"You can! You definitely can do it!" After saying this, Pierre stepped forward and snatched the report from Calla's hand. He tossed the folder on the desk and pulled her by the hand toward the door."Hey, where are you taking me?" Calla asked in surprise."You'll see when we get there." Pierre turned back and smiled at Calla, then led her out the door.Calla was pulled downstairs by Pierre and into his Land Rover. Then, they sped off in one direction.The car drove to the southern suburbs of Riverford. After several turns, the Land Rover stopped in front of a small, exquisite villa."What is this place?" Calla asked in puzzlement, glancing out the car window at the villa.After parking the car, Pierre finally explained the situation to Calla. "Calla, I have a good friend who's on a business trip now. He hired a nanny to take care of his son. But now the nanny has caught a cold and is worried about passing the virus to the child. "So I need someone temporarily to look after th
"Casper, Hazel has caught a cold, and I don't want you to catch it too. So, Calla will take care of you for the time being, okay?" Pierre reached out to lift Casper from the ground and held the baby to his chest.Looking at the adorable Casper, Calla felt a surge of indescribable emotion. If her child with Mercer had lived, he would probably be about Casper's age. Unconsciously, she reached out and took Casper into her arms.Holding him, Calla felt both sorrow and affection. She was heartbroken over the loss of her son, yet she found the boy in her arms utterly endearing.Though Casper couldn't speak yet, he could make various sounds. Occasionally, he would utter single words as if he understood many things. Casper extended the cookie in his hand toward Calla's mouth, babbling something vague. "Eat... eat..." he seemed to say."Thank you, Casper. But I'm not hungry." Calla smiled at Casper's gesture of friendliness."Eat... eat..." Casper kept insisting, trying to push the coo
Pierre bowed his head in thought for a moment. Then he told Calla, "Call me anytime if you need anything. I'll be off now.""Okay." Calla nodded and then got up to see Pierre out.Returning to the crib, Calla slowly sat down and gazed at the sleeping Casper. Her emotions were in turmoil.If her child were still alive, what would her life be like now? She imagined taking him for walks every day, feeding him, and cuddling him to sleep at night.Casper had awakened Calla's maternal instincts in an instant. After spending several days together, Calla started to treat Casper as her son. Casper, in turn, loved to cling to her, often using his chubby little hands to touch her face.Casper was well-behaved, never fussing during meals or bedtime. During meals, he would often try to put food into Calla's mouth. In just a few days, Calla and Casper had formed a deep bond.At around 9:00 pm that night, Calla had lulled Casper to sleep in bed.Afraid that the television might wake him, she p
Mercer's kiss was not only forceful but also filled with anger. Calla felt pain, yet she couldn't get him to budge at all. Soon, his hands began to wander, and the fear from that night made Calla break out in a cold sweat. She knew his temperament all too well; he would do as he pleased. At that moment, Calla began to regret having provoked him earlier—but it was too late for regrets now.As he tugged at her nightgown, Calla lamented that she was about to be ravaged by him again. Suddenly, a voice came from behind."Daddy, Daddy..." It was Casper's voice!Hearing the babbling, Mercer immediately stopped everything he was doing.Mercer and Calla turned around simultaneously to see Casper sitting on the bed, looking at them with sleepy eyes.At that moment, Calla's face turned crimson.Mercer also released his grip on Calla's shoulders, and Calla pushed him away. Casper had now crawled to the edge of the bed, reaching out his hands toward Mercer. "Daddy! Daddy!" Mercer hurr
Though Mercer's explanation seemed reasonable, Calla still held onto a glimmer of hope. Maybe it was because she was deceiving herself and unwilling to accept the truth. "Are you telling the truth? Is he really not our son?" Calla asked, staring straight at Casper's face. Mercer's gaze deepened as he caught a glimpse of the sorrow in Calla's eyes. "Back then, I couldn't bear the loss of our son, so I adopted Casper without hesitation. I now believe I made the right decision because I've given all my love to Casper. He has become a part of my life." Calla didn't refute him. Instead, she strongly agreed with him. In just a few days, she had become inseparable from Casper. She could only imagine how attached Mercer must be after all these months of raising him.Confirming that Casper was not her son, Calla inevitably felt a little downcast. She found herself immersed in the grief of losing her son and was unable to move on. A moment later, Mercer's question broke the silence. "No
The next morning, Calla came downstairs carrying the just-awoken Casper. The housekeeper had already cleaned the living room and greeted Calla with a smile. "Ms. Sherman, breakfast is ready.""Okay." Calla nodded and carried Casper into the dining room.As soon as she entered, Calla saw a man in a white shirt sitting at the head of the dining table. He wasn't eating yet but was looking down at a newspaper. This was a habit of his; he enjoyed reading the news in the morning.Mercer didn't look up, and Calla didn't greet him either. She sat down with Casper on a seat to his left."Daddy, Daddy," Casper began to call out as soon as they sat down.Mercer immediately folded the newspaper and put it aside. He looked up, flashing a gentle smile at Casper. "Casper, good morning."Casper babbled unintelligibly.Calla quickly took the bowl of soft-boiled eggs. She scooped a spoonful and brought it to Casper's mouth. "Casper, here. It's time to eat.""No... No..." Casper pushed Calla's
In a moment of desperation, Calla didn't have time to think. She rushed forward and snatched Casper from Mercer's arms. Then, she scolded Mercer, "Why are you yelling so loudly? You're going to scare the child!"Though Mercer looked pissed, he didn't argue with Calla's reproach. He silently watched Casper who looked upset, curled up in Calla's arms. Mercer's face showed a trace of remorse."Casper, it's okay. Don't be afraid. Let me take you outside to get some sun, alright?" Calla gently stroked Casper's head.Although unable to speak, Casper understood Calla and pointed his chubby finger at the door.Then, Calla carried Casper outside and walked around the small garden. She played with him and kept him entertained.Soon, not only did Casper calm down, but he also occasionally burst into laughter. The frightened Casper from earlier had completely gone.Yet, while Casper was happy, Calla found herself unable to leave. Casper's little hands were tightly wrapped around Calla's neck
"Work is important, but you need to take care of your health too. Why don't you come over to my place for dinner tonight? Jasmine is a great cook, and I've recently learned a couple of new dishes," Sophie warmly invited."Maybe another time. I have a business dinner tonight," Mercer replied coldly."Mercer—" Sophie was about to say more when Mercer interrupted her. "I have to go. Bye." With that, he hung up without a second thought.Mercer impatiently glanced at the bustling traffic outside the car window. "Drive faster!"In the front seat, Simon responded, "Mr. Garland, it's Friday, and it's rush hour. There are too many cars on the road; we can't go any faster."Hearing this, Mercer frowned.At that moment, he had a strong urge to sprout wings and fly straight to the suburban villa. Was it because he missed Casper? Or perhaps he wanted to see her, the one taking care of Casper? He couldn't quite sort out his feelings.Half an hour later, the Bentley pulled up in front of the