Chapter 250 The Surprise Return
Emma's climb to the top of the trending charts was the talk of the town once again.
The topic “Money daddy is Gabriel Lancaster” was being tossed around with growing intrigue.
Many people thought that such a wealthy man wouldn't bother with such trivial things.
Even if he wanted to support a campaign, it should've been the head of the streaming service to step in, not Mr. Lancaster. After all, Mr. Lancaster was of high standing and extremely busy.
Gabriel requested the company Instagram account and posted a message.
"I'm Money daddy, and I really like Emma. From here on out, I will be the number one fan for every livestream she has."
This brief message conveyed much and confirmed the internet user's wild guess.
That user was stunned, having blindly hit the nail on the head!
Gabriel's declaration, without hiding behind any alias, proclaimed his fanhood for Emma and his intention to shower her with gifts for every show she did.
Yes, I like Emma and want to boost her to the top of the charts. What's the problem with that?
Gabriel's confident and dominant statement won over the internet users, even gaining him a wave of new admirers, which in turn led to a sudden spike in sales of Lancaster Group's electronics and boosted the performance of their other business ventures.
Emma felt an odd sensation reading the post from bad guy daddy.
It seemed like bad guy daddy had quite a soft spot for her.
Meanwhile, Ethan, after communicating with the tech staff at the original streaming company and conducting his own investigation, suspected that the man shielding Emma from behind the scenes was indeed bad guy daddy.
Ethan’s emotions were a complex mix.
Sam was also shocked. So the person he was competing with for the top spot was daddy!
Suddenly, he remembered something and clenched his small fists, his little face flushing red with anger.
Humph, daddy was too bad. Every time he sent Emma a gift, daddy's account would come online and send her one too.
Daddy must have seen his gift notifications and then knew Emma was streaming, right?
So unfair!
The next day, Sophia enjoyed a lazy morning in bed. After a taxing day working overtime, she had finally settled on the clothes for the semifinals. Having had a restful sleep, she awoke refreshed and full of energy. As she began to tidy up, she stumbled upon an unopened gift—a small white teddy bear.
Just then, Caroline came out, yawning.
"Who sent this?" Sophia asked.
Caroline's heart skipped a beat—it was the gift that Gabriel had mentioned he was getting for Emma. She had brought it home and carelessly tossed it aside, forgetting to give it to Emma.
"It's something I bought. Saw it on my way and thought it was super cute, so I got it for Emma," Caroline explained.
Sophia remained half-convinced, feeling that Caroline was hiding many things from her, especially concerning the two children.
"I'll mop the floor," Caroline offered, grabbing the mop to help Sophia with cleaning, effectively glossing over the situation.
By the time Emma lazily got up, Caroline presented the little white bear to her.
Emma squealed, hugging the little white bear. "What a cute little white bear!"
Leaning close to Emma's ear, Caroline whispered, "It's from your bad guy daddy."
Emma's face stiffened for a moment—should she accept something from 'bad guy daddy'? But the bear was adorable, and she really liked it.
Ethan chimed in, "If you like it, keep it."
Emma's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Ethan, you're so nice."
After cleaning up, Sophia picked out a stylish and adorable outfit for each of the three children. Standing together, they looked absolutely cool.
Ethan, Emma, and Sam were promised a visit to their grandmother's with Sophia. Sam had spent the last night here and would now be heading back home with them.
Gabriel had left early in the morning, while Madam Lancaster, had the staff rush to clean the house and instructed the kitchen to prepare the children's favorite snacks and fruits—everything was ready.
"Great-grandma!"
The three kids rushed in, hurling themselves into Mrs. Lancaster's embrace, nuzzling like little piglets.
Ethan asked, "Great-grandma, are you feeling better?"
Emma inquired, "Great-grandma, have you been eating well?"
And Sam was silent...
"Great-grandma is feeling much better, and I've been eating well. What about you? Have you all been listening to your mother?" Madam Lancasater replied.
"Yes, yes," Emma nodded vigorously.
After a while of playing with the energetic children, Madam Lancaster felt a bit overwhelmed and had Betty and the staff take them outside.
The weather had gradually warmed up, the outdoors lush and picturesque.
Sophia sat down to make coffee for her grandmother.
"Sophia, did you know that Gabriel and Tiffany have broken up?" the grandmother asked casually.
Sophia paused for a moment while making the coffee. "Yeah, I've heard."
Madam Lancaster was relieved, happy that her grandson had finally ditched the bad influence. She wondered how he had come to see the light.
Madam Lancaster gazed deeply at Sophia.
"Sophia, if, and I mean if, Gabriel started to have feelings for you, if he pursued you, would you give him a chance?"
Such a hypothetical situation, Sophia might have entertained in her dreams five years ago, but now, after everything she'd been through, she was far from naive.
She was soberingly realistic.
"Absolutely not." Her response was decisive, her eyes not even bothering to mask the disgust and indifference.
Madam Lancaster felt her heart sink.
Sophia seemed to truly detest Gabriel. With such feelings, could it be that Sophia would never become part of the Lancaster family?
Would the three children continue to be separated?
Having lived to her ripe old age and survived several brushes with death, Madam Lancaster yearned for family unity more than anything and couldn't bear the thought of the three children growing up without a complete family.
Ethan and Emma needed a father's love, while Sam needed a mother's.
Sophia poured a cup of coffee for Madam Lancaster.
As lunchtime approached, Madam had the servants go to call them back for the meal.
Sophia assisted Madam to the dining table.
"Good day, sir."
Madam's expression changed slightly. "Gabriel is back."
Sophia's heart immediately raced and she grew pale at the sight of Gabriel hurrying into the house.
Please, let the children not come back at this moment!
Sophia turned to Madam Lancaster with a pleading look.
"Grandma..."
Madam Lancaster gave her a reassuring glance and then whispered a few words to another servant.
Gabriel noticed Sophia.
"Why are you here? Where's Sam?"
It was almost time to dine, and Sam was not in the dining room.
"She came to visit me, an old lady. You're always busy, leaving early and returning late, never spending a day at home with me."
Gabriel, feeling guilty, said, "I'm sorry, Grandma."
Madam Lancaster waved her hand dismissively. "Why are you back all of a sudden? Weren't you supposed to be on a business trip?"
Because Gabriel was supposed to be away, Sophia had dared to bring Ethan and Emma over.
"I sent Harrison in my place."
"What about you?"
"I came back to get some documents, and then I've got an even more important matter to attend to."
"Well, go get them."
As Gabriel went upstairs, a servant rushed in.
"It's terrible, Emma's disappeared!"
Under normal circumstances, how could anyone just vanish from the estate?
Could it be that an intruder had snuck in?
"Don't worry, I've sent someone to look for her," Madam reassured Sophia.
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