Chapter 3: My Beauty

“Liam! You got us all worried, son!” setting aside the presence of one, Miss Beauty, Kaleb leveled with Liam. He pulled him abruptly into his embrace and took pleasure in his arrival. He was feeling him, smelling him until he cupped his face, saying, “Why did you do that, Liam? You could have gotten hurt, or -”

Kaleb stopped himself at the thought of Liam being taken. Considering his family’s wealth, that was not too far from possible. He gulped and pleaded, “Please, don’t do that, ever again. Do you understand me? I don’t know what I would do if anything bad happened to you.”

Liam’s arms returned his father’s hold. He took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry, daddy.” His green eyes wandered to Boris and asked for an apology, “I’m sorry, uncle Boris. I - I did not want to have my injection. I wanted to hide. Don’t worry. I wasn’t hurt. I was with her.”

It was as if it took all of him to resume, “I promise not to do it again.”

Kaleb was stunned. Liam had the tendency to push whatever he wanted, even if he was wrong. Neither was his son fond of accepting his mistakes. He leaned back with a brow raised and asked, “Really?”

“Ehem.” Kaleb looked up. His blue eyes met a pair of dark brown orbs, one that he had grown to admire over these past few days. 

“I’m sorry, are you really his dad?” Scarlett was finding the right moment to interrupt, but she could not help but be confuse. ‘Didn’t Liam say his father was a fat, white gray-haired man with an enormous belly? This does not look like the father that he described at all!’

Before her was a tall, well-proportioned man who looked like a Greek god with striking blue eyes.

Prior to this meeting, she had already recognized Mister Pooh’s perfectly symmetrical face, with a pointed nose and thin lips. Just being in the man’s presence was very distracting, especially now that she could clearly see his beautiful eyes. ‘How could this man already be a father? And wait, this is the same, Mister Pooh? He lives in a penthouse? From within a five-star hotel?’

“I am Liam’s father. My name is Kaleb.” Kaleb rose from his stance and asked, “And I’m sorry for making assumptions about your name. If you are not Beauty, may I know your name?”

“Um.” Her brows knitted as she found the words to say, “I’m just a nobody. I met Liam at the Herbal Twist Restaurant. That’s where I work as a food attendant, and it was there when I learned he lost his way home.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but.” Scarlett glanced over at Liam and asked, “Is he your father?” She lowered her gaze and resumed, “The same one that you had described?”

“You know the.” She recounted with her hands, stretching wide to suggest someone with a bigger build. “And.” She caressed her hair, reminding the boy of how he said he seemed old with gray hairs. “And.” Her hands landed on her stomach to seek how in the world did he think his dad had a big belly when beneath the man’s Armani suit, Scarlett could see he had a very well molded body!

In response to her probing, Liam sighed in surrender and belatedly replied, “Yes, he is.”

Scarlett briefly became silent, but then she chuckled. She wound up scratching her head and her face flushed. She returned her attention to Kaleb and addressed his perplexed expression, “I’m sorry, I guess, kids tend to overemphasize how they describe their parents… Just to be sure, though. Do you mind showing me your ID? And maybe… any proof of… relationship with Liam?”

Scarlett did not know why. She saw Liam’s father smirked, as if amused by her probing. 

***

Sitting in the living room of the luxurious penthouse, Scarlett felt completely sheepish. She just brought home Kaleb Wright’s son, and she did not even recognize him! A Wright! 

The Wrights were the richest family in Braeton City and definitely one of the wealthiest in the entire country. Their family was said to be the biggest share-holder of the famous multi-billion dollar company, The Wright Diamond Corporation. 

Someone in her previous status would have been able to recognize any of the Wrights, especially since she had just entered one of the corporation’s very own hotels, The Third Diamond Hotel. She should have known. 

“I’m so sorry. I did not recognize you.” Scarlett shook her head and told, “I have not been socially updated.” She puffed her cheeks and winced, all while narrating. “I have been so busy, living, trying to live that I no longer cared about knowing prominent families - not even reading the news! Haha! I don’t even know who is the mayor these days.”

“That’s fine. I’m not a celebrity and my face is not constantly on the internet. My brother is, being the CEO, and I just recently took the Vice President seat of the company so I appear less in the business column,” Kaleb mentioned, and a smile formed on his face as he caressed Liam’s head. “I can’t thank you enough for taking Liam home. How can I repay you, Scarlett?”

Kaleb reflected on how her name rolled off his tongue. It felt very satisfying. He finally knew her name. 

Scarlett.

“Oh. No. No. There is no need for that.” Scarlett’s eyes beamed, her hands pushing the thought away, and she said, “I’m glad I was able to help, Mister Wright.”

It was because Scarlett was already feeling so uncomfortable, knowing she was probably sitting on a fifty thousand dollar couch, that she stood up abruptly, saying, “I better go, Mister Wright. I still have work to do and my boss is probably looking for me.”

She could not help but bow her head, understanding she was in front of one of the richest men in the city, a billionaire heir. “It was nice meeting you.” Shifting her gaze to Liam, she added, “It was nice meeting Liam, too.”

Scarlett closed the distance between her and the boy. She smiled brightly at him and said, “Don’t go running away because of needles now. You are six years old. Boys your age should no longer be afraid of injections.” As she chuckled, she winked at him and revealed, “If you are a good boy, I might just reconsider your marriage proposal.”

From where he sat, Liam’s eyes lit up. He suddenly had the biggest smile on his previous poker face. He asked, “Will I really see you again, Miss Scarlett?”

Meanwhile, Scarlett noticed how his father was utterly shocked, judging by how his eyeballs were about ready to pop out of his eyes. She heard Liam’s father ask, “He - he what?”

“It’s fine. He was just being a sweet kid,” Scarlett said before turning to Liam and answering his previous question. “Yes, of course.” 

For a second, she peered in Kaleb’s direction and implied, “If it’s okay with your dad. You and your uncle Boris can visit me at the restaurant where I work… Anyway, I really should go -”

“Are you sure there is nothing I can offer, you Scarlett? I don’t like owing anybody a favor,” Kaleb said. “There must be something I can do for you.”

Scarlett paused for a second and then she suggested, “Well, I could be Liam’s friend. That’s more than enough for me, really, and no, I don’t need the favor to be returned. I’m good.”

“I really should go, Mister Wright. Goodbye,” Scarlett said, her steps retreating, her eyes landing on the exit. 

Seeing how Scarlett was eager to leave, Kaleb did not seem to have a choice at that point. He merely escorted her to the door. Liam followed behind him. 

After Liam said his goodbye, the boy appealed, “Don’t I get a kiss?”

Yet again, Scarlett fell into an uncontrollable laugh. Despite feeling incredibly awkward about it, she leaned over and pecked on the boy’s cheek. She reminded, “Bye, Liam. Be good.”

After Scarlett left, Kaleb and Liam walked back to the living room of the penthouse. The man saw how his son was grinning from ear to ear. Just when he thought his day was strangely getting interesting, Kaleb heard his son say, “Sorry, dad, but she is... my Beauty, not yours.”

Kaleb, “...”