Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 189

The next morning, Wren skipped work at Stellaris.

She met Mr. Lawson at his firm, mediation files strewn across the entire conference table.

Mr. Lawson moved the school's incident report to the top of the pile. "This needs to go in. Eleanor pulled the child from school without parental consent and dragged him into an adult conflict at the manor. The judge will definitely take notice of this."

Wren stared at the piece of paper.

The description on the page was cold and objective.

But all she could see was Leo huddled on that tiny stool at the manor.

His backpack resting on his knees, hands strangling the straps, looking as if he was terrified he had nowhere left in the world to go.

Her phone abruptly shattered the silence.

Ms. Miller.

Wren answered. Two sentences in, the pen slipped from her fingers, clattering against the table.

Mr. Lawson looked up instantly. "What's wrong?"

Wren was already on her feet.

"Leo is missing."

By the time she sped to the school, Lawrence was already there.

He had braked violently, tires screeching against the asphalt in a harsh, ear-piercing scream.

Ms. Miller and the grade administrator were waiting at the entrance, both looking pale and panicked.

Lawrence stepped out of his car and unleashed hell. "A child disappears on school grounds, and you're just now notifying us?"

The administrator frantically tried to explain, "Mr. Langford, we realized he hadn't returned to class ten minutes ago. We immediately checked the security cameras and had the guards lock down the gates."

"Ten minutes ago?"

Lawrence took a menacing step forward.

The administrator turned whiter than a sheet.

Wren threw out an arm, blocking him.

She didn't actually touch him, just wedged herself firmly between the two men.

"Where are the cameras?"

Ms. Miller chimed in quickly, "This way."

Lawrence stared at Wren.

"You're remarkably calm."

Wren didn't even dignify him with a glance.

"Find our son."

Three words choked the rest of his fury right back down his throat.

The security room was packed to the brim.

The main monitor was split into dozens of grids.

The playground, hallways, stairwells, cafeteria, gates.

Leo was last spotted at 12:43 PM.

Just before the lunch break ended, he slipped out the back door of his classroom alone. He was wearing his backpack and clutching his newly repaired space station model.

Ms. Miller pointed at the screen. "He said he needed to use the restroom. His desk mate mentioned that some kids cornered him during recess and asked if his parents were going to court."

Wren's fingers dug into the back of a chair.

Lawrence's expression plummeted into absolute darkness.

"Who told them that?"

Ms. Miller shot him a terrified look. "The kids probably overheard their parents talking. And there have been a few rumors online recently..."

She didn't dare finish the sentence.

Lawrence whipped his head toward Xavier.

Xavier already had his phone out, frantically pulling up social media.

The footage kept rolling.

At 12:47, Leo walked past the edge of the playground.

Two older boys jogged up behind him and shouted something. Leo hesitated for a split second, didn't turn around, and just kept walking, hugging his model tightly to his chest.

At 12:50, he ducked into The Old Science Wing.

That building was abandoned, only used occasionally by the science club for equipment storage.

The footage abruptly cut to static.

The camera by the back door had been broken for three days and hadn't been repaired yet.

Lawrence stared at the blank screen, his face horrifyingly cold.

"Broken for three days?"

The administrator was sweating profusely. "We've already logged a maintenance request. The repair crew is coming this afternoon."

Lawrence let out a spine-chilling scoff. No one dared utter a word.

Lawrence looked furious, but he forced himself to stop.

Wren stepped inside.

The concrete floor was caked in a thick layer of dust.

Her heels left shallow imprints with every step. Circling behind two massive display boards, she spotted a frayed backpack strap peeking out from the corner.

Leo was wedged behind an old metal cabinet.

Hugging his space station tightly to his chest.

One of the solar panels had snapped completely off.

He sat with his head buried, not crying, not making a single sound.

Wren crouched down, stopping a safe two feet away from him.

"Did you eat enough at lunch?"

Leo's tiny shoulders jerked.

He hadn't expected his mom's first words to be that.

A few seconds later, he shook his head.

Wren pulled a small pack of cookies from her purse, placed it on the floor, and slid it toward him.

"You don't have to eat if you don't want to."

Leo stared blankly at the cookies.

There was a cartoon bear printed on the wrapper.

He stared at it for a moment, and then the tears suddenly broke free.

He didn't wail. Huge, heavy teardrops just started splashing silently onto the concrete.

Lawrence stood right behind Wren, a massive lump swelling in his throat.

He wanted to rush over and grab his son.

Wren didn't even look back, simply raising a single hand to stop him.

He had no choice but to freeze.

The basement was suffocatingly quiet.

After an eternity, Leo finally found his voice.

"They said... I have to stay with Dad from now on."

Wren didn't answer right away.