Forgotten Daughter, Unforgettable Comeback

Lilah knelt before Ava and gently brushed away the girl's tears with her thumb. "Hey, don't cry. Where's your family? Why are you out here all by yourself?"

Confusion flickered across Ava's face before unease pulled her gaze to the floor. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd slipped out because she missed Lilah terribly. By now, Cayden had surely realized she was gone—his calm façade cracking into worry and anger in equal measure.

Cayden was indeed frantic. Though fury burned in his chest, concern outweighed everything else. Without hesitation, he went straight to find Elissa, who had taken Ava earlier.

When confronted, Elissa turned ghostly pale. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she dropped to the floor, sobbing as she scrambled to explain.

Cayden's expression remained ice-cold—he didn't care for her pitiful tears. All that mattered was the footage showing Ava leaving the car, crossing the street, and then vanishing from sight.

"Mr. Spencer, I-I swear I'm telling the truth. Miss Spencer said she wanted to go to my house..."

"Get lost!" Cayden's boot connected with her side, sending her sprawling. "If anything happens to Ava, your entire family will pay for it."

Wracked with agony, Elissa clutched her stomach, her whole body trembling beyond speech. Panic clawed through her chest—this was beyond repair. Even though her father adored her, he wouldn't shield her if the Walsh Group got dragged into the fallout.

Elissa fumbled for her phone with shaking hands. Only Dillon Walsh, her eldest brother, might be able to pull her out of this disaster.

Unaware of her frantic call, Cayden kept replaying the moment Ava disappeared on the screen, his jaw tightening with every passing second. He had no idea that not far from the scene, Lilah was sitting beside Ava in a cafe.

Lilah patiently fed Ava. As they were about to finish eating, Ava pointed at her plate, holding up two delicate fingers.

Lilah blinked, puzzled by the gesture at first. She was momentarily confused until Ava pointed at her leg. Realization dawned on Lilah, and a shadow of sorrow crossed her face.

Back during Ava's first operation, Lilah had promised a second surgery to fully restore her mobility—an operation due around right now. But now, her own deteriorating health made such a procedure impossible.

Lilah's fingers curled unconsciously, and when she finally spoke, her voice rasped with regret. "I can't perform the surgery for you right now…"

Though baffled, Ava smiled gently, showing no trace of blame.

Lilah then squeezed Ava's hand and made a promise. "I'll try to make it happen soon."

The truth was, Lilah wasn't sure she ever could. Still, she couldn't bear to extinguish the spark of hope shining in Ava's eyes.

"It's fine." Ava traced the words into her palm.

A sharp ache twisted in Lilah's chest, the kind that hollowed her out from the inside. For the first time, she had truly understood frustration.

Silence settled between them. After a long pause, Lilah pulled out her phone, scrolled to the contact Cayden had left her, and snapped a photo of Ava. She sent it with a location attached.

"Your brother will be here soon," Lilah murmured.

Ava's fingers tightened slightly around Lilah's, her eyes reluctant to let go of the moment. She had grown comfortable in Lilah's company.

Meanwhile, Cayden received the message and exhaled in relief—but the faint curve of his lips didn't reach his eyes. A dangerous gleam surfaced there as his gaze slid toward Elissa. The two Walsh family daughters surely knew how to pull off a charade.

After snapping an order for Saul to haul Elissa into the car, Cayden took off toward Ava in a rush.

After a while, the quiet in the cafe was ripped apart by a sudden, echoing thud.

Lilah had just footed the bill when a body came crashing to the floor beside her. She instinctively backed away and then froze at the sound of a familiar, painful cry.

"Elissa? What on earth are you doing here?" Lilah blurted out.

"Lilah! You ruined me! I'll fucking kill you!" Elissa shrieked, her eyes blazing with hate.

Elissa hadn't expected Lilah to be the one who had found Ava. In her mind, all her misfortunes traced back to Lilah. With a furious snarl, she lunged toward Lilah.

Lilah sidestepped the first blow, then the second, irritation flickering across her face. On the third attempt, she kicked Elissa squarely in the stomach, sending her sprawling. Straightening, she frowned as her gaze locked on Cayden—already standing protectively in front of Ava.

A sharp, predatory edge clung to Cayden as he advanced toward Lilah, his expression dark and unreadable. "Miss Walsh," he said coolly, "don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

Lilah's brows knit as she pressed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lilah was irked by his questioning, especially with Elissa dumped at her feet.

Ava's hands fluttered, her gestures frantic as she tried to smooth things over, but she hardly spoke to begin with, and now, anxiety locked her voice away completely.

Not wanting to distress Ava further, Cayden forced down his fury. "One Walsh daughter abducts Ava, the other just happens to rescue her. Tell me, what exactly am I supposed to think?"

He stepped closer to Lilah, his voice dropping to a low, cutting murmur. "Quite the elaborate plan your family has cooked up for the West District project."

The accusation hung in the air like a blade, sharp enough to make even the bodyguards stiffen, a chill running down their spines as they glanced uneasily at Lilah.