Chapter 26 - Meeting Her Capeless Hero

The opportunity finally presented itself on a busy Tuesday. Mr Liu left for work again, flying to somewhere in Africa this time and Mrs Liu had to go grocery shopping.

Scarlet kept the act up as Mrs Liu locked the door. She had the security cameras ready to catch Scarlet in the act so she wasn't too worried.

Once the car has left the garage, Scarlet checked the streets from the window in the hall through the closed curtains. There were no pesky neighbours around to tattle on her so it was a good day to go out.

Hopping onto the computer, Scarlet entered the chatroom again.

- Red Willow has logged in.-

Red Willow: The evil witch is out on an errand, don't know when she will be back but I will attempt to escape my prison.

- Hidden Eyes has logged in.-

My Gender is Royalty: That's good news! I shall inform Jenna immediately.

Hidden Eyes: Didn't we agree to use code names in the chat?

Suit & Glasses: Why aren't you kids studying? Isn't it still class time?

- Hidden Eyes left the chat.-

- My Gender is Royalty left the chat.-

Red Willow: ...

Red Willow: Aren't lawyers supposed to be busy?

Suit & Glasses: So clever... technically I am a freelance lawyer with my very own law office. As the boss, nobody can tell me what to do. Besides, I promised to whisk you away from your prison, didn't I? Wait there.

- Suit & Glasses left the chat. -

Scarlet leaned back and blinked at the screen. For some reason, that last line made her feel very warm. She wasn't a princess, like Alex, who needed a Prince Charming. Benjamin wasn't a Prince at all. The man was blunt with a terrible sense of humour on top of a problem with tardiness and social etiquette when he wasn't in the courtroom. The lawyer was far from perfect but Scarlet didn't mind. If anything, she thought he was very cool despite his flaws. Nobody has done so much for her before even if they were being paid. It made Scarlet think that sometimes heroes don't need capes.

It was a very subtle yet silent feeling that settled inside of the girl's icy heart but the seed remained, undamaged by the frosty climate just waiting for the right person to come along before it could grow.

Benjamin showed up in nothing like how Alex or Jasper described him to be. There were no suits to be seen although he wore his usual glasses. The image he gave off was more towards a classy young owner of a successful start-up. The girl felt her heart skip a beat and a blush covered her cheeks. Scarlet wasn't sure what was causing this strange reaction. Perhaps she should be seeing the doctor in the infirmary when she was finally allowed back to school.

Benjamin didn't go by the front door and opted for Jasper's preferred route. He casually walked past the neighbour's house to check if anyone was in. As it was, they were in luck for nobody in the vicinity seemed to be home. It was a weekday after all, not something uncommon.

Scarlet watched from the kitchen window how the lawyer strolled into the neighbour's yard and climbed the tree in four cleverly placed steps. Once he was at the right level, he hopped onto and over the wall. The lawyer landed gracefully on the grass like a big jungle cat and lazily looked around. He spotted Scarlet through the window and waved to her with a grin.

The young genius waved back and tried to calm her racing heart. She pointed to the right where the backdoor was located and went to unlock it for her hero.

Once Benjamin was inside the house, he grinned at Scarlet. Mrs Wilde and Alex had spoken a lot about this girl and it made the lawyer curious as to what kind of character managed to catch their interest. It was very difficult for ordinary folks to catch the eye of Mrs Wilde. She was known for being very difficult to convince. Neither money nor good looks can sway Orita's decision. She was firm in what she wanted and unstoppable when she moved.

"Good afternoon, Scarlet. How does lunch sound like to you?"

The girl nodded. She was feeling peckish even though it wasn't lunchtime yet. She'd woken up early when she knew about Mrs Liu's plans. While the young genius was making up her mind, her impatient stomach rolled its non-existent eyes and made that decision for her by announcing its demands loudly and proudly.

Benjamin chuckled. "What would you like to have?"

Scarlet thought back to the unappetising and poorly made tuna melt sandwiches her mother left at her door. Her stomach grumbled once more and Scarlet flushed beetroot. The lawyer didn't rush her for an answer and waited patiently.

Alas, even patience had an expiry date. When he received no reply from the girl after twenty long seconds, he offered to walk her to where he parked his car. Scarlet nodded and was rudely shocked when her feet suddenly got lifted off the ground. She didn't think she would ever have the chance to be carried like a princess so it was both endearing and embarrassing. She was ten for crying out loud! If anyone at school saw it, they would never let her live it down.

Benjamin carried the underweight girl in his arms and took off. Scarlet clung onto the lawyer's shirt when the man sprinted up the wall and flipped over effortlessly into the neighbour's yard. Once they were safely out of sight from the security cameras, Benjamin let Scarlet down and they walked to the lawyer's car in silence with Scarlet wondering if the man was more like a hero than a prince.