Chapter 942
Hearing Calliope agree to the marriage, Ambrose's lips curled into a smile.
He raised his hand, moving closer to Calliope's cheek.
Calliope didn't know why he was getting closer again, her heart racing as she remembered that scorching kiss from earlier.
She was extremely nervous and instinctively shrank her neck back.
"Why are you dodging? If we're gonna tell Phaedra we're married, you can't act like this."
Ambrose looked at her, shrinking back, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.
Calliope thought he made sense, so she tried, slowly, to bring her neck back bit by bit.
Like a small plant reaching for sunlight, she gently leaned into his raised fingers, brushing against them in a friendly manner.
Ambrose felt a tingling sensation in his fingers, a smile spreading in his eyes.
He realized Calliope was genuinely innocent, not at all like someone who had been in the entertainment industry.
She was easily convinced to get a marriage certificate with him, believing whatever he said.
He wondered how Calliope had managed to live this long without being taken advantage of.
In the future, he would have to take better care of her.
"What did you tell Phaedra about her dad?"
Ambrose didn't do anything more to Calliope. He gently tidied her hair, which had been messed up earlier, tucking it behind her ear.
Calliope's ears turned red, feeling his gentle touch.
The action was so tender, it felt like they were truly a couple deeply in love, cherishing each other.
She felt like her senses were magnified, making it hard to think.
Calliope instinctively said, "Phaedra didn't know about looking for her dad until she was three, so I didn't mention you. Later, when Phaedra saw other kids with dads and started looking for hers, I told her you were too busy with work to come see us."
Ambrose finished tidying her hair and withdrew his hand.
He gazed at her, his thin lips moving slightly as he clicked his tongue.
"Should I thank you for not telling her I was dead?"
Calliope met his teasing and slightly displeased gaze, feeling guilty.
She quickly looked away and said, "Oh, after Phaedra's surgery, I told her you came to see her while she was asleep and brought her a bunny toy. Don't mess that up."
Ambrose stared at Calliope for a moment without speaking.
His eyes were deep and mysterious, and Calliope didn't know what he was thinking, feeling nervous and uneasy under his gaze.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Ambrose was thinking that she was indeed a good mother, as Lillian had said.
She was very good at taking care of Phaedra's emotions and had taken excellent care of her.
But even though she had made up a fake dad for Phaedra, she never thought about finding Phaedra's real dad.
Was he not worth her consideration?
Ambrose's eyes darkened. "You can't lie to Phaedra forever. If I hadn't found out, what were you planning to do? Find some guy to play dad for my daughter every now and then?"
Calliope's eyes widened slightly, her expression almost saying, 'How did you know that's what I was planning?'
Now it was Ambrose's turn to feel frustrated. He couldn't imagine Calliope finding another man and having his precious daughter call that man dad. He might just make that man disappear from the face of the earth and give Calliope a good lesson.
Seeing Calliope's innocent eyes, Ambrose feared he might do something irrational the next second. He just gave her a deep look, turned, and opened the door, walking out.
"Let's go, don't keep Phaedra waiting."
Calliope hurried to follow, but as she approached, Ambrose had already let go.
The door closed in front of Calliope, almost causing her to bump into it.
Calliope touched her nose, realizing that Ambrose seemed really angry.
But at least he was still waiting for her.
When Calliope reached the hospital room door, Ambrose was still standing there, not having gone in without her.
She quickly stepped forward, "Let's go."
She raised her hand to push open the door, but Ambrose didn't move, just looked at her.
Calliope looked at him in confusion, and Ambrose said helplessly, "Ms. Wall, is this how you act? Is this how a loving couple reunites after a long time apart?"
Calliope blinked, then tentatively reached out and linked her arm with Ambrose's.
Ambrose glanced down, "Ms. Wall, are we walking the red carpet?"
Calliope was speechless. She thought for a moment, then slid her hand down, took a deep breath, and grabbed Ambrose's hand.
She thought he asked her to act.
Even though she had left the industry, she was still a professional.
She couldn't let Ambrose look down on her. When she acted, even she was impressed.
She just hoped he could keep up with her performance.
With that in mind, Calliope pushed open the door, then intertwined her fingers with Ambrose's, holding his hand tightly.
At the same time, she leaned her body against his, hugging his arm warmly and intimately as they walked in.
"Sweetie, look who Mommy brought!" Calliope called out with a smile.
Ambrose felt Calliope's soft body against him, especially at his elbow, almost sinking in.
His Adam's apple bobbed, a vein throbbing at his temple, heat rising.
He had asked her to act, but not to overdo it.
But he couldn't contradict himself now.
Fortunately, his attention was quickly drawn to the small figure in the room.
Phaedra, because Calliope had planned to take her away earlier, was no longer in her hospital gown.
She was wearing a yellow puff-sleeve knit top, with a cream-colored overall dress featuring a long-eared purple bunny on the front, white leggings, and purple pearl-buttoned shoes.
Her soft hair was down, with a pearl headband matching the buttons on her shoes, making her look like a little fairy, exquisitely dressed.
Phaedra's pretty face lit up with a joyful smile when she heard Calliope's voice, turning her head to look over in surprise.
"Mommy!"
Phaedra knew there were men in black outside, not letting them leave, though they weren't mean and even smiled at her.
But Phaedra was still a bit scared, especially when Calliope had suddenly gone out.
Seeing Calliope return, the little girl immediately felt relieved and happy.
She blinked her big eyes and looked at the tall, handsome man beside Calliope, noticing his slightly red eyes.
This man looked familiar.
"Phaedra, hello, I'm your dad."
Ambrose walked over and knelt in front of Phaedra, his voice incredibly gentle.
Phaedra was about to ask Calliope if this was the same tall man who had just left. How did he come back and now claim to be her dad?
Phaedra's eyes widened in shock at Ambrose's words, and she turned to look at Calliope.
"Mommy?"
Calliope reached out and gently patted Phaedra's little head, nodding.
For some reason, her nose tingled with emotion, and she said, "Phaedra, haven't you always missed your dad and wanted to see him? Well, here he is."
Phaedra looked back at Ambrose, who gave her an even more loving and gentle smile. "Can you call me Dad, Phaedra? I've missed you so much."
He looked at her with immense anticipation and nervousness, a feeling he had never experienced before.
Ambrose didn't know if Phaedra would accept him or like him. He wanted to hug her but was afraid of scaring her, so he didn't dare make a move.
Phaedra stared at Ambrose for a few more moments, then her eyes suddenly reddened, tears welling up. She pouted and started crying.
Just when Ambrose thought Phaedra didn't like him and wouldn't accept him, his heart sinking, Phaedra suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Daddy, why did it take you so long to come see me? I've been waiting for you, and Snowy is almost grown up! All the other kids have dads, but I didn't. They all said I didn't have a dad."
Phaedra buried her head in Ambrose's chest, crying harder and harder, her small body shaking with sobs.
Ambrose was at a loss, patting Phaedra gently, his eyes filled with pain and guilt.
It was his fault for not knowing about such an important thing. He had just found out he had a daughter.
He looked at Calliope for help, not knowing how to comfort Phaedra. He had no experience in this area.
However, Calliope's eyes were red too. Seeing Phaedra so heartbroken, she turned away, tears streaming down her face.
Phaedra was usually very sensible and had never mentioned these things to her.
Whenever she asked about her dad and was told he was too busy to come home, she would stop asking.
Calliope had thought that since Phaedra had never met her dad and had no emotional attachment, she wouldn't care.
But hearing Phaedra's cries today, Calliope realized how much Phaedra longed for her dad and how much she had suffered in silence, feeling insecure and inferior.
She had always thought that giving Phaedra enough motherly love would compensate for the lack of a father, but that wasn't the case.
She quickly wiped away her tears and turned back.
To her surprise, she met Ambrose's gaze. Calliope hesitated, feeling awkward and avoiding his eyes.
Ambrose looked at her red nose and watery eyes, his gaze deepening. He silently mouthed, "Who's Snowy?"
Calliope pointed to the small suitcase nearby.
Ambrose looked over and saw a large white suitcase with a smaller pink suitcase next to it. On top of the pink suitcase sat a soft, white, long-eared bunny toy.
Remembering Calliope's earlier mention of a bunny toy he had supposedly given Phaedra, Ambrose understood that Snowy was the name Phaedra had given the toy.
He quickly picked up Phaedra, pointing to the bunny toy. "Phaedra, please don't cry anymore, okay? Daddy knows he messed up. Daddy's done with work now and will stay with you and Mommy, protecting you both and never leaving again. If you keep crying, your eyes will be redder than Snowy's, and Snowy will laugh at you."
Phaedra, hearing that Snowy would laugh at her, instinctively pulled her face out of Ambrose's chest and looked at the bunny toy in the corner.
Seeing the bunny's red eyes, Phaedra blinked her own red eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Ambrose immediately carried her over and laid the bunny toy down on the suitcase. "Snowy's asleep now and can't see you."
Phaedra blinked her wet eyelashes, looking at Ambrose with some embarrassment.
"Daddy, how did you know Snowy's name?"
Seeing that Phaedra had stopped crying, Ambrose finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He smiled and said, "Of course, Daddy knows. Snowy was a gift from Daddy to Phaedra. Even though Daddy wasn't with you, he still loves you and cares about you. Daddy asked Mommy about everything. If you don't believe me, ask Mommy."
Phaedra's eyes lit up at the thought that Daddy cared about her. She turned to look at Calliope.
Calliope quickly nodded. "See, Mommy didn't lie to you, did she?"
Calliope had often told Phaedra that her dad loved her and was just too busy with work to come home.
Now it all made sense.
But Phaedra wasn't so easily convinced. She looked back at Ambrose.
"Daddy, don't you have a phone? Why didn't you ever call me on video?"
Ambrose was speechless.
This little smart cookie.
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Fortunately, Calliope noticed his predicament and smiled. "Phaedra, Daddy was abroad, and he video-called Mommy while you were asleep."
"Is that true?"
Phaedra pouted, looking at Ambrose unhappily. Ambrose nodded.
"Daddy knows he was wrong. From now on, Daddy will never do that again. We'll video call every day so you can see Daddy. Can you forgive Daddy?"
Phaedra was clearly a soft-hearted little girl. Seeing Ambrose's promise and apology, she immediately nodded.
"Okay, I'll give you a chance. If you can't be a good dad, I won't accept you!"
Phaedra finished, raising her little chin proudly.
Ambrose looked at her face, so similar to his own, and found her incredibly adorable.
He nodded. "Can Daddy give you a kiss?"
Phaedra's face turned slightly red. She was about to nod, but then seemed to think of something. She raised her hand to cover her face, as if afraid Ambrose would steal a kiss.
Seeing Phaedra so resistant to his kiss, Ambrose felt a bit disappointed but wasn't angry.
He thought he was rushing things. They had just met, and it was normal for Phaedra to be shy and not close to him.
He believed that with time, as he spent more time with her, Phaedra would soon accept him.
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