Chapter 26

Amaya gave the driver the address and sat back in her seat, her tension mounting as the car neared her place. The small street was bustling with activity, but it was far from inviting. The narrow alley was littered with garbage, and the stench of decay hung heavily in the air. Small, ugly, and rusty apartments lined both sides of the street, their crumbling facades adding to the gloomy atmosphere.

"It’s nice here. It's quite, um, overcrowded here." Chase glanced out of the window. "So, is this where you raised your son?"

She rolled her eyes.

The apartments, once bright and welcoming, had lost their charm over the years and were now covered in layers of grime and neglect. Their faded paint peeled off, revealing the scars of time. Broken windows were patched up with cardboard and tape, barely keeping out the cold wind and rain.

"Yes, this is all I can afford for now. I'm planning to change apartments soon."

Amidst the chaos, rats scurried along the sidewalks, seeking refuge in the piles of discarded trash. The small shops that lined the street had seen better days. Their facades were smudged with dirt, and the display windows were cluttered with dusty items. The neon signs, once vibrant, flickered weakly, their dim glow struggling to pierce through the dense fog of pollution.

Chase had no idea; she must just assume that she could afford a nice apartment somewhere appropriate to raise a son, but instead of answering, Amaya just shook her head, tempted to tell the driver to forget it and take them straight to the hotel dinner dance, except her son would be devastated if she called and canceled again.

"After that green pickup car on the left," Amaya instructed the driver. "Just here will do." Only he went past the pickup and pulled up at the apartment's old glass door, pressing the button on the intercom. Amaya could feel her cheeks burning as Chase took in the building sign.

She could feel Chase’s eyes on her as he spoke, but she couldn’t look at him; she just climbed out as the driver handed her the paper bag.

"I shouldn’t be long," she said, calling her babysitter. A few minutes later, Linda, a small Asian woman, was holding her son.

"MoooomMy!"

Amaya smiled as she watched her son, Tommy. "Hello, darling." The way her son’s face lit up when she walked into the small hallway only made her feel worse.

"Mommy, you look pretty. I like your dress," he beamed.

"Really? Thank you."

"Yes, mommy. I like your hair too." The boy smiled before widening his eyes as he looked at the paper bag. "Mommy, is that my Chase you promised?"

Amaya nodded. As she presented the gift, Tommy's eyes lit up with joy. "It’s Paw Patrol. Yehey! It's Chase. Thank you, Mommy! I love it!" he exclaimed.

She was excited about showing him the gift she had chosen—a little toy dog car she knew Tommy would love. She had carefully selected a special gift, and she couldn't wait to see his reaction. Unbeknownst to her, her boss, Chase, had followed her and was observing them from a distance.

As the cool night air hit her, she gulped it in, turning to see who was following her. Aware that Chase must be watching, she died inside.

Shit, he is not supposed to follow me; he is not supposed to see Tommy. Damn it, shit shit! She muttered to herself as she tried to shield Tommy from Chase's view, but it was of no use.

Chase smiled at the boy. He couldn't take his eyes off Tommy; there was something about the boy that struck a chord within him. He felt an inexplicable, intense connection to him, and it left him puzzled. He decided to approach Amaya, wondering if he had met Tommy before.

"Amaya," Chase said, trying not to sound too intrusive. "I couldn't help but notice your son. He looks strangely familiar."

Amaya turned around with a fake smile on her lips, surprised to see her boss there.

Shit, what the hell was he doing here? "Um—I, what are you doing?" she widened her eyes at him. "No need to bother; this place isn't—"

"I'm just curious," Chase replied with a raised brow, knowing that his secretary was trying to shield her son like he was someone who would take the boy from her.

However, Amaya tried to keep her voice even, to lower her shoulders, and to pretend, for Chase, if he was watching, that there was nothing wrong.

Chase ignored her and went to her son, saying, "Hey, buddy. What's your name?"

"I'm Tommy." The little boy frowned and looked at Amaya. "Mommy?"

"Um—baby, this is—this is my boss, Mr. Johnson." She muttered and gave Chase a warning look. "Sir, this is Tommy, my son, and I got him a little gift, right, darling? You can go now; it won't take long."

"Mommy, you told me not to talk to strangers."

"I—I know. But—this man, this is my boss."

"Ah, the devil, the ugly giant with big ears who stole your cookie and made you stay in the office often?" Tommy sneered at Chase.

Oh God! I’m dead, she pondered to herself as her face paled. Chase raised his brows at her.

"Oh, baby, no, I mean. This is my boss, Mr. Johnson."

"You say the same thing, mommy. Your boss is a beast. Like an ugly monster, but—but he doesn't look like a monster to me, mommy. He’s handsome. I like him."

"Baby—"

Tommy smiled at Chase and asked, "Do you know my father?"

"Um—no." Chase's curiosity grew even stronger as he looked at Tommy and then at Amaya. "There's just something about him that makes me feel like I've seen him somewhere before," he mused as he changed the subject, to which Amaya was grateful. She knew Chase would grill her later.

Amaya faked a smile. "Really? Well, Tommy is a pretty friendly little boy. Maybe he reminds you of someone you know."

Tommy smiled and took the paper bag from Amaya’s hand. "My mommy said, I look like my daddy. But he isn't around anymore."

Chase couldn't shake the feeling that this connection with Tommy was more than just a passing coincidence. He decided to ask a bit more about Tommy's background. "Where is he?"

"Very far..." Tommy muttered as he excitedly took the blue dog toy from the box. "This is Chase, Mr. Johnson."

"What?" Chase grumbled with mild curiosity.

"This is Chase. He is a German Shepherd puppy and the second member of the PAW Patrol."

"Really?" His voice trailed off, clearly impressed. "Well, that's pretty nice.I have a dog, a real dog; his name is Ruru."

"Woah! Really, Mr. Johnson?"

"Yes."

Tommy smiled, proud of his toy. "But mommy hates real dogs, but Chase here is a police and traffic cop dog and a super spy police dog."

As they chatted, Amaya beat harder than ever. She tried to keep Tommy away from Chase, but the man kneeled down and took to her son like they were longtime buddies.

Chase raised his brows. He felt a pang of empathy for Amaya and Tommy. He began to wonder if fate had brought him to this awful building that day to discover this unexpected bond with his secretary's son.

With the conversation turning personal, Amaya didn't notice that Chase's mind was preoccupied with thoughts about Tommy. Seeing Tommy's happiness brought a smile to Chase's face. He couldn't help but feel drawn to the little boy, as though they were connected by something beyond explanation.

"Baby, I need to go now, okay? Be a good boy to Linday, okay?" Amaya swallowed.

"Mommy, you have to go." Tommy’s eyes filled with tears. "You’ve only just gotten here. I thought we would play—"

"Mommy needs to work. I‘m sorry, but I promise I'll be back soon." She felt awful leaving him so soon—except she had no choice. It was her work that was paying for everything.

She knew what others must think of her as she clipped past the desk in high heels, and she was so close to crying it hurt—she was tired, so tired of juggling things, of scrambling to get everything half done. At work, she was calm and efficient, yet on the inside, she was a festering mess.

A few minutes later, the car was full of music when she entered, and Chase was sending emails on his phone. She breathed a sigh of relief that he surely hadn’t noticed the uncomfortable exchange with her son.