Free Web NovelChapter 134: Chapter 134: What’s a Dad?
Holly Sinclair’s heart leaped into her throat.
She didn’t want him to know!
She didn’t want any more complications with the divorce.
Just as Tristan Sterling’s fingertips were about to touch the medical report, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Vivian Linton.
"Hello."
"Tristan, someone’s wrecking my studio! Come save me... Ah!"
The call had just connected when Vivian Linton’s panicked shriek came from the other end.
She hadn’t even finished her sentence before the call was cut off.
Tristan Sterling’s pupils constricted.
He immediately turned and left.
They weren’t too far apart, and the private room was quiet, so Holly Sinclair heard Vivian Linton’s cries.
Watching the man’s retreating back as he left without a second glance, a cold smirk touched Holly Sinclair’s lips.
’My heart is as still as water, long since numb. How nice. Vivian Linton’s call came at the perfect time. I almost feel like I should thank her.’
As Holly Sinclair thought this with a sneer, she crouched down and picked up the scattered items one by one, putting them back in her bag.
...
「The next day.」
Holly Sinclair had arranged to meet a client for a meal at the mall across from her studio.
After the meal, the client left.
Holly Sinclair then started browsing the mall by herself.
She wanted to buy a few outfits for her brother.
Her brother’s condition had improved, and he should be able to leave the hospital soon.
She planned to bring him back to her small apartment then, so she had to prepare some daily necessities for him in advance.
Half an hour later, Holly Sinclair came out of a men’s clothing store carrying three bags and headed for the escalator.
When she reached the second floor, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
This floor was the mother and baby section.
She subconsciously touched her lower abdomen.
As if drawn by some unseen force, she walked toward a children’s clothing store.
Inside the store hung rows of tiny clothes and little dresses, all pink, tender, and adorable.
In Holly Sinclair’s mind, she couldn’t help but picture a chubby little girl and a cool, handsome little boy wearing these clothes...
Her heart clenched painfully.
’It hurts.’
She didn’t know if the baby in her belly was a boy or a girl.
But whether it was a boy or a girl, it would be her own flesh and blood...
She couldn’t bear to let it go.
But she couldn’t afford to keep it!
Gazing at the little pink dress in front of her, the corners of Holly Sinclair’s eyes reddened as she involuntarily reached out to touch it gently.
"Ma’am, how old is your baby? Would you like me to show you some of our styles?"
A sales associate approached, asking politely with a smile.
Holly Sinclair froze.
As if she’d received an electric shock, she snatched her hand back.
"No, thank you." She shook her head in a fluster, refusing with a pained smile.
Then, she tore her gaze away from the tiny dress, suppressed the sour ache in her heart, and fled the children’s clothing store.
The moment she stepped out, a little dumpling crashed into her leg.
"Oof."
The little dumpling bounced off and landed right on her bottom on the floor.
It was a little girl, about four or five years old, with rosy lips, pearly teeth, and an adorable face.
"Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?" Holly Sinclair quickly reached out to help her up, feeling very apologetic.
"It hurts. Auntie, blow on it."
The little dumpling stood up. Not shy at all, she held her hand out pitifully in front of Holly.
Her chubby little hand was a bit scraped and red in the palm. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Hooo~" Holly Sinclair bent down and blew on it gently. "Does it still hurt?"
’So cute! If I had a daughter, would she be as cute as this little dumpling?’
"It doesn’t hurt anymore." The little dumpling shook her head and gave Holly Sinclair a wide, toothy grin.
With that smile, Holly Sinclair felt her heart melt.
"Sweetie, why are you all by yourself? Where are your mommy and daddy?"
She looked around but didn’t see any adults.
"Daddy?" The little dumpling tilted her head, thought for a moment in confusion, and then shook her head. "I don’t have a daddy."
’What’s a daddy? Don’t know. Don’t need one. I have Mommy, my invincible superhero. That’s enough.’
The little dumpling was poised and natural, with not a trace of disappointment or sadness on her pretty face.
It was as if not having a father was a matter of no importance.
’No father? This little treasure... Could she also be from a single-parent family?’
"Don’t you want a daddy?" Holly Sinclair couldn’t help but ask curiously.
"Nope."
"Aren’t you sad that you don’t have a daddy?"
The little dumpling gave Holly Sinclair a strange look. "Why should I be sad? I have a mommy."
Holly Sinclair was a little stunned.
She had thought that children from single-parent families were all pitiful, insecure, and lacked a sense of safety, even developing psychological issues.
But the little dumpling before her was nothing like she had imagined.
She was even more adorable and confident than many children from two-parent homes.
A call rang through the air. "Dumpling!"
"Mommy, I’m over here!" The little dumpling immediately turned and waved to her mother.
’Her name really is Dumpling. The name fits. She’s utterly adorable.’
"Didn’t I tell you to wait quietly by the restroom door? You ran off again!" The little dumpling’s mother strode over, chiding her with displeasure.
"Mommy, I was wrong," the little dumpling whined, throwing herself onto her mother’s leg in a hug.
The little dumpling’s mother dotingly ruffled her daughter’s hair, then glanced at Holly Sinclair and gave a nod of thanks.
Then, the mother and daughter left, hand in hand.
Holly Sinclair stood rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on the pair.
She watched their deep mother-daughter bond and their happy laughter. They radiated nothing but positive energy.
Holly Sinclair suddenly had an epiphany.
She gently covered her lower abdomen with both hands, a new resolve hardening in her eyes.
This child...
She would keep it!!
She couldn’t give the baby a complete home, but she would give it so, so much love.
She would love the baby with all her might and raise it to adulthood.
Holly Sinclair believed that she, too, could raise a child who was as happy and healthy as the Little Dumpling.
Having made her decision, she suddenly felt a great weight lift from her shoulders.
Stroking her belly, the corners of her lips turned up slightly.
’My baby. I can’t wait to meet you!’
...
「7:00 PM. The Gilded Shore Hotel.」
"Holly, thank you for agreeing to be my date."
Brandon Sterling said gratefully to Holly Sinclair, a gentle smile on his face.
"Brandon, don’t say that. You’ve introduced me to so many clients. I should be the one thanking you."
Holly Sinclair spoke sincerely as she held Brandon Sterling’s arm and entered the banquet hall with him.
’Brandon has been so good to me, helping me so much. I have to know how to repay his kindness. When Brandon asked for a small favor like being his date, I had no reason to refuse.’
The banquet tonight was lively, attended by many bigwigs from the business world.
And the youngest, most capable of these magnates was, naturally, Tristan Sterling.
Holly Sinclair looked at the man a few meters away, exuding an air of nobility, and felt no surprise at all.
Vivian Linton, in a long pink gown, stood demurely beside Tristan Sterling, looking noble and elegant.
The handsome man and beautiful woman made a striking pair, drawing countless envious gazes from the other guests. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Vivian Linton wore a brilliant, smug smile, her vanity thoroughly satisfied.
But the moment Holly Sinclair appeared, the spotlight that had belonged to Vivian just a second before immediately shifted to her.
Holly Sinclair’s entrance left everyone breathless.
