The Apple of My Eye

"Yes..." Cindy nodded her head seriously and asked, "Big sister, where is my mom?"

Cindy finally got back to the place where she last saw her mother, but she was unable to find her. Disappointed, she pouted and tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Cindy, you are a good girl. Don't cry. I promise to help you find your mother, okay?" It was gradually getting dark. Autumn had waited for a long time and never moved from that spot with Cindy, but her mother didn't show up. Now Autumn had gotten a little anxious as people at the beach started leaving one after another. However, as time passed it seemed that this little girl had forgotten that she had lost her mom. She looked at Autumn and said with a sad little voice, "Sister, I am so hungry."

Autumn took a glance at her watch. This beach was not far from the hotel where she was staying. Autumn hesitated for a little while then decided to take Cindy back to the hotel with her.

"Well, let's get something to eat then, okay?" Autumn carried her back to the hotel and there, Cindy freely ordered whatever she wanted. Cindy could speak English fluently as she ordered, through which Autumn could tell that she may come from a wealthy family.

Cindy's parents may be frantic now, but she was still enjoying her meal here.

"Cindy, take your time with your food." Though she had elegant table manners, she ate in a hurry perhaps out of hunger. She even choked a little so Autumn quickly handed her a lemonade.

They were dining in the hall of the hotel. Autumn had just registered at the reception desk. She hoped that Cindy's parents could find them there as soon as possible, so they sat where it would be easy to see them.

Looking at this adorable girl in front of her, Autumn wondered if she should call the police if her parents still didn't show up that night, but she hesitated.

"Sister, what are you thinking of? Why don't you eat?" Cindy continued eating and asked Autumn who was deep in thought.

Autumn wiped her mouth and grinned. "I am not hungry. You can have some more."

"I am full now," said Cindy. She gazed at Autumn with her big, clear eyes. It made her look so lovely. Autumn felt her heart almost melting as she looked at this lovely girl. She even wanted to take her back home.

"Are you full now?" Autumn now felt trapped in a dilemma. If she took Cindy back to her room, her parents who are already worried about her, may not see them. But Autumn also couldn't bear to leave her alone to the police.

"Sister, I am sleepy now. I want to go to bed." Cindy wanted to sleep now that she was full. And it seemed like she had forgotten that she had lost her parents.

It was probably because Autumn looked like Cindy's mother, that Cindy could feel safe with her.

Autumn paid for the meal and then said kindheartedly, "Cindy, I know you are sleepy, but you can't sleep now. We need to find your parents."

"But..." Cindy pouted, her eyes filled with tears.

"Cindy, don't be upset. I promise you that I will buy you some sweets when we find your mother." Autumn tried to comfort her. When she finally calmed down, Cindy insisted that Autumn hold her. Autumn had no choice but to hold her while walking to the reception desk. "Excuse me. Did anyone come looking for a little girl?"

"Yes, miss. A lady did come looking for a girl just now. She is still here." The desk clerk looked around and pointed to a woman in a red skirt standing by the door of the hotel. "Look! She is still over there," said the clerk.

"Thank you very much!" Cindy had already fallen asleep on her shoulder, so Autumn held her and walked over to the door. The woman happened to see Cindy in Autumn's arms as she turned around. She exclaimed and rushed to Autumn, taking Cindy away into her own arms.

"Cindy, where did you go? I am so worried about you. You almost drove me crazy." The woman held Cindy tightly and didn't loosen her grip, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Excuse me..." The woman looked up at Autumn as soon as she uttered the words. But both of them were astonished as soon as they saw each other's face. Autumn now understood what Cindy was talking about earlier.

Cindy was right. Autumn indeed looked very much like this woman. Perhaps that was why Cindy immediately felt comfortable with her.

"Who are you? Why do you have my daughter with you? What is your purpose?" The woman was hostile as she looked and spoke to Autumn. Before Autumn could reply, a man walked over and stood behind the woman. He was dressed in sportswear and looked very casual. But his eyes flickered in the light. Under his gaze, Autumn somehow felt embarrassed even though she did nothing wrong.

"Abby, have you found Cindy?" The man asked. Perhaps it was because the little girl was so tired that she did not even wake up when her mother took her away from Autumn.

The man sighed with relief when he saw his little girl.

They had been looking for her for a long time and now they have found her.

"What is going on?" The man asked the woman as soon as he noticed Autumn standing there.

"I found this woman holding Cindy here. It must be her. She took away Cindy when we were not looking. Andy, don't let this woman leave. The woman had already made up her mind that it was Autumn who took Cindy away, so she asked the man to arrest Autumn. "No, no, no. That is not the case. It is not me. I found her lost and alone at the beach. I..."

But before she could finish her words, Abby interrupted her and turned to the man again, "Andy, don't let her leave. Let's go to the hospital first and then come back to deal with her."

As soon as she finished talking, a few men in black suits and sunglasses behind the woman readily stepped forward. Autumn glared at them. 'Well, now I am really in trouble.' She thought.

Luckily, the man was reasonable. He stepped towards Autumn and said, "Miss, though I don't know what happened, I have to take my daughter to the hospital and have her physically examined. Are you staying at this hotel?"

"Yes." Autumn nodded slightly and took out her room card. "I don't know what you are going to do, but it was the desk clerk of this hotel who told me that you were looking for a girl. Well, you can confirm with the clerk over there."

"No. There is no need to do that," said the man. The man waved his hands at the men behind them and said, "Escort this lady upstairs."

Though the man was very polite, it seemed that he put Autumn under house arrest.

Autumn watched the man get in the car with his family, then went back to her room.

The men in black suits did not leave and just stood by the door. Though they did not disturb Autumn, she still felt uneasy having them guard her like that.

Upset about what happened, she just lay on the king-size hotel bed. Then the phone that she had forgotten to bring with her rang. Good timing. Her heart almost burst when she found that it was Charles who was calling her.

She had just arrived in Z City, but she was already in trouble. She felt really wronged. What happened to her was unfair.