Chapter 5 A Father's Fury

Connor looked up at Elena and said, "Mia went to the restroom."

Elena spun around and rushed toward the bathroom. Running, she she shouted, "Connor, please pack up our things quickly. Charlotte is waiting for us downstairs. Parking is tough, so we need to move fast."

By the time she finished speaking, Elena had already pushed her way into the bathroom.

Inside, Lily was stretching to reach the sink to wash her hands. Before she could react, Elena burst into the bathroom , scooped her up, and rushed back toward the break room.

Nestled against Elena's chest, Lily's mind went blank. As the gentle, familiar scent from Elena's body reached her nose, she suddenly felt an unexpected wave of comfort and connection with the woman holding her.

By the time Elena brought Lily back to the break room, Connor had already packed up all their things. Elena took his hand and quickly led him downstairs.

Meanwhile, after finishing his work, Harrison returned once again to wait outside the operating room.

The moment Mandy spotted Harrison coming her way, she approached him eagerly.

"Harrison, the light outside the operating room just went off. The surgery must be done. If we head over, we can definitely catch Dr. Johnson."

Nearby , Mia overheard Mandy plotting to stop Ellaand her mind began to race. Elena had just finished a major surgery and was exhausted. If they cornered her now, who knew how worn out she would be.

No, she absolutely couldn't give Mandy a chance to show off in front of Harrison.

Although Mia hadn’t yet confirmed whether the tall and intimidating Harrison was indeed the father Lily talked about, she was determined to step in.

Harrison ignored Mandy's attempt to win him over and gently took Mia's hand, guiding her toward the operating room.

At that moment, Mia became convinced that Harrison was indeed the father Lily had mentioned—the same man who had done the paternity test with her. She had to admit, Harrison seemed to treat his daughter quite well.

Determined to avenge the pinch Mandy had given her , Mia—being the dramatic little actress—jumped right into her act.

Right when Harrison was leading her by the hand toward the operating room, Mia—whose face had been perfectly normal just moments before—suddenly began to wail at the top of her lungs.

"Daddy, it hurts! I'm in pain!"

Harrison immediately knelt down, panic tightening his features. .

"Lily, what's wrong? Where does it hurt? Tell me."

Standing next to Harrison, Mandy watched the scene with growing anxiety. She glared at Mia,, silently warning her to keep her mouth shut..

Unfortunately for Mandy, Mia wasn't Lily—she wasn't a child who could be easily intimidated.

As Harrison checked her, Mia made sure to show the bruised spot where Mandy had pinched her.

As soon as Harrison saw the purple bruise, his expression darkened. The temperature around him seemed to drop several degrees.

"Lily, tell me, how did you get this bruise?"

Mia felt a wave of satisfaction. Hadn't Mandy just given her that threatening look? Well, she would teach Mandy a lesson.

Mia glanced timidly at Mandy, then looked at Harrison with a small, troubled expression. She sniffled but remained silent.

From that single glance Mia gave, Harrison understood everything. So the bruise on the child had been caused by Mandy?

"Mandy, tell me, how did Lily get this bruise?" Harrison demanded, his voice harsh and unforgiving..

Mandy panicked. She stammered, "Harrison, listen, I—"

Before Mandy could say another word, Mia began to cry and threw herself into Harrison's arms.

"Daddy, it's not Mommy's fault. Lily was bad. Lily made Mommy upset, so Mommy pinched Lily. I'm not good. I'm not a good girl. I have to grow up fast so Mommy won’t need to take me to the bathroom."

Harrison's face hardened. Slowly, he turned to Mandy.

"Mandy!"

"Harrison, I—"

Mandy was so terrified by Harrison's expression that she could barely speak. She stood there, staring at him, suppressing the urge to lash out at Mia.

"Mandy, how many times do I have to tell you? If you want to look after Lily, that's fine. If not, I won't trouble you because she is my daughter, and I will take responsibility for her. She has a heart condition. She’s fragile. I'm always extremely careful with her, afraid she might get hurt. How dare you pinch her? Are you asking for trouble?"

Harrison stood up abruptly, his eyes burning with anger as he glared at Mandy.

Watching Harrison's outburst, Mia admired him. He was actually quite good to Lily—like a real father.

Wait a minute.

Lily had explained that a paternity test confirmed Harrison was her biological father. . And Lily was very likely her identical twin sister.

If that was the case, could this man possibly be her and Connor's biological father too?

This thought alone was enough to set Mia's little mind racing with possibilities.

Scolded by Harrison, Mandy clutched the hem of her shirt, too scared to breathe.

It was a bad situation—Harrison looked like he might actually kill her. She needed to calm this situation immediately.

Acting as though guilt had overtaken her, Mandy let out a suppressed sob and pulled the tearful Mia into a tight embrace.

Mia's small body tensed immediately, completely caught off guard.