Chapter 2

"Mr. Thompson, the young lady is waiting for you in the living room," Mrs. Jenkins, the housekeeper, said with a smile as I walked in.

Uh... was she already planning to give me the cold shoulder?

Whatever. I'd play it by ear.

How hard could a four-and-a-half-year-old be?

But then...

Who was that perfect little doll, all rosy cheeks and sweet innocence, sitting on the sofa?!

So tiny!

So cute!

So soft!

While I was still blinking in surprise, the little one slid off the sofa and walked right up to me.

In her tiny, sweet voice, she tried her best to articulate, "Mr.... Mr. Thompson, this is... Lily's present... for... Mr. Thompson."

It was a pink bunny plushie, almost as tall as she was.

Even though it was huge, she strained to push it towards me.

Despite it being our first meeting, she was showing me the purest kindness. My heart warmed instantly. I quickly took the bunny, then crouched down, taking her chubby little hands in mine.

"Wow! Thank you, sweet pea! I absolutely love it!" My voice was incredibly gentle. "You're Lily, right? I'm your Daddy, and from now on, we're a family. You can call me Daddy directly."

Oh my god! She was so adorable! I wanted to hug her so badly!

How could my wife, in name only, be so careless with such a precious child? My poor little one!

That's right, from this moment on, she's my daughter, no questions asked!

The little one seemed startled by my words. Her tiny body trembled slightly, her pale little cheeks flushed pink, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress. Then, she cautiously, tentatively, whispered, "Da... Daddy?"

After saying it, she shyly lowered her head, only to sneak a peek at me again.

Heaven help me!

My wife could wait; my daughter was mine!!

I cleared my throat and gave a solemn "Mhm."

Then I turned to the housekeeper, who was standing nearby, and said, "I'll take care of Lily. You can go handle your other tasks."

"Of course, Mr. Thompson."

This feeling was amazing!

I tried to suppress my excitement, pretending to be calm as I gently picked up the little munchkin.

One arm around her, the other holding the bunny plushie, I headed upstairs.

I'd been here a few times before the wedding, so I had a general idea of the villa's layout.

It truly was a business mogul's estate: six floors, three elevators, and two exquisite small gardens.

The decor was minimalist yet grand.

I took the little one to the room Aria had prepared for me and placed the bunny plushie by the pillow.

"Lily, I'm sorry, Daddy didn't get you a welcome gift. But this necklace pendant is very important to me. Could you help me keep it safe?" I took the necklace from my neck.

"I'll wear it every day!" she promised seriously.

I put it on her, and she looked so happy.

"How about sleeping with Daddy tonight, and tomorrow Daddy will take you to kindergarten, okay?" I tried to keep my voice as gentle as possible.

If my friends saw me this soft and patient, they'd probably think I'd been replaced by an alien.

"Okay," came another soft, sweet reply.

So cute.

Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't notice the faint, almost imperceptible flicker of something unusual on the little one's innocent face.

That night.

"...And so, the little bunny and Daddy bunny lived happily ever after." After finishing the story, I looked down at the little one, whose breathing was steady and who was already fast asleep, then gently closed the storybook.

Just then, my phone suddenly rang.

It startled me so much I nearly threw it. I fumbled to silence the ringtone.

Only after confirming that Lily hadn't been woken and her breathing was still even, did I finally relax. I tiptoed out of the room, walked far enough away to ensure she couldn't hear me, then called back.

"Leo Thompson! You hung up on me!" Chloe's voice practically detonated over the phone.

"Keep it down! I just put my daughter to sleep. And it's my wedding night, technically. Why are you calling so late?" I grumbled.

"Oh, please, everyone knows your wife didn't even go home. She went straight back to work after the wedding."

"Wait! What did you just say? Daughter? Where did you get a daughter?" Chloe's voice was full of shock.

I frowned. "She's my wife's daughter. But now, she's my daughter."

It was normal for Chloe not to know. I only found out about Lily's existence when I was told I was marrying Aria.

Aria had kept the child well-protected; the outside world knew very little. But now, Lily's existence was public knowledge.

"And also, stop yelling so loud."

"I was just worried you'd be stuck alone on your wedding night, so I called to spread some cheer!" Chloe's tone was overly dramatic.

I had no idea the little one would be so adorable.

I thought that to myself but didn't say it out loud. "Alright, what's up?"

"You have to come to the reunion this Saturday! Mason's going to be there too. Remember! Dress to impress, look absolutely stunning, like you own the place, and show him up!"

Just hearing her tone, I could picture Chloe gritting her teeth.

I found it a bit amusing and soothed her, "Alright, alright, that was ages ago. I don't care about it anymore."

She scoffed, "Humph," and didn't say anything else.

We chatted for a few more minutes, then hung up.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the fifth floor, staring out at the night sky, lost in thought.

Suddenly, I remembered that summer after high school graduation.