CHAPTER 10: A Web Of Deceit

The next day, Wren paced around his room, fidgeting with a tense expression. He was startled when someone knocked on his door.

"Who is that?" Wren asked, trying to organize himself in a hurry.

"It's Mark. Open up," came Mark's rude and sarcastic voice.

"Am I coming?" Wren retorted, still flustered.

"Be quick. We have a visitor," Mark snapped.

"I said, am I coming? If you can't wait, then get lost. You don't look like my parents, so I'm not answerable to you," Wren said, his irritation showing.

"Whatever you say, we're waiting," Mark responded before storming off.

Wren hesitated, then walked up to the door and opened it. Mark rushed in with two people—Wren immediately recognized them as the workers from the orphanage.

"Good morning, Mr. Thomas. Good morning, Miss Divine," Wren greeted them.

"Good morning," they both replied, surveying the room while Mark began rummaging through it, clearly looking for someone.

"What is it?" Wren asked, trying to maintain his calm.

"We're looking for Zack," Miss Divine said.

"What? Zack is missing? How come?" Wren feigned surprise.

"We checked the orphanage, but we couldn't find him," Mr. Thomas explained.

"Are you sure?" Wren asked, pushing further.

"What do you mean?" Miss Divine asked, clearly puzzled.

"Zack texted me this morning using Nurse Nana's phone. When I tried calling back, the nurse said he was sleeping at the orphanage clinic. Did you check there?" Wren suggested.

"We didn't, but we marked the register... Let me call the nurse," Miss Divine said, dialing the number. But after a few seconds, she sighed. "No service on my phone."

"No signal," she muttered, frustrated.

"I don't trust you. Let's check every part of the house, including Zoe and Cam's rooms," Mark insisted.

"What about Dee?" Wren asked.

"He's not a criminal," Mark replied curtly.

"I have a running stomach. You guys could either wait or continue the search," Wren said nonchalantly.

"We'll continue," Mark decided, and with that, he led the two orphanage workers out of the room.

Once they were gone, Wren sighed in relief. "We almost got caught. Thank you, Lord," he whispered to himself.

FLASHBACK: THAT MORNING

Wren and Zack were still asleep when an aggressive knock on the door jolted them awake.

"Who could it be?" Wren muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"How would I know?" Zack replied, his voice groggy.

"Oh..." Wren got up and opened the door, only to be greeted by Elsa.

"You better have a reasonable explanation for this," she said with a raised brow.

"Good morning, sir," Wren said, trying to mask his panic. "I overheard a maid saying something about calling the orphanage workers. They're already here."

"What? How did they know?" Wren asked, paling.

"I don't know, sir," Elsa replied.

"See what you can do. Leave my window open, then leave a ladder outside. Tell Cam to access the CCTV footage and delete anything that might cause problems. Tell him to ask Zoe if he can find a way to block the house's signal or jam it so no one can reach the outside world. He shouldn't turn the signal back on until I say so," Wren instructed hastily.

"Yes, sir, I'll tell them."

"After that, come to my room window. Once I get Zack, you can return the ladder."

"Okay, sir."

"Go," Wren urged, making sure the hallway was clear before rushing to meet Zack.

He knocked on Dee's door, and Dee invited them in.

"Good morning," Wren greeted, shutting the door behind Zack.

"Good morning. Do you need anything?" Dee asked.

"Is this the Dee?" Zack asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Dee responded with a knowing smile.

"No wonder you said I'm not handsome. It's because of this handsome specimen," Zack teased.

"Zack, be serious. It's not the time for jokes," Wren scolded.

"Okay… you win."

"Who is this?" Dee asked, eyeing Zack curiously.

"My friend from the orphanage," Wren explained.

"Why is he here?" Dee asked.

"Ask me later. Please, can you help me hide him here and get him back to the orphanage?"

"Why should I do that?" Dee questioned.

Wren immediately dropped to his knees, feigning tears. "He's been my only friend. Sometimes, he even acts as a parent to me. I've been feeling down because of the party incident, so he sneaked out to console me. Who would have imagined the orphanage would find out? If anything happens to him because of me, I'm not sure I can live with myself."

Dee caught him as Wren pretended to faint. "Okay, stop crying. I'll help you."

"Thanks, Dee. I'll go to my room first," Wren said before quietly sneaking out.

Outside, Elsa was waiting by the window.

"Is it done?" Wren asked, panting slightly.

"Yes, sir," Elsa replied.

"After I climb in, return the ladder and go back to your work."

"Okay, sir."

"Thank you, Elsa," Wren said, climbing the ladder and entering his room.

FLASHBACK ENDS

Wren got up from his bed and headed to look for Mark and the orphanage workers.

"Did you find him?" Wren asked when he saw them.

"No," Mr. Thomas said, shaking his head.

"I told you," Wren said, trying to hide his satisfaction.

"How come?" Mark demanded.

"I told you, he's not here, but you insisted," Wren said.

"Whatever," Mark muttered and stormed out.

"So, let's go to the orphanage to check since there's no signal," Miss Divine suggested.

"Miss Divine, since I haven't visited the orphanage or sent any gifts lately, I feel bad. Why don't you both stay for a few minutes?" Wren asked, flashing his pleading eyes at her.

"Fine, we'll stay for just a few minutes," she agreed, and Wren led them to the dining room.

As they sat down, Zack emerged from his hiding place and ran across the room.

"Good morning, butler! These are the people who take care of me. Please give them some snacks before they leave. Their bus is waiting outside. Also, I want you to give them a gift," Zack said.

"Okay, young master Wren," the butler said, instructing a maid to bring food for the orphanage workers.

"Please enjoy," Wren said, joining them to eat.

Minutes Later

Wren's phone rang as they finished breakfast.

"Please excuse me," Wren said, stepping aside to answer the call.

"Cam, what's going on? Why did the network come back? I'm not fine here," Wren asked.

"Young master, Dee said the big pink box is for the headmistress," Cam confirmed.

"Okay, got it. Thanks," Wren said, ending the call.

"I'm done. Let's get going," he told the orphanage workers, escorting them to the bus.

"I arranged some gifts for everyone, including the children. The big pink box is for the mistress; her name is on it. The butler already informed her," Wren said.

"You're a good person, Wren. On behalf of the orphanage, thank you," Mr. Thomas said, nodding appreciatively.

"No problem, sir. You've taken care of me for years, and I'll forever be grateful. I'll visit once I sort out my work."

"Okay, we'll take our leave," Mr. Thomas said, and they climbed onto the bus, leaving.

Wren walked back inside and immediately headed to Cam's room.

"Come in," Cam said when Wren knocked.

"Thank you guys, but how did it go?" Wren asked as he entered.

"No problem. When the maid came to knock on my door, I immediately went to Zoe's room…" Cam began.