Daniel squinted, maintaining a contemplative silence for a moment.Chris furrowed his brow. "Uncle Daniel, Lena and I are puzzled. What should our next move be?""Yeah." Lena nodded. "Or perhaps we should consider a different approach. Maybe Maisie isn't connected to the Newhouses?""She definitely is," Daniel asserted firmly, locking eyes with them. "No need to change our approach, but this test result did catch my attention. Maisie isn't Delilah's daughter, but she might be Wilfred's."Chris and Lena were visibly surprised."Uncle Daniel, have you uncovered something?""Not precisely," Daniel replied in a subdued tone. "I recently met Wilfred along with Maisie. It was the second time Wilfred encountered Maisie after the banquet. I just sensed that his gaze toward Maisie was noticeably different."Chris bit his lip. "Um... Was it the gaze of an older man with inappropriate intentions toward a young—?"Before he could finish his sentence, Lena jabbed him hard!Daniel didn't mi
In the future, he would go to any lengths to reunite her with Wilfred, restoring the father-daughter bond and ensuring she experienced the protective embrace of a father."There will be these kinds of activities in the future." He chuckled. "I'm talking about our kids. They'll be very happy. I won't miss any school events of theirs."Maisie was taken aback. "They?""Yeah." Daniel's hand circled her waist. "Let's have a few."Maisie blushed and pushed him lightly, gesturing toward the driver upfront.Daniel didn't mind. He coughed softly, and the driver immediately raised the partition."You...""Whatever we do now won't be affected, right?"Daniel's finger threaded through Maisie's long hair. He cupped her face, planting a gentle kiss on her lips."Don't..." Maisie halted his further advances. "Not here."Daniel's breath was slightly unsteady. "Not here? So, shall we find another place?"Maisie kept her eyes down, feeling her heart racing.Daniel focused on her with a smile
Maisie paused, momentarily uncertain. She wasn't always quick to react to these situations, not quite understanding why."Lily, I'm not well-versed in this stuff, but why not talk to Rachael? She knows a lot; maybe you both can come up with something?""Ugh, forget it!" Lily sighed. "Rachael hasn't been focused on work lately. She's been taking frequent leaves! But... she's been dedicated to me for so many years, working tirelessly before with no complaints. Let her rest for a while!""Rachael doesn't usually take time off, right?" Maisie was puzzled. "Is there something bothering her lately?""What could it be? It's just because..." Lily's words trailed off.It was because she favored Maisie so much that all the good resources flowed toward her. It wasn't a problem for the established authors under the company. However, Rachael had a few small authors under her, and they couldn't match these resources in terms of experience and capability. Yet, Rachael still wanted to try her bes
Daniel also wanted to preserve the most beautiful moment for their actual wedding night."Oh, about Rachael that Lily mentioned earlier..." Daniel paused. "Is she the one who's always trailing behind her?""Yeah, that's her." Maisie nodded. "She's also a veteran in the company. She and Lily basically founded SL Publishing. When Lily isn't around, she's in charge of everything in the company.""Has she ever caused trouble for you?""How could she?" Maisie chuckled. "She's been really nice to me and helped me a lot.""Then... between you and her, who does Lily treat better?"The question momentarily stumped Maisie as she hadn't thought about it before.Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly, and he chuckled. He had seen plenty of interpersonal relationship issues. Many partners could endure hardship together but couldn't share success.Sometimes, the involvement of others led to a rift between two people who once trusted each other, ultimately leading to a collapse in cooperation.It w
Maisie took a deep breath and said coldly, "I don't need it.""Maisie—""I've got work to do. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up," she said before Cindy could respond, then disconnected the call.However, in the quietness of the late hours that night, Maisie tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She recalled how, from childhood to now, Cindy's warmth toward her felt like an act of charity, sparing only a tiny bit of warmth for her when neither Owen nor Nicole needed it.She remembered being bullied at school, with no one at home standing up for her. Her classmates mocked her for being a child who was not cared for. She was met with a torrent of scolding when she went home and told Cindy about it. Cindy only ever blamed her for being troublesome.She also recalled the first time she got her period. She was frightened and ran to Cindy in tears. Instead of comfort, Cindy's immediate reaction was, "Disgusting! Wash your stained clothes yourself!"Since then, she hadn't confided in C
"Are you going on a long trip?" Maisie glanced at the suitcase."Yeah!" The woman smiled embarrassedly and handed her a note with a series of numbers. "My daughter just had a baby! She lives far away from Cumulus City, so I have to go take care of her... So, here's an awkward request. Can you watch over my house for me?"This is my home password. If you need anything, just go straight to my place!""I can watch over your house, no problem, but you don't have to share your password!" Maisie chuckled. "Congratulations on becoming a grandmother!"Maisie's neighbor beamed. "I'm certainly happy about becoming a grandmother... But by leaving, I can't look after you anymore! I feel terrible...""Oh, come on." Maisie's heart warmed. "You've always taken care of me, and I'm grateful. No need for these formalities, really. You're making me feel awkward."The neighbor squeezed Maisie's hand affectionately, her gaze full of maternal love."Oh, by the way…" She suddenly remembered. "I saw yo
After a while, Maisie heard the footsteps gradually fading away from the door. She regained her composure, opened the door, and found the two big bags and a food container left on the floor."What's going on?" Daniel's voice suddenly sounded.Maisie looked up with a somewhat lost expression on her face. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to take the items inside."Recently, I always thought it was you sending me food." She opened the fridge that was packed full of stuff. "But today, I found out that those items left at my door were actually from my mom."Daniel looked at her profile, which was tinged with a hint of sadness, feeling a pang in his heart. He hugged her, letting her lean against his chest.He understood how much she yearned for her mother's love, but when that love arrived, she couldn't accept it.Well, was belated maternal love still as precious?Whether it were family, love, or friendship, if it didn't show up when needed the most, it was like a parachute
This worked out fine anyway. He wasn't interested in the food Cindy made, and feeding it to the dog wouldn't be a waste.Maisie picked out a few pieces of ribs and placed them in Tigger's dish. The little pup chomped away, looking especially content."Has your mom been cooking for you these days?""No," Maisie replied softly. "The last time she wanted me to go home for dinner, I declined. Since then, she's been constantly buying things and bringing them over. Today was the first time she brought this food container, saying... that if I don't want to go home, she'll just prepare and send food for me."Daniel scoffed. "Does she know what you like to eat?" Maisie shrugged helplessly but smiled.Cindy really didn't know what she liked to eat. She preferred lighter flavors and couldn't stand the heavily flavored dishes. Plus, she was allergic to seafood, so she couldn't eat fish at all.Owen loved ribs, and Nicole had a preference for fish. Cindy had forgotten about her since she wa