New Life : A Second Chance

"Ah, let\'s just go to the dining section and eat something," Xing Han said while stretching.

? Dining Room ?

Kyle was feeling quite bothered about something, and he couldn\'t get it out of his mind. Things just didn\'t add up to show that anything was wrong, and yet, he still felt there was something wrong.

"What\'s wrong?" Xing Han asked, noticing that Kyle wasn\'t eating as fast as he normally did.

Kyle pursed his lips, but didn\'t answer at first as he continued eating, his eyes downcast. He looked to the side then back to the original location he had been looking at.

Finally, he looked at Xing Han and said, "This is just a hunch ... but ... I feel like ..."

Kyle swallowed his food, then took another bite, "That kid doesn\'t belong to those people. Or, at least, he\'s not that willing to be with them."

Xing Han frowned, "Kidnapping?"

"Yeah," Kyle replied, finishing his meal quickly, "He doesn\'t look like either of the adults there."

"Maybe he\'s adopted?" Xing Han suggested.

"Yes, that is a possibility but he\'s clearly uncomfortable and scared," Kyle said, "If it\'s just one factor, I would disregard it but when you have a few, it becomes too suspicious."

"First, not only is his features not similar to the two adults there, his bone structure is also different," Kyle explained, "Secondly, he\'s agitated and scared. He\'s looking around as if he is seeking help but no one is paying him any attention."

"Third," Kyle continued, "He is asking for his mother."

"Er, duh," Xing Han said, "Why didn\'t you say that first? Wouldn\'t that be obvious then, that he\'s not their kid?"

"No," Kyle said, "Because he\'s calling the guy \'father\'. "

"Now you\'re making me confused," Xing Han said, his frown getting deeper, "First, you said he doesn\'t look like either adult but now you\'re saying he calls the man \'father\'. Wait."

Xing Han blinked.

"How come you know what the kid is saying?" Xing Han asked belatedly.

"Reading his lips," Kyle replied.

"Of course," Xing Han said, hitting his forehead, "Anyway, it still doesn\'t answer my question. If the guy is his father, how come he doesn\'t look like him? Also, if he is the father, how can it be a kidnapping case? The kid is probably just naughty and being scolded."

"I know it doesn\'t add up, which is why I\'m so bothered by it," Kyle said, "And a father can still be guilty of kidnapping if he\'s going against the custody order. The woman is obviously not his mother, you see."

Kyle started tapping the table, "But I can\'t get over the fact that he\'s calling that man, \'father\' when they don\'t appear related at all."

Kyle took out his phone and said, "Xing Han, strike a pose. I need to take a picture of them but I\'ll be pretending to take your picture instead."

"Sure, what do you want? A silly one?" Xing Han asked as he made a face.

"Or a sexy one?" He then gave a duck face as he blew kisses at Kyle.

"They both look like silly ones to me," Kyle answered with a straight face.

"Well, fine," Xing Han said with a huff, "We\'re not GQ models like you."

"Just lean more to the right," Kyle said, angling his phone so that the camera would capture the kid. After taking the photo, Kyle looked at it and then sent it to Kay.

[Kay, check out this kid\'s picture. Is there an Amber alert* on him?]

Kyle smiled at Xing Han and told him, "I\'ve sent the picture to Kay. She would be able to get me some information on the kid]

Xing Han nodded, "I\'ll get dessert then. We need an excuse to stay here, right?]

Kyle nodded. After a few minutes, Kay got back to him.

[No Amber alert]

[Damn] Kyle cursed, still having that nagging feeling like something was wrong.

[But that\'s only due to a technicality] Kay continued.

[What do you mean?] Kyle asked.

[The boy\'s name is Kyle, funnily enough. The adult next to him is his stepfather, Cornelius]

[Seriously? Kyle?] Kyle said with a laugh [What are the odds]

[Yes, brother. This Kyle Jr is sweet, unlike ...]

[Okay, stop right there] Kyle said as he shivered [We do not talk about my dick, thank you very much]

[Why not? You could talk about my breasts]

[That was years ago and when you were entering puberty!!] Kyle rolled his eyes.

[And each time you think I need a bigger cup]

[Well, I had breasts before and until you get a dick, we shall leave mine alone, thank you very much] Kyle replied, mentally

Kay, wisely, decided to drop it for now. It was the old \'push a bit, pull back a bit\' routine. She knew Kyle was having difficulty in treating and seeing her as a woman and was still too over-protective. She appreciated that he was trying, but she wanted to \'help\' a bit.

Previously, she never talked about sex or even asked about male anatomy. It was always \'girl talk\' with her friends but she realised now, she needed to be much more \'daring\' with her own brother. Otherwise, he\'s never going to be able to handle it in the future.

[So what\'s the story with Kyle and Cornelius?]

[Kyle\'s mother found out that Cornelius has a mistress. So she filed for a divorce. He doesn\'t agree and decided he needed to take a trip with his stepson.]

[And? What? Is he using the kid to extort money from her?]

[Unclear] Kay stated [I\'ve checked their phone records for texts and emails but everything appears clear. He\'s not leaving a trail.]

[He knows the loophole, I suppose] Kyle muttered, gnashing his teeth

[Most likely. It\'s legal for Cornelius to take the kid, unforunately]

Kyle cursed [But he\'s clearly unhappy]