Chapter 542

The amusement park was jam-packed, buzzing with laughter and the occasional scream of excitement.

"Whoa, that roller coaster is sick! And check out that pirate ship, looks wild!" Oliver was totally stoked about all the high-flying rides, eyes wide with excitement.

"Kids can't go on those," Susan chimed in.

"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore, I'm a big boy now. I'm not scared at all; it's you who's scared and won't ride with me, right? But if you're too scared, I won't go. I don't want you to worry." Oliver was trying to be all grown-up. Deep down, he just wanted to grow up fast so he could hit up all the thrilling rides.

Susan smiled and gently asked Candy, "What do you wanna ride?"

Candy clung to Caleb's big hand, nervously hiding behind him.

Susan kept going, "Candy, how about the little train?"

Candy peeked out from behind Caleb's leg, shaking her head shyly.

"Then how about the carousel?"

Candy's eyes lit up a bit, but she still shook her head, trying to play it cool.

Caleb said, "Daddy will ride with you, okay?"

Candy finally nodded, gripping Caleb's hand so tight her fingers were getting sweaty.

"Let's all go," Caleb said to Susan.

"You guys go ahead, I'll snap some pics." Susan smiled, knowing Candy needed some space and wasn't ready to warm up to them just yet. It was cool, totally normal. Baby steps.

Caleb appreciated her understanding and felt a bit guilty. "Alright, we'll go first."

The two of them hopped on the carousel.

"Mom, it seems like Candy doesn't really like us," Oliver said.

"Give her some time," Susan replied.

"Yeah, I get it. I really like Candy, and I believe she'll like me too."

"Absolutely." Susan patted Oliver's head, feeling relieved. "You're gonna be an awesome big brother."

"Of course."

Caleb played a few more games with Candy, just the two of them.

"Candy, want some ice cream?" Oliver asked.

Candy eyed the colorful ice cream, tempted but unsure.

Oliver didn't wait and bought two ice creams. "Candy, this big one is for you."

Candy shook her head.

"Oliver got it for you, just take it," Caleb urged.

"Yeah, I've had the ice cream here before. It's the bomb." Oliver added.

Candy shrank back even more.

"It's okay, I'll eat it," Susan said, taking the ice cream.

They kept playing.

Halfway through, Candy suddenly stopped, looking awkward. Caleb asked what was up, but she didn't say.

Susan asked, "Do you need to go to the restroom?"

Candy stayed silent.

"I'll take her," Susan said.

"Okay." Caleb handed Candy over, but when Susan reached out to hold her hand, Candy dodged and bolted towards the restroom alone.

Susan quickly followed.

"I can go by myself," Candy mumbled, her face turning red, and then she disappeared into the restroom.

Seeing her hands were a bit dirty, Susan went to wash them.

She washed up fast and waited at the door for a couple of minutes, but Candy didn't come out.

"Candy, you done? Candy?" Susan knocked on the door, which swung open to reveal an empty restroom.

"Candy!" Susan bolted out of the bathroom. "Did anyone see Candy?"

"Didn't she go in with you?" Caleb asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, but she just vanished, and I have no clue where she went." Susan was freaking out. "I'm so sorry, I should've kept a closer eye on her."

"Don't sweat it, finding her is what matters now." Caleb quickly got the amusement park staff involved in the search.

They scoured the place for over half an hour. Susan was drenched in sweat. "What if she got snatched by traffickers?"

Usually calm, Susan was now in full panic mode. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't gone to wash my hands, Candy wouldn't have..."

"Take a breath, it's not your fault." Caleb tried to soothe her.

"No, it is. If something happens to her..." Susan couldn't even finish the thought, her eyes welling up with tears, turning red.

"I believe Candy will be fine, and freaking out won't help. You need to chill for a bit, we'll keep looking." Caleb reassured her.

"No way, I need to help find her too." Susan insisted.

"Alright, but keep it together."

"Okay." Susan agreed, but she was shaking with anxiety.

They searched all day, and just when Susan was about to lose it...

"Daddy." A tiny voice piped up behind Caleb.

"Candy!" Caleb rushed over, and Susan was right behind him, nearly losing her mind with worry.

"Thank God, you're safe." Susan was beyond relieved. But as she reached out, Candy flinched, like she was scared Susan might hurt her, her whole body tense and uneasy.

Caleb quickly knelt down to check on her. "Where did you go? Are you okay? Did you run into any bad people?"

"I'm fine...I just got lost." Candy mumbled, looking down, avoiding their eyes. "Daddy, I'm so cold and scared, can we go home?"

Caleb didn't push it. "Okay, let's go home."

As they left the amusement park, Susan said, "You take Candy home, we'll grab a cab."

"I'll have the driver pick you up."

Susan shook her head. "No need, we'll just take a cab. Don't worry about us, just get Candy home."

"Alright." Caleb didn't argue. "Take care."

"Okay."

"Candy, get some rest, we'll see you next time." Oliver waved as Candy got into the car.

After the car left, Oliver looked at Susan with a serious expression. "Mom, it seems like Candy's gonna have a hard time accepting us."

Susan sighed, "Yeah."

Maybe this was gonna be tougher than she thought.

The Eilish Villa.

At the door.

"Candy is usually so well-behaved, she never runs off. How could she get lost?" Aidan was fuming. "It must be Susan who deliberately lost Candy. She's so heartless."

Caleb frowned. "Susan isn't like that. She was really worried when Candy went missing."

Aidan shouted, "She's just faking it. She lost Candy on purpose! Thank God our Candy is smart enough to come back. If anything had happened to her, I would've skinned that woman alive."

"Aidan, go take your meds. Your blood pressure's gonna spike again." Mia quickly advised.

Aidan stormed off, grumbling.

Mia looked at Caleb and sighed, "Candy got lost on purpose, didn't she?"