Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me?

Chapter 743 Side Story: Childhood Sweetheart 3

"Why are you crouching here?" Damian smiled as he helped her to her feet. "Look at you. Your clothes

are all dusty from leaning on the walls."

Alice stuck her lips into a pout. "I was just worried that something might happen to you, Damian. Didn't

Mr. Winthrop scold you or anything?"

"He didn't say much about me, of course. On top of that, he even helped me to teach those guys a

lesson," Damian replied. He felt a strong sense of pride welling up in his chest when he recalled how

majestic and influential his father had seemed earlier. I have to grow up to become someone like

Daddy. That way, I can really protect Alice. When that happens, no one around here will have the guts

to bully Alice.

Alice had no idea what was happening in Damian's mind, so she assumed he was just in a daze after

all that had happened. So, she stuck her hand out to tug on his arm. "Stop thinking about all these

things, Damian. Do you want to play with me?"

Damian took a glance at his smartwatch before shaking his head. "Your break time is about to end, and

your class starts soon. You should be back in class by now," he said. Alice did not intend to stay in that

boring class to learn boring subjects. "I know everything that the teacher's teaching now. The way he

teaches is really boring, and he always makes me want to sleep."

Damian knew about Alice's capabilities. She had already started with the elementary school syllabus

when she was three years old and completed all the elementary school subjects even though this was

only her first year there. She had even started studying some high school subjects. On the other hand,

Damian often seemed lazy and uninterested in his studies. On the outside, he was much weaker in

academics than her.

"Well, understanding the subject doesn't give you the permission to skip classes…" Even though he

regularly skipped his own classes, he didn't want to encourage the same behavior in Alice. She was an

obedient and adorable princess in her eyes, and he couldn't bear to see her do such a thing. His

impression of her would change otherwise. "Please, Damian… Pretty please?" She tugged on his

sleeve and swung it from left to right. No one could reject her when she was acting that way. Naturally,

Damian, who had a huge soft spot for this precious young girl, finally gave in to her wishes with an

exasperated nod. "Fine. We'll skip school. Where would you like to go play?"

Alice cheered to herself inwardly. Yes!

"I'd like to collect some seashells by the ocean." Since Alice was a child, her favorite outdoor activity

was visiting the beach. To her, the beach signified one's freedom and relaxation. She enjoyed staring at

the clear blue ocean, the seagulls soaring past the surface of the water, and the shiny and twinkling

seashells scattered across the sand. Beyond that, she also enjoyed having Damian build sand castles

with her.

He already had a hunch about her answer, and he let out a sigh after hearing it. "I knew it. Sure. Let's

sneak out over the walls." Alice was skipping school on her second day of classes, and this didn't seem

like a good sign. Then again, since it was a new semester, her teacher couldn't possibly recognize her.

Therefore, she wasn't the least bit concerned as she followed Damian out of the school grounds.

Once they got to the beach, the afternoon sun was still hanging above their heads. It was rather hot

that day, and Damian knew that the heat would make Alice feel rather uncomfortable. So, he hurried

over to a nearby store, where he bought her a cup of watermelon juice. He also asked the lady

handling the store to lend him some sunblock. Damian wore a wide grin on his face and addressed her

politely while speaking. Naturally, the girl fell victim to his good looks, and she smiled back while

handing him the sunblock. "How cute of you to take care of your sister like that!"

Damian took the sunblock and the watermelon juice along with him as he left the store. However, he

looked around to realize that Alice was nowhere to be seen. He assumed that the girl was fooling with

him and had probably started building a sandcastle on her own. Yet, after walking around the sandy

beaches for a while, he realized that she was nowhere to be found.

As time went on, Damian began to panic. "Alice. Alice!" Damian ran all over the place, but he simply

didn't see Alice's figure anywhere. He was in a state of utter helplessness when an odd-looking man

showed up in front of him and flashed him a sly smile. The man wore a mask over his face that covered

more than half his face. However, his smile seemed extremely familiar.

The angle at which his lips were curled up made it clear that this man was just faking a smile. He

seems so familiar. I feel like I know him, or like I've met him in the past. "Are you looking for a young

girl?" the man asked.

Damian hastily grabbed the man's sleeves upon hearing his words. The man's arm was terrifyingly

skinny—Damian felt as if he was holding onto bones. The man's other sleeve was empty. "Do you

know where she is?"

"Of course, I know where she is. I can even bring you to her, but before that, I'll need you to tell me one

thing." Damian was rather suspicious of the man's words, but this was the only chance he had. "What

do you want to know?" Damian asked.

"How is your mom?" The man's voice was raspy, and he hesitated for a long while before he finally

produced his simple question. Damian had no idea what made the man ask such a question, but he

nodded obediently. "My mother's doing pretty well, but who are you? Why do you care about my

mother?"

The man simply grinned in response to Damian's words. He no longer questioned anything after that.

"Alright. I have my answer. I'll take you over to the girl." The man led Damian to a rather secluded

corner, and Damian quickly noticed a young girl resting against a tree trunk. Her eyes were closed as

though she was just taking a nap. A striped piece of cloth covered her figure, and her face was nearly

obscured by it. It was no wonder that Damian couldn't find her earlier.

That was because she had fallen asleep in such a secluded corner.

Damian's gaze softened at the sight of the girl. He was just about to turn around to thank the man when

he realized that the figure beside him had vanished without a trace. "What an odd man."

Nonetheless, he bent down to give her cheeks a gentle pat.

She mumbled and groaned for a while before waking up.

"What are you doing here, Damian? I couldn't find you for a long while earlier, and then I somehow

ended up falling asleep here."

She stretched out her limbs as she drowsily got to her feet. "What exactly happened? What time is it?

I'm starving."

He let out a sigh. "I'm not too sure what happened, either. All I know is that a kind man brought me over

to you. I think he was the one who gave you that blanket, too."

"I'll have to thank that kind man, then!" Alice looked around her. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He disappeared earlier. Well, since he's gone, we should head home now."

Alice raised her hands, and Damian quickly understood what she meant. He bent himself down, and

she swiftly climbed onto his back. "Time to go home!" she cried.