My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: I Miss You So Much, Uncle

With a few quick taps, Damien left the Stratton Tech group chat, then tossed the phone back to Ryan with a dark expression.

"Take it. You’ll be managing this account again from now on."

Ryan: ??

After Cecelia Archer left the group chat, President Vaughn left too.

He hadn’t uttered a single word of reprimand, but his cold attitude spoke volumes.

The trouble Cecelia Archer had caused this time was simply too great. With so many colleagues watching, failing to punish her would undermine management’s authority. Although Mr. Lee was sad to see her go, she had proactively submitted her resignation, and President Vaughn offered no way out. He had no choice but to approve it.

The next day, her resignation was approved, and Cecelia Archer received a salary payment of 4,000.

Mr. Lee sent her a message: "This is as much as I can help you, Cecelia. Try to be more mindful from now on."

Staring at the 4,000 deposited by Stratton, Cecelia zoned out for a moment before getting up to dress Candy and take her out for breakfast.

"Kindergarten starts in two days, and we still haven’t picked a school to enroll you in. Mommy isn’t working today, so how about I take you to look for one?"

"Okay!"

Candy spent her days with either her mother or her godmother, so she was eager to play with children her own age.

After breakfast, Cecelia took her on the electric scooter, and they began visiting the local kindergartens one by one.

There were several kindergartens near their rented apartment. It wasn’t until she started asking that Cecelia realized they were divided into public and private schools.

The public kindergartens boasted strong teaching staff and low tuition, but enrollment required owning property in the school district and having a local household registration.

Their household registration was not from this district, and Cecelia didn’t own property, so they naturally couldn’t enroll.

The private schools had fewer restrictions, but tuition was over 40,000 per semester, and that didn’t even include all the other miscellaneous fees.

The money Cecelia had on hand was just barely enough to cover a single semester’s tuition. But she had no choice—she couldn’t let her daughter not go to school, right? Gritting her teeth, she paid the fees.

Returning to Doris Morton’s apartment, Cecelia felt utterly defeated.

"Just a few days ago I was bragging about supporting you, and now I’m unemployed again. I’m sorry, Doris, I’m going to have to freeload off you again."

Doris gave a magnanimous wave of her hand. "Isn’t that just life! Unpleasant things happen eight or nine times out of ten! What’s there to be scared of? We’re young, beautiful, and hardworking. We’ll make it big someday! Don’t worry, I believe in you!"

Cecelia felt incredibly lucky to have such a good friend. She quickly updated her resume and sent out a few applications. After lunch, she grabbed some of Doris’s clothes and headed back to the pedestrian street to set up her stall.

Her mother was out working, and her godmother was too absorbed in her drawing to pay any attention to her. Bored out of her mind, Candy used her watch to send Damien Vaughn a message.

"Uncle, are you busy?"

"It’s been a while since we talked. Do you remember me? I haven’t forgotten you. In fact, I’ve been thinking about you a lot."

"School is starting soon, so I won’t have time to hang out. Since I’m free today, how about I treat you to some milk tea?"

Damien Vaughn was in a bad mood today.

For the past two weeks, he had been gentle and emotionally stable, always wearing a faint, barely-there smile. Ryan had enjoyed a rare fortnight of peace.

But for some reason, starting last night, he had reverted to his former cold and demanding self.

Just as a message arrived on the phone, Ryan was waiting nervously for him to review a document.

WHOOSH!

It failed his review. Damien flung the document aside.

"If you bring trash like this to me again, you might as well not work here anymore."

Ryan retreated, silent as a winter cicada. Annoyed, Damien snatched up his phone and saw the sender: Candy.

’Starting kindergarten? Treating him to milk tea?’

The innocent, childish words lessened his irritation slightly.

He remembered the cut on Candy’s head and, suppressing his irritation, started to chat with her.

"Long time no see. How’s the cut on your head?"

On the other end, Candy, living up to her sweet name, was typing: "That was ages ago! It’s all better now. I didn’t think you’d reply. Uncle, does this mean you missed me too?"

Damien, not nearly as emotionally open as she was, refused to answer that kind of question.

"How are you planning to treat me? Do you have money? Are you even allowed to go out? Does your mother approve of you meeting me?"

Candy: "Mommy went to work, so I’ve been staying with my godmother. There’s a milk tea shop right next to her studio. I have fifty yuan. If you don’t mind, Uncle, I can send you my location and you can come find me." freewebnøvel.coɱ

Damien: "..."

’He never ate sweets, let alone the cheap, ubiquitous kind loaded with artificial sweeteners and calories. Besides, he had work to do. Better to just forget it.’

"Uncle has something to do. I appreciate the offer, but you should keep the money for yourself. I won’t be able to make it."

Candy had mustered all her courage to invite him, only to be rejected, just as she’d feared.

She hadn’t spoken to anyone besides her mom and godmother in so long. She felt a wave of disappointment.

"Uncle, are you not coming because you think my treat is too cheap since I don’t have much money? But... this is all the money I have."

"Mommy spent all our savings on my school tuition. I’m not being cheap, and I’m not intentionally trying to treat you to something bad."

Damien felt an inexplicable pang in his heart as he read her explanation. freeweɓnovel.cøm

’She wants to see me that badly?’

’Willing to spend her only pocket money just to see me?’

’It’s not good to crush a child’s self-esteem.’

"Send me the address. I want a milk tea with extra ice."

Soon after, Damien found Candy in the shade of a landscaped median.

Two cups of milk tea, still in a carrier bag, sat safely beside her.

"Uncle!"

Seeing him, Candy joyfully rushed forward.

Damien scooped her up into his arms and took a close look at her face.

"Good, it didn’t leave a scar. You’re still the same cute little Candy. Have you been waiting long?"

’Uncle’s shirt is so clean, he smells so nice, his hair is so neat, and his face is so handsome.’

Candy stared at him, captivated. "A little. Uncle, you’re really handsome. I forgot to ask you last time, are you married? Do you have a girlfriend?"

The sudden change in topic made Damien pause for a couple of seconds. "Why do you ask? Are you trying to set me up with a girlfriend?"

’Yes!’

Candy almost blurted it out.

’But on second thought, Mommy just lost her job and has been in a bad mood. She’s definitely not looking to date anyone right now. I should probably wait.’

"I can keep an eye out for you. Just tell me what type you like, and I’ll introduce you if I find someone suitable."

Damien couldn’t help but laugh. She was acting like a little matchmaker at such a young age. What a clever little imp.

"The ice in the milk tea is going to melt if we don’t drink it soon. Are you sure you want me to hold you the whole time?"

The two of them, one big and one small, sat down on the shaded steps.

Damien asked her when school started and which one she would be attending. Candy pointed in response.

"That one, right over there. It starts the day after tomorrow."

’In Damien’s opinion, this school wasn’t just bad—it was awful. It was on the same level as the daycare where she’d gotten hurt before.’

’She already had one accident. How could her mother send her to another place like that?’