want him to think such things, so, she has always preferred communication and believes in their bond. Adding the fact that Kai was still a child and the fear that he was easy to manipulate always looms over Allea's head.

Kai stared at Allea's side profile, his face was expressionless but his eyes were shining with inexplicable emotion, his inaudibly mumbled words didn't reach Allea. But the sentiments and sincerity Kai whispered in those words, was visible on his face.

In the next second, he noticed that Allea's face molded into a wicked smile and he gave Kai a known look, realizing the meaning behind the glance, his face turned slightly pale and he yelled, "Ugh...I know that smile, no please!"

Allea didn't say anything, just continued to smile ambiguously, so Kai continued, "I don't want to want to eat only veggies again, or clean my room, and don't take my iPad or PlayStation!"

"Thanks for the idea, all of that for two weeks so you don't again roam off on dangerous areas and forget my words."

"No! You said you weren't angry," he whined.

"I'm not."

"Then why punishment?"

Allea gave a half-shoulder shrug, with a teasing smile, "It's fun, perks of being a guardian, so you have to listen to me."

At her words, Kai just stared dead at her for a minute and then settle for a bargain, that went on till they reached the Mansion. In the end, his punishment was considerably reduced to a single week with the help of his pitiful look and tearful eyes.

...

//Ruji:/ I will not be updating further chapters, expectedly till 10 February. Reason: Final exams, tons of assignments, two laborious projects, and the falling GPA.//