Chapter 143: Cuff Him
"You want to handcuff him?" the police officer asked with a laugh.
"Police officers catch bad guys, and when you catch a bad guy, you have to handcuff him!" Ian Monroe said very seriously.
The corner of Evan Fairchild’s mouth twitched upward. He was so completely exasperated by his own son’s antics that he laughed in frustration.
He looked down at Ian Monroe. "Do you really think I’m a bad guy? Do I look like a bad guy?"
"You do." Ian Monroe nodded.
’He looks even more like one than the man they took away!’
He hadn’t been afraid of the man they took away, but the man in front of him was scary.
Evan Fairchild took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil of emotions surging within him.
The car suddenly stopped. The police officer in the passenger seat got out, opened the door on Evan Fairchild’s side, and said, "Sir, please hold out your hands."
Ian Monroe watched as Evan Fairchild was handcuffed, then shrank back, trying to put some distance between them.
’This man’s eyes are so scary! Ian wants to find his mommy!’
The officer asked Ian Monroe, "Young Ian Monroe? Is this okay now?"
"Mhm!" Ian Monroe nodded earnestly and gave the officer a thumbs-up.
At that moment, Evan Fairchild truly understood what it felt like to be sold out by his own son.
...
The car entered the airport expressway, and Rose Shaw checked the time.
"We should be there in about twenty minutes. We’ll make it in time."
"Thank you, Rose."
"This time, it was the nanny’s negligence. She didn’t take good care of Ian. I’ll look for someone else, see if I can find a more reliable replacement."
"Rose, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you." Melody Monroe felt this was the perfect time to bring it up.
"Discuss what?" Rose Shaw glanced at Melody Monroe, completely unable to guess what she was about to say.
"My contract with Stellaris is for five years. Can I finish this show and then terminate my contract? I want to leave the entertainment industry."
"Melody, can you afford the breach of contract penalty? If you leave the industry, how will you support Ian? You didn’t even graduate from high school!" Rose Shaw’s tone grew sharper.
"I’m constantly separated from Ian and can’t take care of him. As his mother, I want to be there for him as he grows up."
Rose Shaw froze for a moment, her thoughts short-circuiting.
’Melody would actually give up her career for her child!’
’The last time, when she insisted on keeping Ian, I already thought her reaction was very strange. And now she wants to leave the industry!’
This was a complete departure from the Melody she knew before; it was like she was a different person.
"Melody, no matter what you choose, you need a financial foundation. Being a single mother is hard; it’s not as simple as you think! How can you manage without money? In your current situation, if you lose your source of income, how are you going to earn a living? Are you planning to just find a sugar daddy? I can tell you love acting, and you’re talented and skilled. Isn’t it a shame to give all that up?"
"Of course it’s a shame. But nothing is more important than Ian. He needs his mother."
Rose Shaw didn’t know what to say.
They were both silent for the rest of the drive.
As they were nearing the airport, Rose Shaw was the first to speak. "Think about it some more. You can’t make a decision based on emotion. As for Ian, I’ll figure something out. I’ll find an even more reliable nanny to take care of him."
"Thank you, Rose."
After getting out of the car, Melody Monroe walked into the terminal, her heart heavy.
It was Ian who had let her experience what it felt like to have a home, to feel the warmth of a family.
She didn’t want Ian to experience the same helplessness she had felt as a child.