Chapter 224 Counterstrike
Emma didn’t forget to grab a pile of snacks that her daddy dearest had bought for her.
When they reached the parking lot, the staff made sure to hand over the two kids to Caroline before leaving.
Once in the car, Ethan removed his sunglasses and mask with relief. Thankfully, they weren't recognized.
Then he turned to Emma, seriousness taking over his features, "You can't do this again, understand?"
Emma pouted, "I get it, okay?"
But having Daddy around felt so nice. She wanted to tell Ethan about the thrill of being lifted high up by her daddy. Then she saw Sam and closed her mouth.
It wasn't the right time to let Sam find out.
After Milk Sugar left, the place seemed to lose some of its charm. Kyi had also left, and everyone listlessly headed to the restaurant. The live stream continued but the viewers dwindled significantly.
"Mr. Lancaster, this meet-and-greet was a success. You've witnessed the capabilities of our streamers, and Milk Sugar has the strongest presence," the CEO of the streaming platform reassured, following closely by Gabriel’s side.
"Yeah, I noticed."
So, what now?
Was that it?
Gabriel didn’t join the dinner. He simply left, leaving Alex to mingle with the streaming platform CEO.
He didn't need to make the trip himself but hearing that Milk Sugar would be there piqued his interest. And indeed, he finally met Milk Sugar in person.
The little girl was even more adorable in the flesh than on camera, tiny but mighty.
Did she know him?
He wasn't sure, but when she first saw him, something complex flickered in her gaze.
...
Tiffany came across the trending topic about Milk Sugar and Gabriel and watched a clip from the live stream. Gabriel was holding a little girl, smiled tenderly at her with all the affection in the world, and bought her lots of snacks.
Sitting in her office, the pen in her hand snapped with a "crack" from her grip.
Gabriel showed so much love for an unknown little girl. If he knew about his own daughter still alive, wouldn't he cherish her even more?
No, she couldn't let Gabriel find out about those children.
If Sophia kept them in the country, Gabriel would eventually catch on.
She had to act first to ensure they'd never appear before Gabriel again; they needed to disappear. And it would be best if Sam disappeared along with them.
Tiffany pulled out her smartphone and sent a message.
[Stop looking abroad and come back to help me with something.]
After she sent her message, she called Gabriel. Her menacing expression softened into vulnerability and fear as the call connected.
"Gabriel, my uncle came looking for me at the counseling center."
"Did he hurt you?"
"No, he didn't harm me. He said there will be other days, and that he would come to see me often. Gabriel, I'm really scared."
Gabriel's usually stern voice softened a bit: "Next time he comes looking for you, call Darren immediately."
Darren was Gabriel's bodyguard, assigned to protect Tiffany.
But Tiffany disliked having someone on her tail, so she sent Darren away.
"Okay, I want to see you tonight."
"I have an engagement tonight, let's have lunch together tomorrow."
"Alright."
Tiffany was always sensible and never made a fuss. Even though she longed to see Gabriel that day, she wouldn't press any further if he said he was unavailable, in order to maintain her dignity.
Gabriel summoned Alex.
"Still no leads on Tiffany's uncle?"
"Miss Foster's uncle is too cunning. He changes his location every day, and by the time we get there, he's gone."
It was as if Tiffany's uncle knew they were looking for him, deliberately avoiding getting caught.
"Keep looking."
Tiffany had been orphaned at a young age, and raised by her uncle who treated her poorly—abusing and forcing her to work hard without enough food.
At sixteen, her uncle tried to marry her off to an old widower. She ran away and sought help from a local women's group.
With their support, she managed to take the university entrance exam. She worked hard, earned scholarships, and eventually studied abroad, finally freeing herself from her uncle's grip.
However, the scars from her uncle's abuse still haunted her, often causing her nightmares.
Gabriel felt deep sympathy when Tiffany first shared her story with him, and he comforted her.
Unexpectedly, Tiffany's uncle had found his way to B city.
Gabriel couldn't just ignore Tiffany. Whether she was his girlfriend or not, he felt obligated to assist someone who had been through so much.
After the new year, their city had a heavy snowfall that lasted two days before the sun broke through, melting the snow and making the weather even more bone-chillingly cold.
In a small town on the outskirts of the city, everyone was bustling about one cold morning. The phone at "Jones’ Chicken," run by the Jones family, rang continuously, probably a takeout order.
But Mrs. Jones's face turned pale as she listened to the words on the other side of the line.
Mr. Jones stirred the wonton soup as he casually inquired, "Someone ordering takeout?"
"Let me think about that," Mrs. Jones told the person on the line.
A minute after hanging up, Mrs. Jones approached Mr. Jones.
"Nope, it wasn't a takeout order. Some lady called."
"What lady? What did she say?"
"She said she could find us the best lawyer for free to sue Tiffany's Counseling Room."
"Clang"—a spoon fell into the pot. Mr. Jones was momentarily excited before sinking into disappointment. "Just ignore it, definitely another scam."
Mrs. Jones pondered for a moment: "I have a feeling this one isn't a scammer."
Later that evening, after getting home from work and during dinner, Sophia suggested asking Caroline to help manage some marketing accounts.
"What for?" asked Caroline, puzzled.
"Retaliation," Sophia replied curtly.
Retaliate against what? Caroline didn't understand, and Sophia didn't elaborate. Later, when Sophia was busy in her study room, Caroline handed the matter over to Ethan.
Of course, this was Ethan's forte.
Sophia took out her phone, located Attorney Drake's contact, and began to draft a message. However, after a minute, she deleted it.
Next, she found Vincent's contact, hesitated and decided not to send anything.
Just then, a message from Jake popped up.
Jake: [Free tomorrow?]
Sophia replied with a [?]
Jake Hughes wrote, [You promised to treat me to some gourmet food. I'm craving it.]
Sophia sent back, [Tomorrow works.]
She owed Jake a meal—no, actually two.
After setting a time with Jake, Sophia continued her online search for information. During her browsing, she stumbled upon news about the gaming prodigy Milk Sugar.
Out of curiosity, she clicked to read more.
What in the world?
A wealthy little princess? A five-year-old genius? A slick gamer?
Hold on, why did the photo look familiar?
Sophia zoomed in on the picture.
This kid...why does she look so much like Emma?
But Emma didn't have a mole under her eye.
Sophia closed the tab after a brief glance; she had no interest in the latest gossip.
She needed to focus on how to find a good lawyer to help the Jones family.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
