Zarukel had heard the entire conversation of the kidnappers from beginning to end. He let out a silent breath—this was better. At the very least, they wouldn't be killed immediately. As long as the watch was still on his wrist, the Curtis family would soon find them!
With a cold expression, Zarukel held Joshua tightly in his arms.
"Um..."
At that moment, a small sob pulled Zarukel out of his thoughts. He looked down and saw that Joshua had opened his eyes. His bleary gaze glistened with tears, making Zarukel's heart momentarily clench. He hugged Joshua even tighter and said firmly, "It's okay. We'll be rescued soon."
Hearing Zarukel's words, Joshua looked a little dazed, not quite understanding what was happening.
Then his eyes scanned the room, and he finally realized he was in an unfamiliar place—and his papa wasn't there.
Joshua furrowed his brow tightly. He feared something would happen to him without him by papa's side. The sedatives still left his head somewhat sluggish, but one thing was clear in his mind: he couldn't leave papa alone, or else bad people would trick him.
[Leo, Leo...]
Joshua kept calling out to Leo in his mind, but his head remained eerily silent. There was no response at all—Leo seemed to have disappeared entirely without a trace.
Joshua blinked blankly, his brows drew together, and tears began falling.
Feeling the warm liquid drip onto the hollow of his neck, Zarukel panicked a little. He turned his head and saw Joshua silently crying, his eyes vacant, as if he had just lost something dear.
All Zarukel could do was continuously try to comfort him. "It's okay. Someone will come to save us soon. Don't be afraid."
Joshua said nothing, only pressed his lips together, silently shedding tears.
Had Leo abandoned him? Why couldn't he reach Leo at a time like this?
And papa wasn't here either.
Joshua felt as if there was nothing left in this world that could keep him grounded.
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. His heart felt suffocated as if no blood could flow through it anymore. Even breathing was becoming difficult.
Sensing that Joshua's breathing was getting increasingly ragged, Zarukel grew anxious and desperate. Why weren't those people here yet?!
Never before had Zarukel wished so desperately to have a bigger, stronger body—if only he did, he could protect Joshua!
"Bang!"
"Bastard!"
"Damn it, how did they get here so fast?!"
"Grab the two hostages!"
"Crash!"
Suddenly, a series of chaotic noises came from outside, like a fierce battle had broken out. Gunfire and the sounds of hand-to-hand combat echoed loudly, shaking the space.
Zarukel clutched Joshua tightly, patting his back, trying to calm the boy's breathing. "Don't be scared. It's okay. Calm down, they're here to save us now. No more fear, alright?"
Zarukel's voice had never been this gentle.
But Joshua's face grew paler by the second, his breathing labored and painful. It wasn't just fear—Zarukel sensed something more was wrong.
Outside, Adonis stood coldly, looking at the kidnappers who had been taken down. Because their targets were just two children, the kidnappers hadn't even bothered to leave a guard inside the warehouse. As a result, they missed the chance to take the children as hostages in time. They had never expected their enemies to locate the warehouse so quickly—it was illogical!
Before being beaten unconscious, that was the only thought that ran through all of their minds.
"Meww!"
When Leo saw the kidnappers had been defeated, he immediately wriggled free from Adonis's palm and leaped into the warehouse. Adonis quickly followed behind, his long strides urgent and swift.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Zarukel knew—they had been rescued. A flash of white suddenly darted forward, rushing straight toward Joshua. Looking closely, it was... a cat!
[Little master, little master, what's wrong? Are you alright? Lord Adonis and I are here now, please don't scare me like this!]
The cat meowed endlessly—Leo was speaking directly into Joshua's mind.
Joshua felt incredibly unwell. At this moment, he couldn't even speak, and breathing was so tricky that everything in front of him blurred.
[Leo... I can't breathe. I don't know what's happening, but... it's too hard to breathe.]
Leo could even see the red rashes spreading along Joshua's arms. He opened his mouth and let out a loud wail, his cry so piercing it seemed to shake the entire warehouse.
"What's going on?!"
Adonis had arrived by then. He quickly picked Joshua up while Zarukel stood as well, his eyes filled with shock and worry as he looked at them.
He was surprised that the first person to arrive wasn't someone from the Curtis family but Adonis instead. Could Joshua also be carrying a location-tracking item?
However, Adonis strode quickly out with Joshua in his arms. Joshua's condition was unstable—he needed to be taken to the hospital immediately!
Zarukel hurried to follow with his small legs. Unlike Joshua, he was still completely fine, walking easily.
When they exited the warehouse, they saw Cale arriving with others. Witnessing the scene outside, they were all visibly surprised. But when they saw Zarukel unharmed, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Cale approached, intending to take Zarukel's hand, but the boy avoided him. Without saying a word, he followed behind Adonis, looking stubborn and determined.
Cale frowned. "This kid... not even a word of greeting. Does he even know how worried people were about him?"
Someone beside him tried to comfort him: "Zarukel's always been like that. You're acting like you just met him for the first time. Just follow along—he still needs a check-up, so let's go to the hospital."
Cale felt like this family spoiled Zarukel far too much—to the point of being unbelievable as if no matter what the boy did, no one would ever reprimand him.
He frowned again but didn't say anything more, only silently followed behind Zarukel.
"Hang in there, Papa's taking you to the hospital now."
Adonis sat in the car, eyes fixed on Joshua's pale and pain-stricken face. He looked down at the boy's hands, now starting to redden, and it felt as if a piece of his heart had been torn away.
He should've personally pulled the trigger to end those bastards!
But it didn't matter—once he got proof of who was truly behind this, those people would learn what it meant to wish for death but not receive it.
Adonis's gaze turned icy at the thought.
At that moment, Leo continued to speak in Joshua's mind:
[Little master, you have to hold on. This looks like an allergic reaction. Right now, your body is just that of a normal human—it's natural to get sick and feel pain. But don't worry, we're almost at the hospital. You won't feel this bad for much longer!]
Leo spoke, but it seemed Joshua could no longer hear anything.
The boy had shut his eyes tightly, his breathing weaker than ever, causing Adonis's heart to clench with fear. He wished more than anything that they could arrive that very second.