Jane glanced at Lydia with a fearful look, but her mother gave her a reassuring smile. “Go to Daddy Gabriel, darling.”
When Gabriel saw how Jane was hesitant to approach him, he patted a seat next to him. “Come here, Jane. I want to talk to you.”
The little girl followed what Gabriel said and sat next to him. Her hands grasped the hem of her dress as she was nervous. “Yes, Uncle Gabe. What do you want to talk about?”
“Not Uncle!” Lydia snapped. It startled the little girl until she gasped and put her hand on her chest. “How many times do I need to tell you to call him Daddy?”
“I-I ….” Jane gulped and nodded. “Yes, Daddy ….” Her hands frantically grasped her dress
Gabriel returned to the restaurant and found the laboratory staff was waiting for him. The staff nodded at Gabriel.“Good afternoon, Mr. Da Costa. I have taken a little of Jane’s hair and done a swab too. I need samples from you too.”“Sure.”The staff worked swiftly, and soon, he was finished. After putting the samples in a brown envelope and writing “Mr. Da Costa’s DNA Test”, the staff nodded at Gabriel. “The result will be an hour or two, as you asked for the fastest one. I’ll send the full report to your address and through your email too. Have a great day!” He nodded at Lydia, also smiled and waved at Jane. “Bye, Jane.”Jane waved back. “Bye, sir.”Gabriel reached out his hand and caressed Jane’s hair. “Are y
When Gabriel returned, he noticed how Jane wasn’t as happy as when he left earlier. He stared at Lydia to see her scowled at Jane.“What’s wrong?” He glanced at Jane. “Jane?”Lydia swiftly said, “It’s nothing.” Then dramatically she sighed. “As a single and poor mother, it’s hard for me to raise a child alone. I wonder if you can help me?”Gabriel raised his eyebrow. “Hmm?”“I saw how your fiancee interacted with Jane. She seemed like a good person. I wonder if you are interested in having Jane as your adopted daughter?”It was a surprise to hear it from Lydia, but Gabriel didn’t change his facial expression. “Really?&r
Rosalind shed tears to see how the little boy missed his mother. “Now, you must eat first, okay?”“Will you stay if I eat?”“Sweetheart—”Before Rosalind could finish her words, Maxwell interrupted her. “Sure, Son. Come, let Mommy spoon you your favorite food, okay?” Then he pleaded with her, “Please, Rosalind, help my son …. He’s the only one I have. I don’t want to lose him ….”Rosalind took a deep breath. Later, she nodded and took a plate of hot beef stew with potato and carrot. She spooned the stew and added a piece of potato, then blew the meal for a few seconds to make it colder. Maxwell helped his son to sit and puffed his pillow so the little boy could lean on it.“Open your mouth,” Rosalind said.
Maxwell rubbed her cheek and smiled. “Don’t be afraid of me, honey. I won’t hurt you.” He pushed her to a corner and blocked her body with her arms.“I need to go inside because Gabriel will arrive home soon. He won’t forgive you if he thinks you harm me.”Maxwell shrugged, but then he grinned and winked. “It’s even better.”“What?!”“If he thinks we have an affair, he will let you go.”Rosalind pushed his chest, but it’s useless as he stood like a giant rock. No matter how much she tried to push him, he didn’t move, even a bit. “Please, don’t do this to me …. I love him ….”“If he loves you too, he won’t misunderstand everything. But if he doesn’t, you deserve someone bette
Maxwell still stood there for a few minutes until Gabriel and Rosalind were out of his sight. He sighed and shook his head before he took a leave. Gabriel who spied what happened from the lobby kept frowning. “Gabe, nothing happened between Maxwell and me,” Rosalind tried to explain. “I only visited Axel, Maxwell’s son, because he contacted me as he was ill. That’s all.” Rosalind’s voice was low, and she was afraid he would be mad at her. “Later, Maxwell sent me home because I insisted on ordering a taxi.”“I know, baby. No need to explain it to me.”She let out a long sigh, too relieved to hear it. “But then, why do you keep frowning?” She tried to smooth his creased forehead. “Come on. Smile, love. Please?”He stared at her, and finally, smiling. His dimple was shown on his left cheek, making him look younger and more handsome. “Anything for you, baby.” Then he kissed her lips.They only stopped kissing when they heard a few giggles. A few people who passed the lobby saw the couple
Gabriel already received the DNA result yesterday. The result showed Jane wasn’t his daughter. Rosalind also saw the result. They were curious why Lydia could come up with the idea to claim Gabriel as Jane’s father, as they eventually would find the truth.Rosalind was excited about the picnic. Since they wanted to prepare the garden, Gabriel decided not to pick up Jane by himself. So he asked Luca instead. However, he called Lydia to inform her about it.“Hello, Lydia, I’ll ask my driver to fetch Jane here. Is she ready yet?” he asked.“Yes, sure, she’s ready. I’ll ensure Jane will wait for your driver.” Then Lydia asked, “About the money?”“I’ll see how Jane interacted with
Jane was busy picking a small portion from all the dishes. Rosalind kept smiling to see how eager Jane was to try everything. She took an empty plate and followed what Jane did.That’s when Gabriel showed up and shook his head. “My, my. If I don’t know better, I’d have thought you two were war refugees.”Rosalind and Jane glanced at each other. Their laughter broke a second later.Gabriel grinned and joined them. “I’m famished!”“What do you want to eat? Do you want me to pick anything for you?” Rosalind lifted a brow.“How about a little from everything?”Jane chuckled and shook her head. “Miss Rosalind told me to do the same!”
So they ate their meals, talked, and laughed together. After finishing the main dishes, Rosalind offered the desserts to Jane, but the little girl shook her head.“I’m too full, Mom.” She rubbed her rounder belly because she ate so much. “I can’t eat more.” Then she lay on the grass and closed her eyes. She soon snored.Rosalind and Gabriel exchanged glances again and smiled to see how carefree their little girl was. She was glad they would adopt Jane. To see a seven-year-old girl choose them as her parents was overwhelming, as they were new people to her. But then, it might be fate as they could love Jane instantly, although she wasn’t any blood related to Gabriel or Rosalind.Touching Jane’s cheek tenderly, Rosalind glanced at Gabriel. “Maybe it’s better you carry her inside, love? She will rest