Cathy said, “Just give me the money, I’ll buy it for Cheryl myself.”

Werner said, “I’ll order it for her myself. I’ve got connections.”

Hearing this, Cathy didn’t press further.

Night fell. After clearing his backlog of documents and getting ready to call it a day, Jonathan spotted Michael crouching by his car.

Michael was idly tracing circles on the ground with his finger, looking bored.

Jonathan watched Michael for a few moments and called out, “Who’s this little guy?”

The moment Michael spotted Jonathan, his face lit up. He scrambled to his feet and darted straight toward Jonathan. He called out excitedly, “Mr. Lime!”

Jonathan scooped Michael up and carried him into the car. He asked, “How did you get here?”

Michael replied, “I was worried about you, so I came to check on you.”

“Worried about me?” Jonathan said gently.

Michael nodded and said, “I was scared something bad might have happened to you.”

Jonathan felt a warmth in his heart, thinking, ‘He must have seen the news.’

Sanford’s detention had been widely covered by the media, with Jonathan’s name splashed across the headlines.

But for Michael, that was a different story.

Before Teresa left for Shaville, she dropped Michael off at Miriam’s place.

Michael was asleep, but as Teresa was about to leave, he drowsily crawled out of bed and overheard Teresa telling Miriam at the door, “Jonathan seems to be in some trouble in Shaville. I’m going to check on him.”

Michael was particularly sensitive to Jonathan’s name. So after Teresa left, he nervously tugged at Miriam’s sleeve and asked, “What’s wrong with Mr. Lime?”

Naturally, Miriam kept the truth from Michael.

Michael was worried that something bad might happen to Jonathan. After two days of restless anxiety, he finally saw his opportunity when Miriam went out on a date with Edward. He quietly slipped out and took a taxi straight to Jonathan.

As soon as Michael saw Jonathan, he wrapped his arms tightly around Jonathan’s arm and, all of a sudden, burst into tears.

Jonathan asked softly, “What’s making you cry?”

Michael kept crying and shook his head.

The driver kept stealing glances at Michael. He wanted to say something, but held his tongue.

Michael sniffled and said, “You’ve gotten so thin, Mr. Lime. It makes me so sad to see you like this.”

A peculiar tenderness suddenly stirred within Jonathan’s heart. During those days in Shaville, he had been swamped with family matters and had grown used to poor food and little sleep.

Chapter 551

Yet no one had ever shown him any real concern or told him he’d lost weight. Michael was the very first.

Michael wept bitterly as if Jonathan’s looking thinner was all it took to bring his tears.

Jonathan asked the driver for some tissues, then gently pulled Michael onto his lap and wiped away his tears. He said, “No more tears, okay? I promise I’ll eat well.”

Michael rubbed his eyes and said, “I can share my baby fat with you.”

Jonathan looked at Michael’s skinny arms and legs, thinking, ‘How much baby fat could he even have to share?’ Then he said, “That’s so sweet of you. What would you like to eat? Let me treat you to dinner.”

Michael thought for a moment, then shook his head. He said, “I think I’d better go home. Miriam will be worried if she can’t find me.”

Jonathan asked Michael for his address, then asked, “Where’s your mom?”

Michael replied, “My mom’s on a business trip. She told me to be a good boy and wait for her to come back. She never takes me with her when she goes on trips.”

Jonathan gently ruffled Michael’s hair. At that moment, he didn’t associate Michael with Teresa, since he knew Teresa had already returned to Nareigh.

Meanwhile, just as Teresa was about to head to Miriam’s place to pick up Michael, Miriam called her in a panic.

Miriam exclaimed, “I just got home and Mike’s missing!”