“She’s not here anymore?”
“What?”
Silas Sutton, Sean Crane, and Ryan Rhodes exclaimed in unison.
Silas’s heart sank.
Sean and Ryan exchanged a glance before looking at him.
Their boss had been pining for her for so long and had come here today specifically to pick up the girl he loved, only to find out she was no longer around.
They had made the trip for nothing.
“That’s right!” Director Lane continued.
“Two years ago, she was adopted by a family named Quinn.
They are quite well-off.
The couple didn’t have any children of their own, so they treat her like their very own daughter.”
Silas breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though he didn’t get to see Sprout today, at least he knew she had a home and parents.
“She has a new name now—Zoe Quinn,” Director Lane continued, a flash of pride in her eyes.
“She’s a bright girl.
She got into college the year before last, making her the first college student from our orphanage!
She’s at The Normal University in the city.
I’m not sure exactly what her major is, but she always comes back to visit us when she’s free and brings gifts for the younger kids.”
Zoe Quinn.
Silas repeated the name in his mind.
It was a formal name, a brand new identity that belonged entirely to her.
“Then…
do you have her contact information?” Silas asked.
“Yes, I have her phone number.
Hold on a moment.” Director Lane turned and walked into the office.
She copied down a number onto a slip of paper and handed it to Silas.
Silas nodded and took the paper.
He turned to Sean and ordered, “Sean, find out what department Zoe Quinn is in at The Normal University right now.
We’re heading there immediately.”
“Yes, sir!” Sean replied.
He stepped aside to make a phone call while Silas said his goodbyes to Director Lane.
The three men then returned to the car.
The car slowly pulled away from Sunshine Orphanage.
Silas looked back, watching the red-brick building shrink in the rearview mirror.
A sense of disappointment washed over him.
“Don’t worry, Boss,” Sean’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“As long as we have a name, finding someone is a piece of cake for Cosmos Group.”
As if to prove his point, Sean’s phone rang at that very moment.
He answered the call, gave a few brief replies, and hung up.
He turned to Silas.
“Boss, I found her.
She’s a junior in the Design Department at Silverport Normal University.
She has a class this morning—Color Composition at ten o’clock in Room 304 of the Fine Arts Building.”
“Remember to call me Mr.
Sutton,” Silas said, shooting him a sideways glance as he raised his wrist to check his watch.
“Boss—no, Mr.
Sutton.
It’s ten twenty right now,” Kyle said, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
“It’ll take about twenty minutes to get there.”
“If we leave now, we’ll make it just in time for her class to end.” Silas’s tone left no room for argument.
“Hurry up.”
Kyle nodded and gently pressed the accelerator.
The Bentley weaved nimbly through the traffic.
“Mr.
Sutton,” Ryan suddenly spoke up, his tone uncharacteristically serious.
“If…
I mean, if she doesn’t recognize you anymore, what will you do?”
Silas pressed his lips together and remained silent for a long time—so long that Ryan thought he wasn’t going to answer.
Then, he finally spoke.
“I don’t know.”
It was the truth.
He had envisioned countless scenarios for their reunion, but every single one of them was based on one fundamental premise: she was still his Sprout.
But what if that premise no longer existed?
“Also…” Sean hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously.
“Mr.
Sutton, what if she already has a boyfriend?”
Silas answered without a second thought.
“Then I’ll steal her back!”
His tone was domineering and resolute.
“Exactly!
Who would dare steal our boss’s woman?
They must have a death wish!” Ryan nodded repeatedly.
Silas tightly gripped the slip of paper bearing her number.
He gazed out the window at the fleeting street scenes.
Amidst the bustling traffic and the ebb and flow of crowds, everyone had their own trajectory in life.
Three years ago, his trajectory had intersected with Sprout’s.
Then, they were forced apart.
Now, he was going to make those two paths intersect once again.
No matter the cost!
A short while later, the car pulled up to the university entrance.
The campus gates were grand and imposing, with the words “Silverport Normal University” carved into the marble pillars in large, gilded letters.
Since classes were currently in session, students were hurrying in and out, their youthful faces sporting a variety of expressions.
Silas stepped out of the car.
Standing at the school gates, he suddenly felt a wave of hesitation.
Dressed in a worn-out jacket, he looked completely out of place standing between a luxurious Bentley and a crowd of fashionably dressed college students.
A few passing girls threw curious glances his way and whispered among themselves.
“Boss, do you want us to go in with you?” Sean asked.
“Call me Mr.
Sutton,” Silas glared at him, correcting him once again.
“Let’s go!”
He took a deep breath and strode onto the campus.
Sean quickly signaled for Ryan and Kyle to follow.
The Fine Arts Building wasn’t hard to find.
They walked along the main road, took a left turn, and a white building immediately came into view.
There was a small plaza in front of the building where a few students were sketching.
They had their easels set up, the colors on their palettes looking exceptionally vibrant in the sunlight.
Silas walked up the steps and pushed open the glass doors.
The lobby was quiet, with only the echoing sound of their footsteps filling the space.
The walls were lined with displays of student artwork—watercolors, oil paintings, and sketches.
He stopped in front of a watercolor painting.
At a single glance, he recognized the subject as Sunshine Orphanage, complete with its red brick walls, green window frames, and the old locust tree.
The painting was incredibly detailed, with an exquisite treatment of light and shadow.
In the bottom right corner was a signature: Zoe Quinn.
Silas’s heart gave a violent jolt.
He studied the painting carefully, refusing to miss a single detail.
The orphanage in the painting felt warmer than he remembered.
It was painted by someone who deeply loved that place, someone who looked back on her past with a gentle gaze.
“Excuse me, how do I get to Room 304?” he asked a passing student.
“Third floor, turn left, it’s the room at the very end,” the student answered hastily before running upstairs with an armful of art supplies.
Silas followed them up the stairs.
With every step, his heartbeat quickened.
Three years.
Over a thousand days and nights.
He had imagined this exact moment countless times.
And now, it was finally here.
The door to Room 304 was closed, but he could see inside through the glass window on the door.
There were about twenty students in the classroom, most of them working on their drawing boards with their heads bowed.
At the front of the room, a middle-aged female teacher was holding up color cards and explaining something.
Silas’s gaze swept across the classroom.
Then, he saw her.
She had her head down, her long hair cascading over her shoulders and hiding half of her face.
She was holding a paintbrush, completely absorbed in mixing colors with her lips pressed into a thin line.
Her side profile was soft, with a straight nose and long eyelashes that cast faint shadows over her cheeks.
She had indeed grown up.
She was no longer that frail, scrawny little girl.
She was still slender, but no longer sickly thin.
Her features had matured, and her jawline was more defined.
Yet, the way she focused with her head bowed and that slight frown on her face were exactly as he remembered.
Silas rested his hand on the door handle, hesitating.
Should he go in right now?
Interrupt her class?
Show up in front of her when she was completely unprepared?
Or should he wait until class was over?
Wait for her in the hallway?
Or perhaps…
play it safe and have Sean arrange a “chance encounter”?
Just as Silas was agonizing over what to do, she suddenly lifted her head and looked toward the door, as if sensing his gaze.
Their eyes met through the glass window.
Time seemed to stand still in that instant.
Silas saw the confusion in her eyes, followed by surprise, and then…
recognition?
Her eyes widened.
The paintbrush slipped from her hand and clattered onto the palette, splattering a few drops of paint.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
At that moment, the female teacher also looked over.
Silas saw her frown.
Silas quickly ducked out of sight, his heart pounding wildly.
“Let’s go, let’s go.
We’ll wait outside.
We shouldn’t interrupt their class.”