Just as Ms. Booker had her back turned to him, he scampered across the living room as fast as his little feet could carry him. Soon, he was out of the door. After he had successfully gone out, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled naughtily. Next, he was going to execute his grand master plan.
“Larry, the bread is done! Come and eat. I’ve added in your favorite sweet corn. It smells heavenly,” Ms. Booker called out to Larry while standing at the bottom of the stairway. Unsurprisingly, she was met with total silence.
“Larry, come down quickly. The bread will not taste good after it has cooled down,” Ms. Booker said as she walked up the stairs to the second floor. Alas, Larry was nowhere to be seen as she entered the playroom.
“Larry? Larry!” shouted Ms. Booker in a panic as she had no idea where he had gone. Her heart was palpitating with fear. She called out his name loudly. Again, there was no response.
She searched every nook and cranny of the house, and she couldn’t find the young boy who was under her care. She broke down completely. Could something have happened to Larry? With Larry gone, what was she supposed to say to Mr. Morrison and Ms. Vivian? She fervently hoped that the young Mr. Larry was not in any danger.
On the other side, Finnick wanted some answers from Vivian. “Vivian, back then, why did you refuse to see me? But you let Benedict… “
Bzzz… Bzzz… Bzzz… Finnick didn’t get to finish his query before being interrupted by Vivian’s vibrating phone. Seeing that it was a call from Ms. Booker who was taking care of Larry, Vivian said to Finnick apologetically, “I have to take this.”
As soon as she swiped the green button, Ms. Booker’s frantic sobs from the other end could be heard. “Miss, Mr. Larry… Mr. Larry has gone missing! I couldn’t find him anywhere… “
“What? Tell me what happened!” The moment she heard that Larry was missing, Vivian went into a panic immediately. Her hand that was holding the phone started shaking uncontrollably.
“Mr. Larry said he wanted bread, so I went to make him some. But when I came back he was gone! I looked for him everywhere, but I couldn’t find him!” said Ms. Booker who was clearly rattled and scared. “I’m so sorry, Miss. It’s all my fault. I didn’t keep a close eye on him… “
Listening to Ms. Booker’s intermittent sobs, Vivian forced herself to remain calm. Although she was worried sick, she could not lose her cool.
“Please don’t cry. Hurry and search the surrounding areas, he might be nearby. I will come home immediately,” Vivian instructed while trying to convince herself that it was alright at the same time. This isn’t the first time Larry has gone off on his own. He will be fine, just like the last time! Maybe he has just gone off somewhere on a whim. He’s just playing somewhere nearby. He’s okay. He’ll be okay. I need to stay calm…
After she hung up, Vivian turned over to Finnick and said in a hurry, “Something came up. Hurry and send me back home!”
At her behest, Finnick sped up immediately. He looked over to her with worry and asked, “What’s going on? What happened at home? Did someone go missing?”
“It’s nothing,” Vivian replied, looking ahead with butterflies in her stomach. She chose not to tell Finnick anything as she was still unsure of their relationship. Hence, she’d better not let Finnick know about Larry’s existence.
“Vivian, just what has happened? Please tell me so that I can assist you,” Finnick asked, clearly not convinced. She was so nervous during the call, how could it be nothing?
“It’s really nothing. Please don’t ask anymore. Just send me home as fast as you can,” Vivian responded snappily. She was extremely anxious and not in the mood to keep going back and forth with Finnick.
Seeing as Vivian was vexed, Finnick could only keep his questions to himself. However, his heart ached. Did she not trust him now? That was why she refused to tell him anything. Without another word, Finnick stepped hard on the accelerator. Soon, his car sped ahead all of the other vehicles on the road in the direction of the Morrison residence.
The moment they reached, Vivian unbuckled her seatbelt as fast as lightning and said to Finnick, “You can go. Thank you for driving me back, and sorry for the trouble.”
