Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 333: Chapter 333

Suddenly, a loud commotion outside shattered the calm. Susan rushed in, panic in her eyes. "Mrs. Herrera, Zachary is missing!"
My mind went blank in that instant, and I heard a ringing and buzzing. My scalp prickled, and an overwhelming sense of unease washed over me.
"Weren't Zachary outside playing earlier this morning? How could he be missing?" I looked at Susan, suspicion creeping into my voice.
"You go find Zachary first," Alex said, furrowing his brows with a sense of urgency in his voice. "This isn't the time to assign blame. Go find Zachary."
I nodded quickly, understanding that Susan wasn't at fault for his disappearance.
I glanced at Lawrence, standing a short distance away, before giving him a nod and rushing out of the room.
Zachary was a naturally timid child, always reluctant to go anywhere unfamiliar, let alone leave the manor alone.
Moreover, the house was covered in cameras, and even if Melody had any ill intentions, there was no way she could do anything in broad daylight with so many eyes around.
"Laurel, Zachary said he was thirsty, so I went downstairs to get him some water," Sophina said, her voice shaking with distress. "But when I came back... he was gone."
Her eyes were red with panic, tears welling as her shoulders trembled. Her words faltered as she spoke, each syllable laced with emotion.
"Don't worry. Zachary wouldn't run off. He's still here somewhere," I said, forcing calm into my voice. My hands were clenched so tightly that my nails nearly dug into my palms as I softly tried to reassure Sophina.
'But in reality, I was frantic inside, wanting nothing more than to find Zachary—every second felt like it mattered.'
Sophina and I exchanged a glance before heading off in separate directions. We searched through the rooms, not missing a single corner.
"Zachary? Zachary, where are you?" I called out.
I searched every corner of the room, but there was no sign of Zachary.
'Zachary wouldn't have gone off with a stranger.'
I forced myself to push aside the rising panic, quickly regaining my composure. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Sophina. "Check the surveillance footage, see if you can find any clues."
'In moments like this, the more chaotic and urgent the situation, the more critical it is to stay calm and organized.'
'Given the sudden events, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone might be behind this, using the chaos to sneak Zachary out of the house.'
In that instant, I suddenly remembered the unfamiliar faces I'd seen earlier in the garden. Without wasting another moment, I quickly approached them, stepping right in front of them, holding up a hand to stop them. "Have you seen two young children?"
The group exchanged nervous glances, their faces filled with panic. "No, Mrs. Herrera, we haven't seen Zachary."
At that moment, Kailyn slowly sauntered, a mocking smile on her lips. "You can't even keep track of Zachary, and now you're asking everyone else? How ridiculous. He's probably just hiding somewhere, playing. Why make such a fuss?"
I didn't bother engaging with Kailyn; she was probably trying to delay me from finding Zachary.
Turning to Susan, I gave a firm command. "Keep an eye on the front door. From now on, make sure everyone coming or going is thoroughly checked."
Kailyn sneered, her lips curling in disdain. "Are you out of your mind? This is the Parks family. Do you seriously think anyone would dare openly take Zachary from here?"
I was frantic, my mind too consumed with worry to waste time on her sarcastic remarks. I ignored her and quickly turned to head back inside.
Just as I was about to think through the following steps, a strange noise came from upstairs.
A jolt of unease ran through me. 'I had just checked the upstairs rooms with Sophina—how could there be a sound now?'
I rushed up the stairs without another thought, taking them two at a time.
As soon as I entered the room, I noticed the wardrobe door slightly ajar. I quickly stepped forward, flung it open, and found Zachary asleep inside. Panic surged through me as I gently shook him awake, my voice trembling. "Zachary, wake up. Tell me what happened."
Zachary slowly opened his eyes, clearly confused, and shook his head, his face a picture of bewilderment. He hadn't quite grasped what was going on.
I exhaled in relief, but confusion still lingered in my mind.
'Zachary wouldn't have come to this corner room on his own. I had just checked it, and there was no one here.'
Zachary rubbed his eyes with his tiny hands, looking at me shyly, his bottom lip quivering as if he was about to cry.
"It's okay, Zachary. You're safe here with me," I said, my heart aching as I pulled him into my arms and gently comforted him.
Once he calmed down, I led him downstairs into the living room.
"Zachary, I called for you earlier—didn't you hear me? What were you doing in the wardrobe?"
Zachary blinked, looking confused, as if he didn't quite understand why everyone was staring at him.
"I was playing with my toys in the room. Then a lady came in, gave me a piece of candy, and said she'd take me to find you, and then I fell asleep."
A chill ran through me. 'Someone had deliberately lured Zachary. It seemed like there were problems within the Parks family after all.'
"Do you remember which lady gave you the candy?" Alex asked, his voice steady, his expression cold. He, too, seemed to realize how serious this was.
At that moment, Sophina hurried in. When she saw Zachary, she let out a long breath of relief.
She grabbed his hand tightly and scolded him gently, "Zachary, where did you go?"
"Sophina, why are you mad?"
Sophina suddenly noticed everyone in the room's eyes on her. She quickly quieted, but after a moment, she spoke again. "Laurel, I think the surveillance footage has been tampered with. All the crucial moments are missing."
I clenched my fists. 'This was premeditated.'
Kailyn snorted from the side, "It's just Zachary getting into trouble for being greedy. No need to make such a fuss."
I glared at her. "This isn't the time for your sarcastic comments. Zachary was almost in danger!"
"He's fine now, isn't he? Where did this 'lady' come from? I think he just hid in the wardrobe alone," Kailyn said, her tone casual.
I let out a cold laugh. "Then where's the surveillance footage?"
At that moment, the housekeeper entered, his expression complicated as he glanced at Maddox sitting on the sofa, his face dark with anger.
"The signal for the cameras has been acting up for a few days," the housekeeper said. "I'll send someone to fix it right away."
Maddox's brow furrowed slightly.
"As long as Zachary is found, we just need to have more people keep an eye on him," Melody said, her tone soft as she looked at Zachary. "We don't want to scare him."
Maddox's tense expression softened momentarily at her words before he turned back to the housekeeper with a stern look. "Get more people to keep an eye on Zachary. If he goes missing again, I want everyone out of the Parks residence."