Chapter 2 A Call from Blue Bay

Bennett kept his cool, snuggling into Adeline's arms. "Lauren stayed up late watching cartoons last night. She went back to bed after breakfast."

Adeline finally let out a breath. "Alright."

Her "little troublemaker" rarely caused any real trouble, which made Adeline both proud and a bit guilty. Bennett hopped off the bed and dashed to the living room, coming back with a hot breakfast. "Mom, eat up! If you wait any longer, you'll be late!"

Adeline took the breakfast, a bit surprised. "What?"

Bennett's eyes sparkled as he climbed back onto the bed, grinning. "Mom, I sent out a resume for you. It's a job I know you'll rock!"

Adeline frowned slightly. She'd only been back in the country for less than a week, crashing at a place her friend Violet Wood had set up. Before she came back, she asked Violet to see if she could get her into the Foster Group. But, bad timing—no openings at the Foster Group.

Adeline was pretty stressed about it. Violet, knowing her situation, suggested, "You've always worked in jewelry design abroad. Let me see if there are other gigs for you. There must be companies in Radiance Springs that are a better fit for you than the Foster Group."

But Adeline was stubborn and wouldn't budge. She even thought about taking a cleaning job at the Foster Group just to get her foot in the door.

Before she could put her plan into action, Bennett dropped the bombshell. She sighed, "Bennett, you know why Mommy came back..."

Before she could finish, her phone rang.

"Is this Ms. Wilson? You've been chosen by our little princess. Please report to Blue Bay immediately."

Adeline paused, then asked, "Blue Bay, as in the Foster Group's Blue Bay?"

"Yes, Mr. Foster's Blue Bay. Hurry, our little princess needs someone to look after her!"

The call ended. Adeline turned to Bennett, who was beaming, and ruffled his hair. "Is this the job you found for me?"

It had to be her clever Bennett, who saw her stressing about work and hacked into the Foster Group's system, sneaking her resume in and somehow getting her picked.

Adeline was touched but also worried about his risky move. The Foster Group was a big deal with a serious security team. If Bennett got caught, it would be a mess.

"Mom, stop messing up my hair!" Bennett protested. "You need to get ready for work!"

With Bennett's reminder, Adeline calmed down. His surprise was like a dream come true. After all, Adeline had come back for Jasper.

Now, getting into Jasper's home was way easier than trying to get to him at the Foster Group HQ. But who was this little princess? Why hadn't she heard of her before?

Adeline's head was spinning. She'd done her homework on Jasper and combed through all the Foster Group's official announcements, but there was no mention of this mysterious little girl.

This unexpected twist was both a golden opportunity to get close to Jasper and a source of anxiety.

Bennett noticed her hesitation and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry, Mom. They'll love you. Good luck at work. I'll take care of Lauren and make sure you don't have to worry!"

Adeline smiled, feeling a bit helpless. She'd just have to take things as they came.

An hour earlier, at the Foster Group.

In the usually quiet president's office, the sound of a little girl's laughter filled the air.

Jasper stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a freshly printed DNA test result, looking out at the city below.

A 99.9% match. No doubt about it, the little girl who had shown up was his biological daughter.

But besides Adeline Collins, he hadn't been with any other woman, and Adeline had supposedly died in a car accident six years ago, her body never found.

Wait, no body was found. Jasper's gaze snapped to the little girl watching cartoons on the sofa.

Lauren was curled up on the couch, hugging a plush bear, engrossed in the cheerful cartoon characters on the screen. When she noticed Jasper looking at her, she flashed him a sweet smile. "Daddy."

The sight made Jasper's heart skip a beat. He walked over and sat next to Lauren. "What's your name?"

Lauren, annoyed by the interruption, pouted. "I'm Princess Lauren!"

"How old are you?"

Lauren looked up with her clear eyes and smiled, holding up six fingers. "I'm six years old!"

Jasper froze, as if someone had hit the pause button. He remembered that day six years ago vividly. He had just left a meeting when his assistant rushed over. "Mr. Foster, Mrs. Foster had an accident."

Jasper, cold as ice, didn't stop walking. "What happened to her this time?"

"Mrs. Foster was hit by a car and fell into the sea. The rescue team couldn't find her body. She's probably..."

At that very moment, Jasper's phone rang. It was the hospital. "Mr. Foster, congratulations. Mrs. Foster came in for a check-up today and found out she's over three months pregnant."

It felt like it happened yesterday, the memories still fresh.

He had investigated countless times and had people search the sea for a month, but they never found Adeline's body. Pain and regret had haunted him for six years.

But now, this child who was his own flesh and blood claimed to be six years old. If Adeline hadn't died in that car accident, their child would indeed be six years old.

He didn't believe in any coincidences. So could it be that Adeline didn't die in that car accident six years ago?

Jasper's eyes lit up with excitement. If Adeline didn't die and had gone somewhere he couldn't find, giving birth to their child, then everything made sense.