Chapter 18
Emma was so adorable, like a little doll, that anyone who met her couldn’t help but remember her.
Tobias was no exception. But for him, it wasn’t just her cuteness that stuck in his mind–it was the fact that she was the daughter of the man his wife had cheated with.
The thought of his wife’s betrayal and the idea that she’d be this kid’s stepmother made his stomach churn. He scowled and snapped, “Who let you in here? Get out!”
Emma, thinking Tobias was still upset about the time she’d accidentally bumped into him, pressed her lips together nervously.
She reached out her small hand, clutching a lollipop, her voice soft and pleading. “Mr. Handsome, I’m really sorry about last time. Here, you can have my candy. Please don’t be mad at me anymore.”
Tobias wasn’t expecting that. He glanced down at her tiny hand, trembling slightly as she held out the lollipop. Her wide, hopeful eyes stared up at him, but his irritation only grew. “Yaxley,” he barked, his tone sharp.
Yaxley quickly stepped out of the driver’s seat. He scooped Emma up and shut the car door. Even as she was carried away, Emma kept her eyes locked on Tobias. Tobias, annoyed, turned his head to stare out the window, refusing to meet her gaze.
After Yaxley dropped Emma off at the entrance of Raven Lane, he hurried back to the car. As soon as he slid into the driver’s seat, Tobias ordered, “Back to the villa.”
Yaxley hesitated, glancing at Tobias through the rearview mirror. “Aren’t we waiting for your father?” But the icy glare Tobias shot him silenced any further questions. Yaxley quickly started the car and pulled away.
Tobias reached for his iPad but paused when something caught his eye–a lollipop lying on the seat beside him. It must have fallen out of Emma’s hand.
He picked it up, intending to toss it out the window, but something made him stop–The wrapper was a bright pink, covered in cartoon characters, almost as adorable as Emma herself.
Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Richard. Tobias answered, and before he could even say hello, Richard’s voice boomed through the speaker, sharp and impatient. “Where have you been?”
Tobias leaned back in his seat, unfazed. “What’s up?”
Richard’s frustration was palpable. He’d been working tirelessly to smooth things over between Tobias and his wife, and here Tobias was, acting like everything was fine.
“Looked into it,” Richard said. “The guy’s Simon Reed. An old friend of Penny’s. The kid’s from a previous relationship he had. Penny didn’t want the girl to grow up without a mother figure, so she had her call her ‘Mom.
“That’s the whole story. They’re just friends.”
Tobias’s voice was calm. “If you believe it.” Without waiting for Richard to respond, he ended the call.
Tobias had just hung up with Richard when his phone buzzed again. He thought it was Richard calling back, but instead, Barry’s name flashed on the screen.
Tobias knew Barry well–he was aware of Tobias’s temper and wouldn’t call unless it was something big. So when Tobias answered, he wasn’t surprised to hear the urgency in Barry’s voice. “Mouse just showed up in Westbay.”
Those words were enough to change the atmosphere. Tobias’s face turned cold, and the air in the car grew tense, almost ominous.
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Sat, 8 Mar
Chapter 18
On a typical weekday, Emergency Department was usually pretty pretender wetting wound happened,
Today was one of those days. A restaurant had reported a case of mushroom phoning, werden genge hat flooded in. It wasn’t just the usual vomiting and diarrhea, these patients were having, full–blown hai
When Mandy walked in, the place was chaos. Patients were flailing their arms, talking to imble creatures, and have thong wild scenes–fairies, dragons, lions dancing. It was like something out of a bizarre dream.
Three hours later, after finally managing the chaos, Mandy grabbed a moment to sit down and catch her breath. She reached for a drink, and that was when it hit her: Richard had gone to her studio earlier,
In the rush of everything, she’d only had time to give Simon a quick call with some hurried instruction. Then, with the madness of the day, she’d completely forgotten about it.
Now, the thought hit her like a jolt. She didn’t even take a sip of her drink before jumping up to find a quiet corner to call
Simon.
As soon as the call connected, Mandy jumped in, her voice tene. “How’s everything going? Is it all under contro
Simon answered honestly, “Yeah, everything went fine, but… your father–in–law showed up and gave me a warning
Mandy frowned, confused. “A warning? What are you talking about?”
Her question triggered Simon’s memory. Earlier that day, Mandy had called to let him know that her father–in–law was stopping by the studio. Since she was busy with work, she’d asked Simon to greet him.
The request had caught him off guard. He’d always assumed that Fiona was the go–to person for such tasks, so he’d immediately called her. But Fiona was out shopping for supplies and couldn’t make it back in time. So, the responsibility fell squarely on Simon.
Even though Simon had tried to psych himself up, the moment Richard walked in, his heart practically jumped into his
throat.
Simon had never met Richard before, but he recognized him instantly–partly from the suit Mandy had tailored for him, but mostly from the commanding aura he carried.
Swallowing his nerves, Simon put on a warm smile and stepped forward. “Hello, sir. You must be Mr. Lambert?”
Richard’s eyes swept over Simon, and he let out a low chuckle. “That’s right. And you’re Simon, I assume?”
“Yes, I’m Simon, um…” Simon had rehearsed this moment in his head, but now that it was happening, his nerves almost got the better of him. He nearly slipped and mentioned Mandy’s name but caught himself just in time.
He added, “I’m Penny’s childhood friend and one of her business partners. This studio was started by Penny, another friend, and me. Penny handles the designs, I take care of operations, and our other friend manages sales. We’ve also got a small team of employees.”
Simon felt like a rookie entrepreneur pitching his startup to a seasoned investor. When he finished, he held his breath, waiting for Richard’s reaction.
Richard walked around the studio, inspecting everything in silence. Then, out of the blue, he asked, “Are you married?”
Simon was taken aback. “What?” he stammered.
Richard turned to face him. Despite being in his seventies, Richard’s presence was as commanding as ever. Simon shifted uncomfortably, his palms growing clammy. Without thinking, he blurted out, “I’m not married, but I have a daughter with my ex–girlfriend.”
Richard’s expression didn’t change. “Funny,” he said. “Just the other day, I saw Penny with you at the Moonspire Hotel buffet.
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Chapter 18
There was a linde girl with you too. She called you Daddy and Peary Mommy I have to altura din me for a day
Simon had no idea Richard was lying. Realizing why Pudiard bad coupe du qurday explained that my or kids The Bab she left her with me and moved abroad. Penny was worried abow we grow, sy or throw a mother quotes her call
her ‘Mom‘
“I’m sorry if it looked like something else, but Penny and 1 are jum dards. $urs all border
Simon’s explanation seemed to satisfy Richard. He gave a own mod and said, “Good Carry on with you wo
As Richard turned to leave, his eyes caught a work desk around the conser Our site Build a comisover and an of while the other was a craft station neatly arranged with hand–drawn dus, a way at scissors, and orier supplies
Richard paused, picking up a few of the design sketches, the sudied the clean, grote hardening for a moment before glancing back at Simon. “Whose desk is this?” he asked.
“It’s Penny’s, Simon replied, though he didn’t mention that Mandy rarely wedi
Richard didn’t say anything else. He simply snapped a quick photo of the desk and walked our without mother word
Mandy fell silent after listening to Simon. She thought she had cleverly woxded Richard the offer day at the Moonspire Hotel’s buffet, She had no idea he saw Emma calling her “Mommy and Sinon “Dakby
Richard must think I’ve been cheating on his son, she thought. His visit to “see me was really about checking if I was cheating. If he believes I did, the whole Jones family and I might just disappear from Vestaf
The thought sent a shiver down Mandy’s spine. She knew she had to be extra carefed with her actions from now on
“Mandy, there you are! The new director’s here, Lindsay said, snapping Mandy back to reality
Mandy took a deep breath and headed to the doctor’s office, where everyone had gathered
Standing in the center was the new director, Queena Clark. Mandy recognized her immediately. Before being assigned to Emergency Department, Mandy had rotated through various departments and was already familiar with Queena, who used to be the deputy director of Cardiac Surgery Department.
“Starting today, I’m taking over as the head of Emergency Department. The big bosses made the call. I’m counting on all of you to back me up. Thanks,” Queena announced, and the office erupted into applause.
Whenever a new leader stepped up, the department would throw a dinner. It was kind of a tradition, and the hospital always stuck to it.
Mandy caught wind of the dinner. Normally, she’d skip these shindigs to hang out with Emma. But since this one was set up by the new boss, she figured it’d be rude to blow it off.
So, she sent a quick text to Simon, letting him know she’d be home late because of the dinner.
The dinner place was pretty far from the hospital, so anyone without wheels got a lift from colleagues who had cars.
Queena told Mandy to catch a ride with someone from Administrative Department. To Mandy’s surprise, that “someone” turned out to be Merlin. His three underlings–Ivy, Harley, and Lydia–were already crammed in the back, which left the front passenger seat open for Mandy.
Mandy paused for a moment before climbing in, but the trio in the back urged her on. She figured with three other people around, Merlin would behave. But as soon as she got in, Merlin was all over her.
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17:45 Sat, 8 Mar
Chapter 19
