Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 613

Nocturne sprung up from the couch and ran towards Agnes, his arms wrapping tightly around her legs. "Mom, you're finally here to get me."

Apart from the days when Nocturne had to stay with Reggie, he and Agnes had never been apart for so long.

Agnes squatted down and pulled Nocturne into a tight embrace. "I missed you so much. Let's go, I'll take you home right now."

Agnes couldn't afford to waste any time. They had to get out of there as soon as possible.

Nocturne didn't argue, he followed Agnes out. But halfway down the hallway, he suddenly stopped. "Mom, I think I need to call the man who took care of me." Agnes paused. "Can it wait?"

Nocturne shook his head. "I need to say goodbye to him. If I just disappear, he'll worry. Plus, he's getting engaged today. I don't want him to be distracted looking for me. Mom, I'm about to go to sleep, I want to say goodbye before I do."

Agnes understood Nocturne's character. He had always been polite and principled. She didn't want to interfere with his way of handling things. Plus, they had already left the lounge, and Jared was at his engagement party. There was no way he could come over.

Agnes' phone was special. When she called, it didn't display a number, just a code, and it couldn't be traced. She wasn't worried about Jared tracking her down.

Agnes handed Nocturne her phone. "Okay, Nocturne, give him a call. Just a simple goodbye."

Agnes dialed Jared's private number and handed the phone to Nocturne. Before long, the call connected.

"Who is this?" Jared's voice came through the phone.

"Sir, it's Summer. I'm leaving. My mom came to get me. We have some things to deal with, and I'm sorry I can't say goodbye in person."

"Where are you? I'd like to meet your mother."

"I'm sorry, sir, we've already left. If there's a chance, we'll see you next time."

With a hint of helplessness in his voice, Jared said, "See you then." And then the call ended.

Agnes finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As she and Nocturne exited through a secure passage and headed for the elevator, Jared, who had just hung up the phone, saw them walk by.

Jared had not been in the banquet hall. He had gone out to the stairwell for a smoke and happened to pick up Nocturne's call. As he stepped out of the stairwell, he saw Agnes. He even heard her conversation with Nocturne. "Are you tired? Should I carry you?"

"No, mom, I'm not tired."

The sound of a child's voice, but the word "mom" exploded like a bomb in Jared's mind.

The woman who was holding Nocturne's hand and was being called 'mom' by him was Agnes.

For the first time, Jared was left in a stunned silence. His mind was a chaotic mess, his ears filled with a buzzing noise, and his heart started to beat out of control.

It was a feeling he couldn't describe, like being in a dream but also in reality. Everything else seemed to fade away, the light and shadows all became dim. All that was left were those two people, Agnes, Summer, and his own immobile body.

Agnes didn't notice Jared standing behind them. She led Nocturne into the elevator. But as she turned to close the elevator door, she caught a glimpse of Jared...