Meanwhile, back inside the school, panic had slowly begun spreading.

Nate’s driver stood near the academy gates with a deep frown on his face as students and parents gradually disappeared from the campus.

Yet Nate still hadn’t come out.

"Mister, I assure you Nate already left the classroom," his teacher explained patiently.

She looked just as confused as he did.

"I personally saw him leave after the final bell rang."

The driver’s expression darkened further.

There was no way he could have missed Nate walking past the main gate.

Still, arguing with the teacher felt pointless when she sounded this certain. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Trying not to panic, the man quickly stepped away and pulled out his phone, ready to contact his employer.

But before he could make the call—

"Where’s Leo?"

Aaron’s voice suddenly echoed through the hallway.

The driver instantly stopped moving.

Curious, he slowly lowered his phone and turned toward the corridor.

His eyes quickly landed on Aaron walking inside alongside Teddy, one of Xander’s bodyguards.

The driver blinked in surprise.

’Don’t tell me Young Master Leo is missing too?’

Unable to ignore the coincidence, he finally stepped forward cautiously.

"Are you looking for Young Master Leo as well?"

The moment Aaron noticed him, the driver immediately bowed respectfully.

Aaron frowned slightly.

"What do you mean ’as well’?" he asked. "Who else is missing?"

The concern in his tone immediately made the atmosphere heavier.

Teddy looked toward the driver and stepped forward.

"What’s wrong, Marius?" he asked calmly.

Marius finally gathered his courage and answered honestly.

"Young Master Nate is missing too," he admitted anxiously. "He should’ve come out with the other students by now, but he never showed up."

His voice grew more uneasy.

"Even his teacher confirmed he left class after school ended."

Marius felt cold sweat forming down his back.

Nate’s safety had been entrusted to him personally.

If something happened to the young master under his watch, he wouldn’t even know how to explain himself.

Aaron’s expression slowly darkened.

The situation didn’t feel normal anymore.

With the academy’s strict security system, two students going missing at the same time was far too suspicious.

"This isn’t right," Aaron muttered seriously. "There’s no way both boys disappeared without a reason."

He knew Leo well enough.

Stubborn? Yes.

Troublemaker? Sometimes.

But Leo never acted recklessly without a reason behind it.

Meanwhile, Teddy suddenly hesitated.

"Second Young Master..." he called carefully.

Aaron immediately looked toward him.

Seeing the hesitation on Teddy’s face only made Aaron frown deeper.

"What is it?"

Teddy exchanged a brief look with Marius before finally speaking.

"A few days ago, I saw Young Master Nate blocking Young Master Leo’s path after school," he revealed honestly.

Aaron’s eyes narrowed instantly.

"But the moment I stepped forward, he left immediately."

Teddy hadn’t heard the conversation that day.

Still, seeing Nate approach Leo had immediately put him on alert.

He had even informed Ivy about it afterward, and she promised she would ask Leo directly about the situation.

The moment Aaron heard that, his expression changed completely.

Over the past few days, he had already learned enough about the bullying Leo silently endured because of Nate.

Just thinking about it made his blood boil instantly.

Marius noticed Aaron’s face darkening and immediately stepped forward nervously.

"Second Young Master, I assure you, Young Master Nate hasn’t caused trouble recently," he said quickly.

Ever since his employer personally warned him to monitor Nate closely, Marius had been extremely careful.

"As far as I know, he hasn’t been bothering Young Master Leo anymore."

Aaron crossed his arms while staring at him.

"That’s supposed to reassure me?" he asked flatly.

Marius instantly fell silent.

Meanwhile, Teddy quietly observed the tense atmosphere before speaking again.

"Still... Young Master Leo leaving school without informing anyone is unusual."

Aaron exhaled slowly while rubbing his forehead.

Then suddenly, something crossed his mind.

"Did either of them bring their phones today?"

Marius immediately nodded.

"Nate did."

"Teddy?"

"Young Master Leo has his smartwatch connected to his emergency tracker," Teddy answered immediately.

Aaron’s eyes sharpened.

"Then what are we standing around for?"

Both men straightened instantly.

"Track them."

The atmosphere immediately turned tense as Teddy quickly pulled out his phone while Marius silently prayed the boys were simply hiding somewhere harmless inside the campus grounds.

Unfortunately... deep down, all three of them already knew this situation was becoming far more serious than it should’ve been. until they heard John’s voice.

"Help... help those boys-" John panted, but the moment he looked into Aaron’s eyes, he knew what he had to do.

***

[Back in the Alley]

"What the hell?" one of the boys cursed while quickly looking toward the alley entrance.

"They actually called the cops?"

Panic immediately spread between them.

Meanwhile, John stood stiffly behind Leo, looking just as shocked.

Because honestly...

Even he thought the sirens sounded real.

For a brief second, the older boys looked ready to run.

But then suddenly, the ginger-haired boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"...Wait."

The others looked at him.

His gaze slowly dropped toward Leo’s wrist.

And there—

A smartwatch screen blinked brightly while the siren sound continued playing loudly from it.

The boy’s expression darkened instantly.

"You little brat..."

Realization hit everyone at once.

Leo had played fake police sirens from his watch.

Meanwhile, the older boys looked furious after realizing they had been tricked by a child.

"You think this is funny?" one of them snapped angrily while stepping toward Leo.

Theo’s heart dropped. "Run!" he shouted instinctively.

But Leo didn’t move.

Instead, he calmly lifted his watch slightly and looked directly at them.

"The fake siren was just a warning," he said coldly.

Then his thumb slowly hovered over the emergency call button on the screen.

"But the next call won’t be fake."

The boys instantly hesitated.

Leo’s expression remained frighteningly calm for a child his age.

"I already shared my location," he continued confidently. "So if you touch anyone again, the police will know exactly where to find you."

’Since when did he become this terrifying?’ Nate slowly pushed himself off the ground while breathing heavily. He looked stunned watching Leo stand there so fearlessly.

The ginger-haired boy clenched his jaw angrily.

"You think we’re scared of some kid?"

Leo looked at him without blinking.

"No," he answered honestly. "But I think you’re scared of getting caught."

That single sentence hit perfectly.

The boys exchanged uncertain looks. Because deep down... Leo was right.

They might not fear children, but they definitely feared police involvement.

Especially when wealthy families were now involved too.

One of the boys immediately grabbed the ginger-haired boy’s arm.

"Forget it," he muttered nervously. "This is getting messy."

However, the leader immediately shook off his friend’s grip.

"Let go," he snapped angrily. "You think I’m scared of some brat?"

His face twisted with humiliation after realizing he had been tricked by a child using fake sirens.

"No way."

The boy wiped the blood near his lip where Nate had punched him earlier before glaring murderously at Leo.

"This kid has been testing my patience for too long," he growled. "Now he’s going to face the same consequences as this one."

He glanced coldly toward Nate lying against the wall.

Theo’s face instantly drained of color.

"Stop!" he shouted nervously.

But the leader ignored him completely.

The older boy aggressively marched toward him.

Nate immediately tried pushing himself up despite the pain shooting through his body.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily. "Touch him and—" Before he could finish, the sudden sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the alley entrance.

Everyone froze instantly. And the moment they saw several figures approaching the alley, their expressions changed completely.

At the front stood Aaron.

Beside him were Teddy, Marius, and two security guards rushing toward them with dark expressions.

"Get them," Aaron said with a voice that sent shivers down their spines, because despite his angelic appearance, the man looked terrifying, like a grim reaper.