An unannounced date

Antonio observed the boy, who remained eerily calm, his eyes radiating an unmistakable disdain. Determined to assert his authority, Antonio wasted no time in issuing orders to his men.

"Get the rope and tie his arms and legs," he commanded, his tone firm.

Aiden showed no outward reaction to the command, merely observing as the men approached with a thick rope in hand. When they drew near, he spoke up, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Is the rope new? I don't like things that have been used by others," he stated plainly.

"Don't worry little boy, the rope is new, even I chose cotton rope so that it doesn't scratch your smooth skin" one of the henchmen replied as if proud of himself for his thoughtfulness.

Antonio gritted his teeth, For god sake they kidnapped the child to torture not to pamper.

After the man tied the little boy with the rope, he ordered him to shut his little mouth with the piece of cloth. Antonio's lips twitched seeing the henchmen came with a piece of neat white cloth that was folded in a thick layer.

The man squatted on his knees before the boy, "Little boy can you please open your mouth?. I promise, I will stuff this without pain" he gently coaxed him.

Antonio's patience wore thin, and he intervened forcefully, delivering a slap to the back of the man's head. "I fucking hired you as a thug, not a nanny," he snapped.

Aiden stared at them as if he was looking at a group of clowns performing in a circus. He shook his head, What a disgrace for a Mafia.

As he glanced at the clock on the wall, Aiden noted that three hours had passed since his kidnapping from the school. He sighed heavily, his father didn't make his move. If he is, he will be rescued by the team already. His sharp eyes narrowed, wondering what his father was still doing.

Because of these bastards he missed the chance to go to the shed today. Thinking of that his mood worsened and wanted to beat these brainless mongrels to death.

On the other side, Raven parked the car in front of a small restaurant nestled in the outskirts of the city. As he opened the door for Siren, she stepped out and looked up at the quaint establishment. 

Despite its small size, the restaurant was charming, its walls adorned with glass panels and lush green creepers. The pathway leading to the entrance was lined with vibrant crotons, while vines twined around the pillars.

They were escorted by the waiter to the rooftop, where the entire area lay empty, devoid of other customers. Soft yellow lights hung from the sides of the roof, casting a serene and inviting atmosphere over the scene.

"What are we doing here? Where is Aiden?" Siren questioned, This was clearly not the place one would choose to hide a kidnapped child.

Raven calmly sipped his water before responding, "They want to make a deal over dinner."

That was not believable at all. Afterall, who would choose a romantic place like this for a deal until or unless the other party is interested in him. Siren squinted her eyes at him but didn't say anything and pulled out the chair and took the seat.

The waiter placed several dishes on the table. It mostly contains sea foods ranging from deep squid fry, salmon sushi roll, lobster smeared with generous butter and shrimp tossed with chilli sauce. Most importantly these dishes are all…. her favourites.

Without waiting for her, Raven began to serve himself and started to eat.

"Couldn't we wait for the other party to arrive?" she couldn't help but ask him.

"We came for negotiation not for a date. So when they arrive they will join us" he pointed to her plate to start eating.

Raven didn't seem to display any signs of distress over his son's supposed kidnapping. Instead, he appeared relaxed, almost as if his son were simply on a vacation. 

But looking at the food on the table she did feel hungry so she helped herself and started to eat.

As they ate in silence, Raven subtly observed Siren's reactions, his lips curling into a small smile. Despite the circumstances, they both found themselves enjoying the meal, momentarily forgetting about the "Kidnapped" Aiden.

Even after they had finished eating, there was no sign of the other party arriving. Siren grew increasingly impatient, while Raven remained calm, resting his chin on his palm as he continued to watch her closely, noting every expression that crossed her face.

"Mr. Raven, are you sure this is the place?" As the time passed her worry grew about the safety of the little boy which she tried to conceal under the coldness of her eyes.

Raven checked his phone and said, "Hmm… Maybe we were wrong. Let's go".

Her eyes darted to the fork on the table. She wants to stab this man to death!

She followed him without a word until they reached the gate of Grey's mansion. They saw another black SUV come to a halt opposite to them. A man in black suit came out of the passenger seat and opened the back door. 

Aiden jumped from the car with his small foot and turned back to get his backpack from the nanny man who gently helped him to carry the bag, he even lifted the bag slightly to reduce the strain on the boy's shoulder.

Aiden saw his father leisurely leaning on the car without a worry in the world. He ferociously glared at him but was returned with his father's smug smile.

He wondered what happened to his father for his smugness but it was soon answered when Siren emerged from the car. His eyes turned like saucers but soon he bawled his eyes out and ran towards her. 

Siren breathed a sigh of relief only when she scooped him in her arms. She wiped his tears and asked gently,

"Did they hurt you?" 

Aiden scrunched his nose and tried hard to choke in his fake tears which looked exactly like a pig sniffs in Raven's eyes. He scoffed at his son's poor acting skill.

Seeing the tears Siren couldn't help but hug the boy closely and patted his back, "Don't worry. I am here"

Raven tilted his head, Does she… believe those tears?. But when he saw her kissing his son's hair, his eyes narrowed. She does!