The elevator arrived quickly, and as Lillian stepped into the CEO’s office once again, she realized that five years had changed many things. There were new faces, yet also some familiar ones.
Some looked at her with curiosity.
Some, upon seeing her again after so long, simply smiled.
“Let me take the child,” Ford said as he approached her.
Lillian lowered her gaze. “Quincy, Mommy has something important to discuss with this Sir. Can you wait for me?”
“Okay, Mommy.” Quincy immediately grabbed Ford’s hand. “I’ll wait for you, don’t worry.”
Lillian watched Ford take Quincy into the conference room before she finally turned and entered Conrad’s office.
As soon as the door closed, the screen automatically switched to Do Not Disturb.
The blinds were drawn.
Lillian got straight to the point. “What’s going on with that child? Conrad, if you’re using this to play games and force me to come to see you, then you’re absolutely despicable!”
Conrad’s smile vanished completely. “Do you really think I’d lie about something like this? Or is it that you just don’t want to admit it-that you and I have a daughter? Does Jasmine’s existence make you that uncomfortable?”
Lillian shook her head, panic-stricken. She rushed forward and grabbed his arm. “Tell me. Tell me who she really is! Who is she?!”
Seeing her unusually emotional reaction, Conrad swallowed hard. “Jasmine is our daughter. Born on September 8th-exact time unknown. Blood type A. When she was brought to me, she had nothing but a baby blanket, a wicker basket, and the jade necklace around her neck.”
Conrad added, “That jade necklace-you know it, don’t you? It was the one your father left you. Have you forgotten?”
Conrad paused for a moment and then continued, “How could you forget? Jasmine and I have waited for you for five years, Lillian. Do you not want your own daughter? Then why did you bring her into this world?”
His voice wasn’t urgent. It wasn’t accusatory.
He just wanted an answer.
If he had to die, he at least wanted to die with clarity.
Lillian’s lips trembled, and before she could stop them, tears spilled over her eyes.
She let out a half-sob, half-laugh, her voice shaking. “Where did you find her? Wasn’t she… wasn’t she barely holding on back then?”
“She was left near the security booth when they found her. She had been out in the cold for a long time. By the time we got her to the hospital, it was an emergency. We begged every specialist we could find…”
He hadn’t even finished speaking when Lillian started shaking violently at the words left near the security booth.
Tears poured down, blurring her vision. She was trembling so hard that Conrad didn’t know what to do.
“Was she in really bad condition?” she choked out.
“Yes. It was bad. I thought I was going to lose her. She was kept under observation for a month. Every day, the doctors would tell me to be prepared. Prepared for what, I had no idea. My mind was blank. I only knew one thing-I had to keep her alive.”
Lillian covered her face with both hands.
She survived.
Her daughter survived.
That was all that mattered.
Conrad studied her carefully. “Why are you reacting like this? Weren’t you the one who sent her to me? Or back then… did you have no other choice? Then why-after all these years-why didn’t you come back to find us? Were you… afraid? Afraid of me?”
He reached out instinctively, but the moment he did, he hesitated and awkwardly withdrew his hand.
He was afraid.
Afraid of the disgust in her eyes. Afraid of the rejection in of her stance.
Afraid that she would leave again. That she would disappear again.
No other choice…
Lillian frowned as fragments of painful memories surfaced. The past she didn’t dare to look back on. The past that made her head throb unbearably.
Just then, a small, trembling sob broke the heavy silence behind them.
“Wuu… wuu… Daddy, Mommy, please don’t fight… Don’t fight…”
Lillian spun around sharply. The lounge door hadn’t been closed properly, and Jasmine’s small figure stood just behind it, shaking her head and waving her hands at them. Large teardrops rolled down her tiny face.
“Please don’t fight…”
“Jasmine doesn’t want to be without a mommy and daddy…”
She didn’t understand what was happening-only that both of them seemed upset, and somehow, it felt like it was because of her.
“Jasmine.”
Conrad took a couple of steps toward her, but Lillian moved faster.
She hurried to the desk, but just as she was about to get closer, she stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze locked onto the child, filled with longing.
She’s so beautiful… even prettier than I was at her age.
Lillian wanted to smile at her, wanted to say she was sorry, but when she opened her mouth, all she could taste was the salt of her tears.
“Jasmine, come to Mommy, okay?” She spoke softly, pleading.
The little girl wiped her tears and ran toward her, throwing herself into Lillian’s arms.
Children were like that-no matter how they had been treated before, their love was unconditional.
Jasmine nestled into Lillian’s embrace with deep affection.
That small body, leaning against her… it was real.
She’s grown so much…
Lillian had missed everything-her first roll, her first babbling words, her first crawl, her first steps. She had missed every smile and every tear. More than anything, she had missed her irreplaceable childhood.
Lillian could only whisper in a trembling voice, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… Mommy didn’t know you existed… Jasmine, I’m so sorry…”
She reached out, her hands shaking.
Jasmine, not fully understanding, patted her shoulder and asked, “Was it because the angels in heaven forgot to call Mommy when I was born?”
“Oh! I know! The phone line must have been busy! But that’s okay-Mommy came to find Jasmine now, and it’s not too late!”
“Mommy is even prettier than the pictures I’ve seen-so much prettier!”
She spread her arms wide, stretching them as far as she could, showing just how much prettier she thought Lillian was. Only when her arms wouldn’t stretch any further did she finally hug Lillian again.
“Mommy, don’t be mad at Daddy, okay? Daddy works so hard taking care of Jasmine every day. Daddy is the best daddy in the world-he belongs to Jasmine and only Jasmine. Daddy is my one and only, and Mommy is my one and only too. And I am your one and only!”
She finished her long-winded declaration and waited for Lillian’s response.
But Lillian just held her tightly, kissing her over and over again.
She had missed too much. She wanted-needed-to make up for it all.
Fate had not been cruel to her after all.
Her child had survived.
And now, she was standing right here in front of her, calling her Mommy.
Lillian cupped Jasmine’s face gently. “Let Mommy take a good look at you, okay?”
“Okay!”
Conrad had a million questions, but now wasn’t the time to ask. Not in front of the child.
For now, he simply gave them space.
Honestly, as long as she was willing to come back… as long as she was willing to acknowledge Jasmine…
That was enough for him.