“Who was that on the phone?”Walking out from the shower, Skyler held a well-behaved baby in his arms.The baby was not shy around strangers. Instead, she stared at him with her big eyes and flashed a sweet smile at him.A moment ago she was brawling when he showered her, but she looked jolly now once they were done with the shower. Her sudden change of behavior got Skyler wondering who she took after.Skyler held her carefully and his face softened. It did not matter who she took after as she was his daughter. She was his and Estelle’s daughter.He remembered when his assistant reported to him about the investigation he had asked of. “Director Flynn, Estelle’s eldest son left the country, so there’s no chance of obtaining his DNA. But, it’s confirmed that the youngest daughter belongs to you.”The moment he heard of the news, his heart skipped a beat.Considering the time, she must have conceived the baby a year ago when Estelle negotiated their divorce so that he would have
Skyler’s gaze darkened, and he did not say a word.Camilla was a little flustered. She hid this from Skyler for almost six years without letting it get out. She knew that she was not able to hide it forever.Initially, she planned to wait till she was married to him for the dust to settle before she told him. By then, she would have been his wife. Even if Skyler was unhappy, she would have had their marriage certificate and used it to her advantage. All she had to do was spend more time with him, show more affection and play innocent to win him over.However, she did not expect Skyler to suggest visiting the Sanders family all of a sudden. Estelle was there!Her option was to deliberately irritate Estelle and so she could quickly leave with Wrenne. If Estelle met Skyler and jumped the gun to reveal the truth, things would have gotten out of hand.For some reason, she felt that something was off with Skyler that period. It was evident when he returned from the hospital. He acted
“I’m going to the old residence and I’m entrusting Ayla to the old butler. He raised me as a child. He’s good with children.” As he said that, Skyler stood up with the child in his arms, grabbed the car keys, and said softly, “Sleep early. I’m probably going to stay at the old residence more often these days. Be careful on your own alright. If you need anything at all, give Secretary Davis a call and he’ll help you with it.” “Skyler…”“That’s enough, I’m tired. I should get going.”Skyler left the house with the child. Camilla waited till the taillights of the car disappeared at the end of the road before she returned to her room.A deafening bang was heard as she forcefully slammed the door. It was seven in the evening when Skyler reached the old residence.It had been a long time since he was back at the old Flynn family residence. The walls were old and covered with creeper vines. There was only a small window that had a faint, warm yellow light that shone through. He pa
It was nine o’clock in the evening, Estelle stood at the entrance of the Banyan City Hotel.She hesitated for a while, but still had not decided whether she should enter or not.She pulled her phone out and read the text message from the unfamiliar number and read it again, each word at a time. She tried looking for clues but was to no avail.Ring-Her phone rang and she recognized the number. It was coming from the hospital.“Hello?”“Miss Sanders, your mother will be transferred to the intensive care unit tomorrow, please settle the fees tomorrow morning.”“...Okay. May I please know how much it is?”“I guess that it should be around 100,000 to 200,000 dollars. Her case of pneumonia is very serious and she’s suffering from severe malnourishment. That’s what’s causing her organs to fail. She may need to be in the intensive care unit for about two months.”“...Alright.”“Plus, there’s also the cost of your surgery and your son’s stem cell transplant that needs to be settled.”
She had no money nor status; nothing.No, she did have one more thing — issues.She turned and closed the door.The closed-door blocked the only light source in the aisle, making the room look even darker.Fortunately, the moonlight shined through the full-length windows and cast rays of silver light on the ground.“The stars are so beautiful tonight,” The man seemed satisfied, but his voice was still hoarse, “wouldn’t you say so?”Estelle took two steps forward and stood bewildered. She closed her eyes and said in a death-defying tone, “Sir, now that I’m here, let’s get to it. You said you could help me in your message. I just have two requests. The first is that I need your help to get my daughter back and the second is that I need money to settle the fees for my mother’s treatment. So tell me, sir, what are your conditions? For as long as you can help me with those things, I’ll do anything you need me to.”The man tapped his fingers on the sofa and said with a relaxed gesture
Camilla was at a complete loss for words and she was silent for a long time on the phone.Estelle simply hung up.“You have more of an edge than I thought.” He teased her. She heard his voice right behind her as they were at a close distance. Estelle felt slightly uncomfortable as she struggled a little.“Sir...that…” Estelle said, “I’m not sure why you’re helping me but there are certain things I won’t do.”The man seemed to react with interest. “Because you have two kids?”“Yes,” Estelle said, “I really need the money, but I’m still a mother. I don’t want my children to one day find out their mother…forsake her boundaries for money.” The man chuckled lazily and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not a superficial person who looks for short-term pleasures.”“That…” Estelle prodded and cautiously asked, “what is it you need me to do?”The man felt her resistance and gently retracted his arm that was circled behind her. He slightly shifted his position to keep a polite distance from her
Ding-She received a text message.[Thank you for last night. I’ve never slept that well in a few years.] Estelle wanted to call him, but she realized how the main was so mysterious and did not want to reveal his true identity. Naturally, he had his concerns. After all, she needed his help. Hence, she had to abide by his rules.So, she decided to communicate via text message.[Sir, how may I address you?]His reply was quick. [You can just call me Sir.]Estelle replied. [Okay, sir. When can I see my daughter?][Rest assured, she’s under good care. Miss Sanders, with your strength, it’s impossible to take care of your mother and daughter at the same time. I would suggest you focus on your mother for now.][But I still have to see her! She’s a newborn baby! She needs her mother!] This time, the man took some time to reply.Estelle fidgetted in her seat for a long time before she finally received his reply.[If you want to see your daughter, you can do it tonight at nine o’c
“Mum, don’t talk so much. The doctor asked you to get more rest. You shouldn’t be exerting yourself.” Estelle walked in and tucked the blanket for her mother. Wrenna’s gaze softened when she looked at Estelle. She grabbed her arm and said, “Child, where did you go? The nurse has been looking for you all morning.”Estelle said, “I went to withdraw some money to pay the bill.”“Oh, do you have enough? If you don’t, you can use my card. You know the PIN to it.” Estelle gently sat at the edge of her mother’s bed and said softly, “I have enough. The Sanders family’s business is huge. I can afford the medical bills.”Her mother’s card?It had always been controlled by her uncle and aunt.The Sanders family fortune, the Sanders family business, and everything that the Sanders family once owned was now theirs. They did not even visit her mother, let alone left money in her mother’s card.Wrenna was relieved after she heard that. “Yes, your uncle’s not a bad person. It’s just that b