Chapter 8 Has She Returned?

Zachary's voice was so gentle that James's eyes widened in shock.

When had Zachary ever spoken to anyone with such tenderness?

Julia's tears had been knocked right out of her from the collision. She pouted pitifully and whimpered, "It hurts!"

Her little face scrunched up into a ball, eyes still brimming with tears, as if she might burst into full sobs at any moment.

Zachary stared at Julia, momentarily stunned.

The little girl in front of him reminded him irresistibly of Sophia.

When Sophia had first arrived at the Spencer family, she'd looked exactly like this.

"How did you get to the hospital? Do you know who your mom is?" Zachary asked with remarkable patience.

James watched from the side, absolutely flabbergasted.

If he weren't afraid of provoking Zachary's anger, he would have seriously considered recording this scene to share in the company group chat.

Let everyone at the office see that Zachary actually had a gentle side!

Julia lifted her chin somewhat proudly. "Of course I do! I came here with my mommy to visit someone who's sick, but I can't tell you who my mommy is!"

Julia still maintained basic safety awareness, which inexplicably filled Zachary with a sense of relief.

"Do you know which room you came from?" Zachary was about to reach out and take Julia's hand to help her find her guardian.

Simon had been watching from around the corner for some time, terrified that Julia might actually go off with strangers. He quickly ran out and grabbed Julia's hand, pulling her behind him.

"Mommy told us never to reveal personal information to strangers when we're out!"

Simon had an extremely strong sense of safety awareness; his voice loud as he reminded Julia.

At the same time, he turned around and fixed his gaze firmly on the men before them.

"Besides, these two are obviously bad guys!"

Both men wore crisp black suits and looked thoroughly intimidating.

Especially the moment Simon saw Zachary's face, alarm bells went off in his head.

Julia stared blankly at Simon's protective stance, then suddenly leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Simon, I think this guy looks kind of like you."

Julia hesitated, then carefully studied both Simon and Zachary, comparing them.

Aside from Zachary seeming gentler and more even-tempered than Simon, the more Julia looked, the more she thought they looked practically identical, especially around the eyes and eyebrows.

Those slightly upturned, sharp eyebrows looked like they'd been carved from the same mold.

Plus, Zachary had appeared on the same hospital floor—Julia's mind leaped to a bold hypothesis.

"Could this person possibly be..."

Before she could finish, Simon clapped a hand over Julia's mouth, cutting her off.

While watching from the sidelines, Simon had noticed the same resemblance.

Could the Zachary standing before them actually be their biological father? But Sophia had told them they didn't have a father.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that they looked similar.

Simon's heart sank, and he watched Zachary with even greater wariness.

Meanwhile, Zachary also scrutinized the two children before him—both had delicate features and looked clever.

They appeared to be around four or five years old and seemed quite sharp.

But looking at them, Zachary felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"Which room are you looking for? I can help you find your family," Zachary said, somewhat amused as he watched the two children whisper conspiratorially before both adopting guarded expressions.

If he really were some child trafficker, Simon's little arms and legs wouldn't be able to stop him anyway.

Simon suddenly bit his lip and spread his legs in a defensive stance.

"Julia, run!" he called out in a low voice, then quickly grabbed Julia's arm and bolted without looking back.

Their movement was so sudden that Zachary and James, caught off guard, could only watch helplessly as the two children fled.

James chuckled. "Those two kids are pretty entertaining."

Zachary's expression darkened as he stared in the direction the children had disappeared. "Didn't you think there was something strange about them?"

Dylan had been hospitalized for quite some time now.

Zachary had never seen these two children at the hospital before.

James seemed unconcerned. "Probably relatives visiting a patient. Evergreen Hospital is Emerald City's best hospital; it's normal for there to be all kinds of people here."

Was that really all it was? Zachary still felt a heavy cloud of doubt weighing on his mind.

He couldn't shake the feeling that both children had seemed familiar.

...

Simon dragged Julia back to the hospital room and dramatically shut the door behind them. Both kids leaned against it, panting heavily.

They looked up to find Dylan and Sophia staring at them with stern expressions.

Julia's heart sank.

She'd only wanted to explore a little, but now it seemed like they were in trouble!

She immediately put on her most innocent, pitiful expression. "Mommy, it's all my fault. I wanted to take Simon out for a little walk."

As for the man they'd encountered outside, both Simon and Julia tactfully avoided mentioning him.

Sophia sighed. "Emerald City is huge. If you two got lost, I'd never be able to find you."

Dylan nodded in agreement. "While you're in Emerald City, you absolutely must listen to your mommy and never wander off."

Sophia checked her watch—it was already five in the afternoon, and they hadn't eaten since landing.

"Dylan, I should go now. You get some rest, and I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Dylan looked reluctantly at Sophia, then at the children.

"Make sure you all rest well. I have people taking care of me here at the hospital, so don't worry about me. You don't even have to come every day."

Zachary arrived at the hospital room carrying dinner, and the moment he looked up, he caught sight of a familiar silhouette disappearing around the corner at the end of the hallway.

In that instant, Zachary's heart nearly stopped beating.

Memories buried deep within seemed to awaken and stir restlessly.

Without thinking, Zachary shoved the food containers into James's hands.

"Take these to the room now!"

Before James could ask any questions, Zachary was already striding after the figure, his mind replaying that glimpse over and over.

He was almost certain that fleeting silhouette had to be Sophia!

There was no way he could be mistaken!

Zachary followed his deepest instincts as he pursued the figure.

He had never felt so nervous in his entire life, afraid that the person wasn't Sophia, yet equally afraid that it was her.

Complex emotions tangled together as Zachary reached the elevator bank, where the down arrow was lit.

He'd missed her by just one second.

Standing by the elevators, Zachary took a deep breath and mentally mocked himself.

He must be going crazy to chase after an uncertain silhouette like this.