Chapter Four

Vanessa's sense was invaded by a strange scent. She blanked out for a few seconds before she was able to collect herself.

Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut and cursed under her breath.

And she hesitated before looking up, only to be met by dark eyes staring straight at her.

Tiny whispers broke once more in the room. And while Vanessa couldn't break away from the intense gaze, she was starkly aware of their proximity at the moment.

"Mummy." Little Mara's voice came from her side. "If you want to sit on Daddy, you can do it gently. You almost hurt little Mara's arm."

Vanessa gulped at her baby's words. Clearly, when she landed on the strange man's chest, her baby's hand was on the way. But somehow, the little girl was fast enough to get her hand out of the way.

Stifled laughter sounded in the room. The clicking sound of a camera was now evident and the whispers were not so soft now.

Vanessa cried inside. She had worked so hard to land this deal. The last thing she wanted was to offend anyone at this event. She hadn't even gotten her paycheck yet.

Her baby's voice managed to have broken her out of the spell of the strange man's gaze. His look made her tremble and she straightened immediately, standing up to her feet.

"Please accept my apologies, Mr." She collected herself and grabbed her baby from his arms. "Little Mara has a habit of taking any handsome man she sees as her father—" she cleared a throat and gave a nervous chuckle. "Not that I mean you're handsome," she corrected herself quickly. "But, well, it's all in her thinking. I know you will be kind enough to overlook this innocent act from a little kid."

The people were once again hit by another surprise, including the assistant. No one was brave enough to speak so mindlessly to the president of G.I Conglomerate. This woman even went as far as saying she didn't mean he was handsome. She was surely seeking death.

"Mummy." The little girl was confused at why her mother was also trying to take her away instead of jumping in excitement with her that she had found her Daddy. "Can Daddy come along with us?"

"No, Baby." Vanessa shook her head. "We've got the wrong person, this isn't your Daddy."

"You told me this was my Daddy." The little girl's lips trembled and her eyes watered.

"This..." Vanessa's eyes darted to the man. He coincidentally happened to perfectly fit the description she had given her baby. But all those descriptions were only made up.

As she couldn't provide the right answer to her baby regarding who her father was, Vanessa had no choice but to draw the perfect picture in her mind.

"This isn't your Daddy." She completed her sentence and put on a sad look. "Now, let's get you home, Baby. Mummy has finished setting up the cakes."

And with her heart thumping rapidly, Vanessa muttered another word of apology and flailed out of the hall, that deep scent lingering in her senses.

Even after the chaos died down and other parents arrived to collect her kids, Alfred's eyes never left the door.

Never had he been this speechless his whole life. At least, not many times at once.

The drama that had just unfolded was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever encountered. He should be mad; the mother did not even apologize for his stained jacket or for tripping on him, but he felt a different feeling.

Apart from feeling familiar, this mother and child also happened to intrigue him.

How interesting.

Two days later...

Waterfall Apartment Building was located downtown where the working class citizens inhabited.

And inside a room on the highest floor of the building, Vanessa folded the clothes scattered on the bed into a huge bag.

She shared the same bag with her baby, so there wasn't much to park.

And while her thought was occupied by making sure she packed everything before the sunset, Drake was seated at the small dining table, engaging little Mara in a conversation.

Apparently, she couldn't stop talking about her newfound Daddy, and Drake was more interested in the little fiasco that had happened at the hotel even more than helping Vanessa out. Vanessa couldn't recount how many times he had made her daughter narrate the incident.

And she couldn't be bothered by that, for her fears didn't come true.

Vanessa had been afraid that after the scene her daughter had put up, she might get into trouble with the prominent figure. But she got her paycheck without any qualms and all was going well the way she had planned.

If things continued going smoothly, she would depart this city by tomorrow and set out on her quest to find her parents.

"You're stressing yourself out again." Drake finally paid her attention and helped her fold the last cloth inside the luggage.

He had transferred little Mara to a couch who was now sleeping soundly.

"As if you care." Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"How could you say I don't?" Drake put on a pained look. "You know how much it pains me to see you push your limits."

"This is far from my limits," Vanessa scoffed.

All her life, she had been engaged in one work after the other. She never rested a bit even while she was pregnant.

From the day her adoptive parents drove her out of their lives, Vanessa knew that she had to work hard, to fend for herself, and to also search for her real parents.

"What if you don't leave this city?" Drake suggested. "What if you stayed back? Mara's desire to meet her father is getting stronger. Maybe you can focus on that instead."

Vanessa slouched on the bed, facing the ceiling and she sighed. "You know I can't do that," she replied.

Finding Mara's real father was never on her to-do list. In fact, she was afraid to do that.