Did u guys see what I did there đź‘€... moving on
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Seven months had passed, and Liam still hadn't found a single trace of Ava.
It was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.
Detectives, private investigators, hackers none of them could find her.
But Liam refused to give up. He was hooked, haunted, and obsessed with finding her.
Meanwhile, across town, Ava was at the park heavily pregnant, munching on potato chips like a spoiled child.
Beside her was her best friend, Victor Knights, a well-known silver-spoon bachelor who, for once, looked nothing like the rich, polished man he usually was. His casual clothes were wrinkled, his hair slightly messy.
It was obvious Ava had completely drained the life out of him.
She walked ahead with a slight frown, one hand supporting her belly, the other swinging a chip bag.
The doctor had told her to walk for at least 30 minutes every day for exercise, but she wasn't happy about it.
Victor trailed behind like a bodyguard-slash-snack-holder, carrying a big bag stuffed with all sorts of cravings sweet, sour, salty, even weird combinations that only Ava would ask for.
"Pass me the dried strawberries," she ordered.
Victor searched through the bag and handed it to her.
"I don't want that anymore," she said after one look. "Give me something sour."
Suppressing a sigh, he handed her a jar of pickles.
She stared at him for a moment he braced himself, expecting a complaint.
Instead, she smiled. "Wow. How did you know I wanted this? You're really the best, Vicky."
Another random nickname. Based on mood. He'd stopped keeping count.
"I want water," she said suddenly.
"There's one in the bag," he replied flatly.
"No, I want another one. Go buy warm water."
"The one in the bag is warm."
"I want lukewarm," she said, her voice wobbling as if she might cry.
Victor sighed in defeat. "Fine. Whatever. I'll go get it."
"Thanks, Vicky baby~" she sang sweetly, her eyes twinkling like stars.
He helped her sit on a nearby bench. "Don't move. I'll be right back."
She nodded obediently. For about a minute.
Then she heard a sound a soft sniffle followed by quiet sobs.
Curious, Ava stood up, following the sound to a cluster of bushes nearby.
A small boy sat curled up behind them, his little hands covering his face.
"Hey there… are you hurt?" she asked gently.
The boy startled, falling backward and grazing his knee on the grass.
"Oh no, it's okay, it's just a scratch," Ava said, helping him up and dusting off his clothes. "How old are you, my boy?"
He counted his fingers carefully and stopped at the third one. "Three."
"So what are you doing here all by yourself?"
"Nanny and I were playing hide-and-seek," he said, sniffing. "I came to hide, but Nanny hasn't come to find me yet."
Did she abandon him? Ava frowned.
"Come with me, sweetheart. Let's take care of your knee," she said, holding his hand as they walked back to the bench.
The boy's big eyes soon focused on her round belly. "Nanny has a belly like yours. She said there's a baby inside."
Ava chuckled. "That's right. There's a baby in here. Want to touch?"
He gasped. "Can I?"
"Of course."
He placed his small hand on her stomach and grinned. "Nanny doesn't let me touch hers. She's always… crawnky."
"You mean cranky," Ava corrected with a laugh, charmed by his cuteness.
She took out the first-aid kit Victor had packed, cleaned his knee carefully, and wrapped it in a bandage.
"All done!" she said proudly.
"Thank you!" the boy said, smiling wide.
"Young master!" A breathless voice came from behind them. A heavily pregnant woman hurried toward them.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I got caught up with something important..."
"What could be more important than a child?" Ava cut her off sharply. "And you call yourself a nanny?"
"i..I"
"Zoe, what's going on?"
A deep, familiar voice echoed behind them.
The woman stiffened. "I-It's nothing, sir."
"It's not nothing," Ava said, standing up. "She left this little boy alone in the bushes pretending it was a game. He could've been hurt — he was hurt. I startled him by accident, and he fell."
"Zoe, is that true?" the man asked, his tone calm but firm.
"I… I went to buy something. I didn't think it would take that long," she stammered. "I started craving something else, and then another thing, and I… forgot."
"I think it's time you take your maternity leave," he said coldly — though his voice softened when he looked at the boy. "Go home with the young master."
Ava finally turned to face him — and froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Sean?"
He looked equally stunned. "Ana— I mean, Miss Ava."
"Just Ava," she said quickly, forcing a smile. " we all thought you vanished."
"Nah," she grinned mischievously. "I'm just good at hiding, that's all."
"No wonder we couldn't find you," he murmured under his breath.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said quickly, clearing his throat. "That child— the one you called young master… is he—?"
"No," Sean cut in fast. "He's not."
Ava gave him a long look but didn't push.
Sean spoke "We'll be going then."
little boy started tugging at her sleeve. "Can I say bye to my lollipop?"she asked looking down at the boy who was tugging her sleeve
Sean chuckled at the nickname. Ava laughed softly. "Lollipop, tell me ,what's your name?"
"Leo," he said shyly, cheeks turning pink.
Victor's voice came from behind them. "What's going on here?"
Ava turned around, beaming. "Vicky baby! You're finally back. And I don't want that water anymore."
Victor groaned. "Seriously? I spent thirty minutes trying to make it the perfect temperature!"
Ava stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry. You're in a good mood now, right?"
He sighed. "You're impossible."
Ava grinned and introduced them. "This is my lollipop,Leo!"
" Like the zodiac sign."
"Shut up," Ava muttered, rolling her eyes.
She rubbed her belly absentmindedly — and Sean's eyes immediately followed the motion.
"You're… pregnant," he said quietly.
"Yes," she replied simply.
Sean looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead, he just nodded. "We'll be going now. Take care."
As he turned away, Ava smiled and called after him.
"By the way, you look even more handsome than the last time I saw you."
Sean flushed slightly and hurried off with Zoe and Leo. The boy waved at Ava, still smiling through his tears.
When they were gone, Victor cleared his throat. "Were you flirting with him?"
"No," Ava said innocently. "I just like handsome men."
"Ugh. You gross me out, Ava."
She laughed. "Oh, come on, Vicky. Don't be jealous."
He rolled his eyes again. "So who was that? You seemed familiar."
"There's nothing to explain," she said quickly, avoiding his gaze.
"Does he have anything to do with your baby daddy?"
"Wow, so you do have a brain," she teased.
Victor raised a brow. "So…?"
"I told you already — he's just a nice driver. A very handsome one, that's all."
He sighed. "Right. Totally believable."
"Let's go home," she said, looping her arm through his.
Elsewhere…
Liam's phone buzzed.
> Boss,
We found her.