“Alright, if we don’t eat soon, the food’s going to get cold. Let’s eat first, okay?”
“Okay~” Jasmine immediately transformed into a well-behaved little angel.
Normally, at home, she had to be coaxed into eating. But now, she didn’t even care if there were dishes she didn’t like-she stuffed everything into her mouth.
And compliments? They were free, so she handed them out generously.
“Wow! This fish is so good! Way better than the one our housekeeper makes!”
“These chicken wings? The best chicken wings I’ve ever had! I’m so jealous of Quincy-Jasmine’s never had anything this good before!”
“Quincy must get to eat food like this all the time, huh? Jasmine’s so envious.”
Quincy, “…”
He shoveled two big spoonfuls of food into his mouth.
This little girl had to be a tiny witch!
After finally finishing the meal, Quincy took the initiative to clear the dishes and bring them to the kitchen. He glanced at the mess Jasmine had made, with food scattered all over the table, and let out a soft chuckle.
Jasmine went on high alert and quickly grabbed a napkin to cover it up.
Quincy reached out and wiped away the food on her chin. “There, I got it for you.”
Jasmine’s face turned red. Next time she ate, she would definitely make sure not to drop a single bite!
Lillian turned away, only to see that Quincy had already brought two sets of dishes into the kitchen and was loading them into the dishwasher. Jasmine padded after him, following closely behind like a little detective.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“A dishwasher. You guys have one of those?”
Jasmine frowned, deep in thought. “I don’t know… maybe… my family’s too poor?”
Right! What if Daddy doesn’t have money? He was always saying he was broke and just working for Mommy!
Suddenly, frustration filled her little heart. How could we not have a dishwasher but still have a housekeeper washing dishes?!
Meanwhile, Mr. Conrad’s housekeeper, who was busy loading dishes into the machine, sneezed out of nowhere, “Huh?”
Lillian washed her hands and checked the time. “Quincy, it’s almost nap time. Go wash your hands and rinse your mouth first.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Then-then I want to nap too!” Jasmine announced.
Lillian was surprised. She crouched down with a smile. “A nap might take too long. Won’t your parents worry?”
“Nope! My dad doesn’t get home from work until the afternoon. He won’t even know.”
Lillian frowned. “So you’re home alone most of the time?”
“Yup!” Jasmine lied with a straight face.
She was super busy, okay? Seven days a week, she had to go to Daddy George’s house, Daddy Lionel’s house, Daddy Hogan’s house, and Daddy Gordon’s house.
Every time she visited, those daddies got scolded for not having kids, not getting married, and just causing trouble at home.
But that never stopped her from showing up. Most importantly, she still had to set aside one night a week to sleep over at Mommy Melissa’s house. That only left two days to fully spend with Daddy.
So of course she was practically on her own. She was a super independent baby!
She puffed out her little chest proudly.
Lillian’s eyes flashed with concern. How could a father be so irresponsible?
“This is too dangerous. How about you take a nap here, and I’ll go with you to find your dad afterward, okay?”
Jasmine’s eyes lit up. “Pinky promise! You’re going to find my dad?”
“Sure! Pinky promise!” Lillian reached out.
Quincy, being the obedient child he was, had been raised to be very independent by Ethan. When it was time, he simply went back to his room and started getting ready to sleep.
Lillian carried Jasmine upstairs.
“Wow, this room is so pretty!” Jasmine sweetly complimented as Lillian laid her down on the bed. Jasmine rolled around on the bed a couple of times, took a deep breath, and sighed. “Wow-this smells like Mom!”
Her dad couldn’t smell it, though.
Lillian watched her with a smile. “You need to be a good girl and take a nap, okay?”
“Got it.”
Lillian lay down beside her and adjusted the pillow for her. Jasmine snuggled closer, her soft little body pressed up against Lillian.
Lillian’s heart softened, and Jasmine looked up at her. “Miss Fairy, if you had a daughter, would you love her a lot?”
Lillian’s nose tinged with sorrow. “I would. I would love her very, very much.”
Jasmine nestled even closer, softly calling out, “Mommy…”
For some reason, every time Lillian looked into this girl’s eyes, her heart ached.
She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breath.
In her dream, a little girl stood in a hazy glow, calling out over and over, “Mommy, I’m here.”
Was that my child? She ran toward the sound…
However, as Lillian fell into a deep sleep, Jasmine’s eyes flicked open. She quietly grabbed her children’s smartwatch and snapped a few pictures of Lillian. Then, with the utmost care, she climbed off the bed, her small feet gently touching the floor as she padded toward the door, tiptoeing to open it.
Meanwhile, Quincy was sound asleep. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up to find Jasmine staring down at him from above.
He slowly sat up. “What are you doing in my room?”
Jasmine tapped the space next to her and asked, “What’s your dad’s name? How old is he? How old was he when he married and had you? What’s his personality like? What’s his job? How much does he earn every year?”
“My dad’s name is Ethan. He’s 35 years old. I’m not sure when he got married. He’s really nice. He used to work in a fund, then did venture capital, and now he’s in the hotel business. I don’t know how much he earns, though.” Quincy scratched his head.
Jasmine compared the answers in her head. Hmm, my dad’s younger! My dad wins! He’s never been divorced! He wins again! But… his temper’s not as good… tsk.
Also, they didn’t even have a dishwasher, and they were still working for someone else-it seemed so poor.
Jasmine felt a little self-conscious.
No! That’s my dad! I have to cheer up!
Otherwise, I might really end up losing my mom to this kid in front of me.
“Does your dad pick his food? Does he wear glasses? Does he have any bad habits? Does he smoke or drink? How late does he come back from work? Does he help you with your homework? Does he go to school with you?!”
After finally getting the family situation sorted, Jasmine made a call to Ford using her smartwatch.
In fact, the moment Jasmine went missing, Ford had noticed. He had been watching closely to see where the little girl would go. It wasn’t until he saw the bodyguard following Lillian and the coordinates that led to Lillian’s floor that he understood what was happening.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t stop it, but he had decided to let things play out.
After all, relying on Mr. Conrad didn’t seem like a good idea.
But if it was Jasmine… maybe he could give it a try.