"I understand, Sheffield. My father has to go on emergency business trips all the time. I'll be waiting for you," Evelyn said into the phone.
"Good girl," Sheffield said.
They talked for a while longer. More accurately, he teased Evelyn for a while longer.
She went back to her dinner meeting after the phone call.
When she was back at the manor that evening, Gwyn was still up. Carlos and Debbie weren't home, so she was playing with Terilynn.
When the little girl saw her mother, her eyes widened. She stared at her for a few seconds and then walked to Evelyn with the basketball in her hands. "Mommy..."
Evelyn's heart melted when she heard her sweet voice calling out to her. She picked up the pace and ran towards Gwyn. "Sweetheart, are you playing basketball with Auntie?"
Carlos had told the housemaids to clean the ball so that Gwyn could play with it indoors too.
Gwyn didn't say anything. Idly leaning against the headboard of the bed, Terilynn said in a famished voice, "Sister, you have come to finally set me free. Thank God! I'm exhausted!" Gwyn was a sweet girl, but babysitting was so tiring.
If it were a naughty little boy in Gwyn's place, she would have easily lost a few pounds every day.
"Where did Dad and Mom go?" Evelyn asked.
"To a concert. You know, I sacrificed the opportunity of a date to be with her, but this little girl still doesn't show any appreciation. She won't even call me 'Auntie.' Not cute." Terillynn pouted. Gwyn grinned broadly at her, revealing tiny white teeth.
That lovely smile caught Terilynn off guard, and she involuntarily smiled back at her sweet little niece. "Ah, ah, that's enough! I know you're adorable. Stop coaxing me with your cuteness!"
Evelyn laughed at their playful interaction. She kissed Gwyn on her cheek. "Darling, say goodnight to Auntie. We'll go to our room now."
There was no response from Gwyn, except a smile.
Something occurred to Terilynn at that moment. She sat up and winked at Gwyn before turning to Evelyn. "Eve, are you going to tell Sheffield about the baby after you get married?"
Evelyn had thought about this before. She shook her head. "I've never seen how Sheffield and Gwyn get along. I'll find an opportunity to hang out—you, me, Sheffield, and Gwyn. I'll decide whether to tell him or not after I know for sure that they connect well."
If Sheffield really liked Gwyn, she would tell him about her true identity. Gwyn would finally have her father.
But if he didn't like the little girl, she decided to keep Gwyn's identity a secret from him for as long as possible.
"Well, okay. But I really think that he adores Gwyn. I've seen the way he looks at her, just like how a father would look at his daughter."
"Hmm." After all, Gwyn was his biological daughter. It was only natural.
Evelyn took Gwyn to her room and put her on the bed. Squatting by the side of the bed, she looked at her daughter and said, "Gwyn, Mommy is going to tell you something."
Holding the basketball in her tiny hands, Gwyn looked at her, as if waiting for her mother to continue.
After hesitating for a while, Evelyn finally spoke again. "Mommy has never mentioned Daddy to you, right? Gwyn, you have a father."
Evelyn didn't know if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like Gwyn's eyes lightened up at the mention of her father. It was gone when she looked more closely.
She continued, "Your father is a very handsome man and so vigorous. He used to be a doctor, but now he works in a company just like Mommy." Evelyn smiled and sat closer to her baby girl. "He is much more capable than Mommy. He knows all about information technology, he can play the piano, perform complicated operations, play golf and so many other things. How about I take you to see your father someday soon, huh?"
The room was very quiet. Gwyn blinked her eyes, but she still didn't say anything.
Evelyn buried her face on her daughter's little shoulder and said, "I'll take that as a yes."
Gwyn released the basketball and stroked Evelyn's back gently, just as Debbie did to comfort her.
With tears brimming in her eyes, Evelyn continued, "Sweetie, your hug is so warm. I love it."
"Mommy." Her childish voice rang clearly in the quiet room. Evelyn raised her head to touch the little girl's forehead. "Baby, I'm here."
Gwyn clapped her hands with a wide smile. "Daddy!"
'D-Daddy?' Evelyn was stunned. This was the first time she had heard Gwyn say "Daddy."
And it sounded as sweet as when she said "Mommy."
Evelyn's voice cracked as she said, "My baby girl, I'll take you to meet your daddy as soon as he's back!"
Gwyn clapped her hands again, and Evelyn laughed along with her daughter. She couldn't wait for Sheffield to come back.
In the Tang family
Peterson opened the door to the room with his coat in hand. Hearing the sound, Lea quickly wiped her eyes.
Her action did not escape Peterson's notice. "What happened?"
Lea took out a tissue and wiped her eyes again. Then she turned around and said, "Nothing. You're back." He could tell from her red eyes that she had been crying for a while. "
Did someone upset you? Who was it?" Peterson's face darkened. He handed his coat to her.
His breath smelled like alcohol. Obviously, he had just come back from a business dinner.
Although the company was handed over to Sheffield, he was still a major shareholder and had to attend various social activities.
Lea shook her head and said in a soft voice, "No one. Go take a shower!" Peterson frowned. She looked very upset.
"Tell me." The man's voice allowed no space for argument.
Biting her lower lip, Lea spoke hesitantly. "Well, Gillian and I ran into Sheffield and Evelyn at the menswear fashion show held by ZL Group today."
Peterson had heard that Sheffield had modeled that afternoon. How could he not know? By now, everyone in Y City knew.
If Sheffield had done it for any other woman, he would have exploded with rage. But this was for Evelyn Huo, Carlos Huo's daughter. So, he had done everything he could to keep his anger under control.
"Go on."
"Naturally, Gillian and I went over to greet them. Since we are going to be a family soon, I thought it was necessary to maintain a good relationship with them."
"That's the right thing to do."
"And as you know, Gillian is Sheffield's ex-girlfriend. Evelyn hates her and even threatened to fire her. Gillian was mad and argued with her. Evelyn threatened that if she couldn't marry into the Tang family because of Gillian, then she would make sure that Gillian would never be able to marry anyone in her life! And she even called Gillian a...a fly! They were bullying us!"
Peterson wasn't interested in conflicts between women. He asked patiently, "What was Sheffield doing while all this happened?"