The Lawyer’s Romance in Law
Chapter 179 Aiden Is Hidden

Chapter 179 Aiden Is Hidden

Howard became slightly unhappy. "Aiden isn't that fragile. He didn't cry for long last night and fell asleep obediently. It's not that difficult to calm him down..."

As soon as Amanda heard that Aiden had cried last night, her heart tightened. "Did he cry? Was he looking for me?"

Although fearless during the day, he still needed her to comfort and tuck him in at night. After all, he was only three years old.

Howard waved his hand dismissively. "It's normal for children to cry-"

Without waiting to hear the rest of his words, she swiftly turned around and left to replace Aiden in the garden. He won't easily let Aiden leave with me. No matter how much I try to reason with him, it would be futile.

After she left, Elias sat on the couch and gazed at the resolute Howard across from him, asking in a serious tone, "He's not in the garden, is he?"

Howard maintained his silence, lifting his teacup and sipping from it. His demeanor could be interpreted as an acknowledgment.

With a sneer, Elias slammed his hand on the coffee table, causing a loud noise. "Grandpa! Do you replace it meaningful to act this way? Don't you realize that you can't hide Aiden forever? He needs his mother, don't you understand? Besides, Amanda isn't refusing to let you see him. Is this necessary?"

Furious, he had anticipated that Howard would go to great lengths but never imagined it would be this extreme. It was clear that Howard had no intentions of reuniting Aiden with Amanda but also had ulterior motives of claiming the child as his own.

"You can say that, but Amanda refuses to remarry you and return to the Winters Family. Do you know what that means? She could vanish with Aiden at any moment. I've been waiting for him for so long. I can't allow her to take him away for another four years. How many more years do I have left? I can't—"

As one aged, they became more stubborn, and Howard had reached a dead end. He believed everything would eventually work out on its own by keeping Aiden by his side and preventing him from meeting Amanda.

Elias urged, "Grandpa, hand Aiden over. By doing so, there's a chance for Amanda to come back to me. If you insist on doing things your way, they may end up drifting further away from us." "Nonsense! He's with me right now. How could he possibly drift away from me?" Howard did not take it seriously. He firmly believed he had the final say as long as Aiden remained in his custody. Seems like reasoning with Grandpa is pointless. Realizing that further discussion was fruitless, Elias stood up and shouted, "Oscar!"

At that moment, Oscar swiftly responded to the call and promptly arrived. "Mr. Elias, I'm here. How may I assist you?"

Elias gazed at him with a cold expression and inquired, "Where is Aiden? Take me to him."

"Well..." Oscar looked somewhat hesitant and glanced at Howard.

Seeing his evasive behavior, Elias realized he would not obtain any information and decided to replace Aiden himself. He turned around and exited the living room, determined to search each room. "Elias!" At that moment, Amanda rushed in anxiously and collided with him, falling into his embrace.

Holding her in his arms, he steadied her body and looked at her distressed expression. "What's wrong?"

"There's no sign of Aiden in the garden. I searched everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. They won't tell me where he is. What should we do?" Her voice trembled with tears, capable of evoking a deep sense of pity from anyone who saw her.

He held onto her shoulders tightly. "I understand. I'll go search for him now." With that, he took hold of her hand and exited the living room. Before leaving, he cast a piercing cold gaze back at Howard. After their departure, Howard turned his attention to Oscar by his side and inquired, "How is Aiden? Has he been hidden properly?"

"You can rest assured. He isn't here at all. Even if Mr. Elias were to turn this place upside down, he wouldn't replace him," Oscar whispered to Howard.

Howard smiled contentedly. At this point, he did not concern himself with the details. As long as he could maintain the Winters Family's bloodline, he believed any means employed should be justified.

Elias searched through each room in the Winters Manor but could not replace a single trace of Aiden.

"What should we do... What if Aiden isn't here?" Amanda's panic escalated, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She had anticipated that Howard might be hesitant to let her take Aiden away, but she never expected that he would go as far as to hide him!

Elias' face grew dark. "Yes, it's possible that he's not here. Grandpa must've hidden him somewhere."

She gripped his arm tightly. "What do we do now? If Aiden doesn't see me soon, he'll cry and can't eat or sleep properly. He might even get sick..."

Holding her close in his embrace, he gently patted her back. "Don't worry, I'll replace him. There are only a few places where he can be hidden. I'll search every one of them."

At that moment, Howard and Oscar stood at the end of the corridor, silently observing them.

Noticing Howard, she hastily distanced herself from Elias and wiped away her tears. She could not help but approach Howard, her expression filled with nervousness. "Grandpa, you can't do this. Aiden has never been separated from me since he was born. He relies on me to soothe him to sleep at night. If he doesn't see me for several days, he won't eat or sleep properly. What if he falls ill..." Howard remained silent, just looking at Amanda.

Elias stepped forward and positioned himself between her and Howard. "Don't bother reasoning with him. He won't show any compassion."

Salt cascaded from her eyes and glistened like shattered pearls as they landed on the floor. Seeing her cry, Howard did feel a twinge of heartache but maintained his indifference, determined to safeguard the Winters Family's lineage.

"Grandpa, it's best to have someone report on Aiden's well-being every half an hour. He can't be kept apart from Amanda. If any harm befalls him, do not blame me for severing ties with you. Even you wouldn't be able to bear the consequences," Elias warned Howard firmly. With that, he held Amanda's hand and departed from the Winters Manor without glancing back.

Howard stood momentarily in a daze before shouting at Elias' retreating figure. "What nonsense are you spouting? What can you possibly do to me? Do you think you can harm your grandfather? Hmph!" However, a tinge of guilt crept into his heart. He turned to Oscar beside him and issued his instructions. "Keep me updated on Aiden's situation every half an hour, and if anything out of the ordinary happens, bring him to me immediately."

"Understood!"

"By the way, go over now and see how he's doing. Check if he's eating and sleeping well and how his overall condition is."

"Understood. I'll go now." Oscar acknowledged, nodding before leaving.

Inside the car, Amanda sat in the driver's seat, discreetly wiping away her tears. She felt a deep sense of distress, reminiscent of when Aiden was kidnapped. She could not comprehend how the once kind and amiable Howard could transform into someone so tyrannical and unreasonable...

Elias sat in the passenger seat, uncertain of how to console her. All he could offer was a tissue. "Here, wipe away your tears."