Chapter 6

Chapter 6

NAOMI tried to brush Marcus Ledesma out of her mind. She had arranged for her dad to pick her up early from the wedding reception, even skipping the food. She was so bothered by that man, and to avoid him, she chose to leave.

She told her father to come get her because she was feeling unwell, and the team couldn’t leave. Even though the place was far, her father arrived.

She only ate when she got home and went straight to sleep. And thank God, she was able to sleep despite Marcus being in her thoughts. Now she was at the office with Ileana. She was waiting for the payment from the superstar. They hadn’t received any down payment yet, but they trusted that he would pay since he was extremely wealthy. They had just sent the breakdown of services and the computation. The figures weren’t bad. Their earnings were substantial.

The door slid open after a warning knock. She didn’t bother to peek at who entered. Most likely, it was a colleague who had brought Ileana along to buy their favorite fish balls outside.

“Please lock the door,” she said, continuing to chat with the client.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She stopped typing. Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be that her eyes were deceiving her? Even her ears now? Why did Elaine’s voice sound masculine—and just like Marcus’s? She was afraid to look up until she noticed a person standing in front of her desk. Naomi’s eyes moved. She completely stopped typing, and what she saw was a zipper on pants, a bulge.

She froze again.

Had Elaine had a transplant that left a lump in front? Last she remembered, Elaine wasn’t a tomboy. Elaine was 100 percent a lady.

Then, a beautiful hand landed on her desk. Its long, fair fingers pinched the check that had been placed there.

“Hi.”

She looked up and almost fell from her seat when she recognized the person standing and smiling before her.

It was Marcus.

“Payment for the service, ma’am,” he said.

She glanced at the office CCTV monitor. She saw his countless bodyguards. Judging by his life and her ex’s, the distance between the two was massive. He could never be Marco.

Naomi forced a smile. “Thank you, Sir.”

She took the check. It was more than what they had discussed, but she expected that. It was a tip from Mister del Heirro. She put it in the drawer, but suddenly froze. What if Elaine walked in with Ileana? Marcus couldn’t meet the two. And why not? It wasn’t obvious that the two were father and daughter. There were plenty of men in the world. Plus, there was no certainty that he was the Marco who had deceived her—but the problem was Ileana had a photo of Marco. Her daughter knew her father’s face very well, so how would she explain? That everyone has a lookalike?

And who was she deceiving? There was only one face that belonged to a particular person in this world. Sure, some might resemble each other, but not like this—as if split in half.

She blinked at Marcus’s intense gaze, his eyes seemingly smiling.

“You left early that night.”

“Ah, yes, Sir. M-my daughter was waiting for me.”

“You have a child?” His question sounded surprised.

“Y-Yes.”

She hoped he would leave. She had a feeling he was following her, and she didn’t like it. Maybe if she mentioned her child, he would leave.

“Wife?”

“H-Huh?” Naomi’s question was dumbfounded. What kind of question was that from Marcus? Could a woman with no husband have a child? And who—or what—would get her pregnant? A mango tree?

Marcus left the building and encountered a woman and a child. He hadn’t gotten answers to his questions from the woman inside. He even asked Zent for her work address because he had a strange feeling, as if she were a part of his life. And in which area? He wasn’t suffering from amnesia, so he should remember if they truly knew each other.

He was damn healthy.

The woman smiled at him while the child licked her ice cream. He smiled at the sight of the beautiful little girl.

“Good morning, Sir,” the woman greeted, “Have you spoken to anyone inside?”

“Oh, yes. The—beautiful lady.”

“Oh,” the woman’s eyes sparkled. “Your mother, Eana,” she said to the child.

The girl nodded and smiled at him. “My mom is really beautiful—”

He chuckled. So, this was the woman’s child—but the girl froze, as if seeing a ghost.

“Daddy?” she said, startling him—and the woman too.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sir. Maybe Eana missed her father, so she called you Daddy even though it’s you. I-I apologize,” the woman stammered, forcing the child back into the building.

He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move. That word, “Daddy,” kept lingering in his mind. He felt paralyzed because of being called that.

He stood stunned on the concrete sidewalk, watching the child leave, until he looked back at the building’s door where she had entered.