Jacob and his entourage marched toward the exit of the shopping mall, and when he came to the gate,
he sensed something important compelling him to turn around for some reason.
As he turned around, his eyes met a cute little girl's eyes looking back at him from upstairs.
The little girl, waved at him with a bright smile on her face and shouted, "Hey! My future boyfriend!"
Jacob paused to think for a moment and then he remembered that she was the little girl from the car
who had accosted him just a few days ago. No wonder she looked familiar. Since she was standing far
away, Jacob couldn't hear what she was saying, but he could still somehow understand her by reading
her lips.
This little girl, dressed in a pink floral dress trimmed with white lace, with her chubby cheeks and her
round eyes, brown as sweet chocolate, looked so adorable. She could melt anyone's heart with just a
smile.
When she smiled at Jacob, her brown eyes crinkled around the edges, like two crescent moons
hanging on her sweet face. Jacob stared at her, blankly, and for reasons unknown to him, he just
couldn't help thinking of Emily's eyes, that were forever engraved in his memory, and how similar they
looked.
"Mr. Jacob," someone next to him reminded.
Suddenly, Jacob woke up from his half-conscious state. When the little girl sent him a flying kiss from
upstairs, he burst into laughter.
Jacob fondly wondered what kind of parents could nurture such a cute and interesting daughter.
Meanwhile, his subordinates around him were astounded by the smile on his face. They had not seen
Jacob laugh from the bottom of his heart like that in a few years. It was a rare occurrence and they felt
blessed to have been able to witness such a feat with their own eyes. Jacob hardly smiled and even
when he did, his smile would bring shivers down everyone's body.
However, at this moment, because of that little girl, Jacob actually produced a genuine laughter from
his heart. What an amazing sight!
All his subordinates following him were surprised by his unusual behavior. But next second, Jacob
turned around, and the smile on his face had already disappeared, as if it was just an illusion. "Let's
go," he said.
Baffled, it took almost a second for them to respond. "Yes, Mr. Jacob," they replied with one voice.
Jacob fought the strange urge to take the adorable girl away with him. Instead, he strode away in his
long legs and did not look back anymore. Just when he stepped out of the mall, a woman appeared
behind the little girl. It was her mother. The person Jacob thought of every day and night, but
unfortunately, she slipped through his fingers again.
"Beryl, why are you running around?" Emily scolded, as she ran towards Beryl with a worried look on
her face. She looked her daughter up and down and was relieved to find that Beryl was all right. Emily
took a deep breath and continued, "You can't run around by yourself again. There are a lot of bad
people outside, they'll take you away and you will never see me again, don't you know?"
"I will never do it again," Beryl replied, and hugged her mother warmly. "Mommy, do you know who I
saw just now?" she said excitedly.
Emily's heart skipped a beat, and for reasons unknown to her, she had a bad feeling in her stomach.
"Who?" she asked nervously.
"The handsome man from the car next to us," Beryl answered. She recalled Jacob's face with pleasure,
and announced loudly, "I've decided to let him be my boyfriend in the future!"
Looking at Beryl's sweet innocent face, Emily's nervousness vanished in an instant. Emily shook her
head, wondering whether she should laugh or cry. "What are you talking about?
Do you even know what 'boyfriend' means?" she teased Beryl.
"Of course I know what boyfriend means. My boyfriend will buy me lots of cakes, just like you. He will
be very kind to me!" Beryl answered quickly.
"Okay, so where is your boyfriend?" Emily humored her.
Beryl turned around and pointed her little finger at the door of the mall. "He just left, but I'm sure that
we'll meet again in the future. We've already met twice! Mommy, he is heaven-sent... He must be my
prince!" she said.
Emily didn't take her words to heart, instead she allowed Beryl to enjoy her colorful fantasy. "Okay, the
next time you see him, you can introduce him to me. I'm curious to know what the man of your dreams
look like," she said in a soft voice.
Then, Emily held Beryl's hand and soon they both went home.
Meanwhile, Jack's secretary had already found out Emily's current address for him. Jack sat on the
sofa, hesitating and wondering whether he should go to visit Emily or not.
Naturally, Jack's strange behavior had flagged Jacob's attention. Jack wasn't sure whether he should
tell Emily about Jacob. Jacob, however, was not an idiot. Sharp as a tack, Jacob was smart enough to
see through Jack's skittish mind clearly. Sooner or later, he would find out the truth.
Although, Emily had changed so much that only a few people could recognize her and be convinced
that she was actually Emily, Jacob would be able to recognize her in a heartbeat, just as quickly as
Jack had recognized her.
Jack was anxious and fidgety. In his deranged mind, he had convinced himself that it would be better if
he could secretly keep Emily in his house so that Jacob would never find her.
Fortunately, he still had a bit of sanity left in him, as he soon realized the irrationality behind his idea.
After considerable contemplation, he finally decided to go and check out where Emily was living, so he
could secretly spy on her. In any case, he just wanted to know where Emily was living. As long as he
was careful enough not to get caught by Emily, he would be just fine.
What a great idea!
So, in order to disguise himself, Jack borrowed his secretary's car and drove it to Emily's residence.
As he drove around the area, he suddenly saw a car that looked very familiar to him. When he took a
closer look at the license plate, his heart skipped a beat.
It was Emily's car!
Somewhat guilty and ashamed of his actions, Jack bent forward and buried his head in the steering
wheel, afraid of being seen by Emily.
Fortunately for Jack, Emily was focused on driving her car. Moreover, his secretary's car was so
inconspicuous and common that the thought of Jack being in that car, didn't even cross Emily's mind.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief, and followed Emily's car secretly from a safe distance.
He watched as Emily meticulously parked her car in the garage. Soon after, she got out of the car
carrying a big bag on one hand, and holding a little girl, about three or four years old, on the other.
Who was that little girl?
Shocked, Jack squinted his eyes to have a closer look before he took a bold guess. Did Emily give birth
to that child four years ago? However, the girl looked too young to be a four-year-old child. Perhaps
she was born with congenital disorders?
For some reason, there was a flash of happiness in his eerie eyes.
Four years ago, Emily left Jacob because she mistakenly believed that she had slept with Jack and
was carrying Jack's child in her womb. In other words, she still did not know the truth yet.
Elated, Jack's lips curved upwards joyfully, almost on its own. As long as Emily believed that the child
was his, she would never shake off the yoke of their relationship.
Even if this little girl was not his real daughter, he would treat her as his own child. And as long as the
truth was kept hidden from Emily, someday they would be reconciled with each other again.
Jack was so delighted that he couldn't resist the impulse, so he got out of the car and followed Emily
quietly.
At the doorstep, Emily's hand were scrambling to find the key in her handbag, while Beryl crouched on
the ground, resting her chin on her knee and playing with the grass that grew hard from the cracks of
the floor.
"Woof, woof…" The sudden barking caught Beryl's attention.
When Beryl noticed that her mother wasn't looking at her, she stood up and walked to the edge of the
flowering shrub, where she saw a little, snow-coloured puppy hiding inside. "It's so cute," she
exclaimed and reached out to hold the puppy without hesitation.
Emily turned around as soon as she heard Beryl's voice. When she realized what Beryl was doing, she
immediately stopped her. "Beryl, don't touch it," she said.
Beryl obediently withdrew her hand and picked up a twig to play with the puppy. Just then, all of a
sudden, a tall figure appeared in front of her.
"Beryl? Your name is Beryl?" Jack asked in a soft tone.
Beryl looked up and saw a handsome and unfamiliar face. "Who are you?" she asked.
Jack tried his best to control his excitement and be more gentle. At the very least, he wanted to appear
fatherly. "I am your father," he replied.
Puzzled, Beryl cast an awkward look at him, before she picked up the puppy and ran back to Emily.
Speechless, Jack was at a loss. He realized that he just got given the cold shoulder by a little girl.
Was there something on his face? Did he look weird? He was told that all children were fond of people
who looked gracious and gentle. Wasn't he good-looking or gentle enough? Jack was completely
confused.
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