“Ford!” A childish voice rang out.
Ford glanced upstairs. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Hurry up and pick me up. I’m at the coordinates.”
“You’re downstairs? When did you get here?”
“Just come get me already. I want to go home.” Jasmine, despite knowing she had done something wrong, showed no sign of guilt.
She jumped off the bed. “Can I use your crayons to leave a note for Mommy?”
Quincy nodded. “Sure.”
Jasmine pulled out a piece of paper, scribbled on it with the crayons, then folded it neatly. Just as she finished, the doorbell rang.
She dashed out, placed the note on the table, and then went to open the door.
Following her, Quincy couldn’t help but feel like she treated this place as if it were her own home.
When Jasmine opened the door, Ford was standing there.
She spread her arms, asking for a hug.
Quincy sized up Ford. “So this is your dad?”
Not as good-looking as my dad, he thought. This little girl sure talked big.
Jasmine immediately saw through him. “I wasn’t bragging! You better enjoy your smugness while you can-you won’t be laughing soon!”
Because Mommy is my mommy! Hmph!
“Alright, this has nothing to do with you anymore. Go back!” Jasmine waved him off. “Goodbye!”
Quincy scratched his head. “Oh… well, be careful on your way back.”
As the door closed, he thought to himself, That little girl is both bossy and kind of polite.
But… not that polite…
Ford carried Jasmine into the car, wanting to ask her a million questions.
But he was also afraid of upsetting her. Just as he hesitated, Jasmine was already bouncing with excitement. “Hurry, hurry, let’s go to Daddy’s office!”
Ford was about to ask, Aren’t you supposed to be in school? But then he thought, Her mom is practically gone-what’s the point of school right now?
He instructed the driver to head to Brown Family Group.
In the conference room, the presenter had just finished speaking but was now standing stiffly, glancing nervously at Conrad, who seemed lost in thought.
“Mr. Conrad?”
“Mr. Conrad?”
Conrad snapped back to reality.
In fact, this was already the third time he had spaced out during the meeting.
He had no idea what had just been said.
“Hmm? Meeting adjourned.” With that, Conrad stood up and left.
A group of employees trailed behind, whispering among themselves.
“What’s going on with Mr. Conrad today?”
“No idea. Did our proposal get approved or not?”
“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?”
Back in his office, Conrad pulled up Lillian’s hit movie. Just as he was about to watch, the door burst open, and a little human cannonball came flying in.
Before he could react, Jasmine had already dropped her little backpack and was about to leap onto him.
“Daddy! Daddy! Look at me! Stop watching that movie!”
Conrad paused the video and picked her up, frowning. “You ran off again? Shouldn’t you be napping at school at this hour?”
“That’s not important right now! How can you even be thinking about that at a time like this?!” Jasmine poked his chest. “You need to go change into a stylish, handsome outfit right now. Also, tell Nancy to order a dishwasher as soon as possible! This is very important!”
“What… what does that have to do with anything? And you still haven’t told me why you ditched school.”
Jasmine smirked proudly. “Because I did something huge today-something so huge that when you find out, you’ll be shocked!”
Conrad let out a dry laugh. “How huge? Did you get into another fight with your classmates? Or did your snacks get confiscated again?”
“Neither! It’s about Mommy! I saw Mommy today! She’s definitely coming to find you soon! And guess what? I’ve already investigated your rival-he and Mommy aren’t married! Aside from being richer than you, having a dishwasher at home, and having a better temper, I really don’t see any other advantages!”
Conrad lifted her up in one swift motion. “What do you mean you saw your mom?”
Just as he finished speaking, his phone buzzed on the desk.
An unknown number.
He answered.
“Conrad?!”
That voice-through the phone, it was the one he had longed to hear for five years. Yet now, with the call finally connected, he found himself tongue-tied, unsure of how to respond.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the office.”
Lillian abruptly hung up. She stared at the piece of paper on the table.
The drawing was rushed and messy, but it was unmistakable-it depicted a family of three. The little girl wore a red dress, her bangs neatly trimmed straight across her forehead. Above the figures, someone had carefully written names.
Conrad… Jasmine…
Jasmine…
My daughter?
Lillian turned, ready to hail a taxi to Brown Family Group, but in her haste, she accidentally knocked over a vase, shattering it.
Quincy looked at her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Lillian couldn’t leave a child at home alone.
“Mom has something very important to do. Do you want to come with me?”
“Sure!”
She held Quincy’s hand and headed downstairs to get a cab. When she told the driver the destination, Brown Family Group, her fingers curled with nervousness.
Why didn’t I realize this sooner?
Why… why didn’t I think of it when that little girl called me ‘Mommy’ so many times?
She must be. She must be her daughter!
Noticing how tense she was, Quincy patted the back of her hand. “Don’t worry, Mom. There’s nothing that can’t be solved.”
Meanwhile, Conrad had taken a few steps forward but then stopped, looking at his daughter, who was sitting in his office chair, her little legs dangling off the edge.
“What exactly did you do?”
Jasmine grinned smugly. “Well, Mr. Conrad, what do you think? One move from your precious daughter is worth two from anyone else! I told you-Mommy must like me a lot!”
“Now hurry up and change! Quick, quick! Didn’t you say Mommy likes the way you smell? Put on that cologne! You love dressing up all the time-why are you so plain today?!”
“You have to outshine that guy named Ethan! Not having a dishwasher at home is bad enough-you cannot lose in looks too!”
Lillian and Quincy arrived shortly after. At the front desk, she requested to see Conrad. As expected, the receptionist pulled out a registration form.
“Sorry, Mr. Conrad is very busy. Do you have an appointment? We’ll also need you to register your information here.”
The elevator doors suddenly opened. “No need to register.”
Lillian turned her head.
Conrad had clearly come down in a hurry, his urgency written all over his face.
She walked toward him. “Jasmine is-”
“Let’s talk upstairs, okay?” Conrad interrupted.
Lillian pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to make a scene in public, especially with Quincy standing right there.
Conrad glanced at the child she was holding by the hand. “I’ll have someone prepare some desserts. If I remember correctly, he likes pudding?”
“Thank you, Sir!” Quincy immediately looked up and replied.
This man is so tall… and so handsome…
Conrad gave a small, somewhat awkward smile before personally pressing the elevator button.
Lillian followed behind him, countless questions swirling in her mind, but she didn’t know where to begin.
Through the elevator’s mirrored walls, she caught his intense gaze and instinctively turned her head slightly to avoid it.
The elevator climbed floor by floor.
Quincy looked around curiously. “Sir, is this your company?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow-” The little boy was completely amazed.
It’s so tall!
Lillian pulled Quincy closer. She needed to sort out the questions racing through her mind.