Chapter 296 Danielle's Dad's Signature Line
"Uncle Spencer!" Danielle called, tilting her head back and motioning Gabriel over with her finger in the president's office.
Gabriel leaned down, looking at her. "What's up, Danielle?"
"Is this where you work? It's huge!" Danielle's eyes widened, whispering, "Has Mommy been here before?"
Gabriel chuckled, patting her head. "Yeah, she has."
Not only had she been there, but that starlet had also managed to seduce him right in this office.
He led Danielle to the sofa and sat her down. "It's just us here, no need to whisper. Relax."
"Okay," Danielle said in a normal voice. She took off her small backpack, pulling out a notebook, watercolor pens, and drawing paper. "Mommy called me on my kids' watch and told me to do my homework quietly and not bother you and Landon. Uncle Spencer, you go work. I won't disturb you!"
She quickly set up her things on the coffee table, but the gap between the sofa and the table was too wide. As she scooted forward, she nearly tumbled off the sofa.
Gabriel laughed, scooping her back onto the sofa. "Don't fall. Hold on a sec."
Even though Danielle was close to Uncle Spencer, the office felt serious and cold, not like home. She clung to Gabriel's hand, looking up at him.
Gabriel called Landon, who soon brought in a small stool and a folding table he had quickly bought nearby.
Danielle sat on the stool, set up her homework and drawing paper on the table, and the height was just right.
Landon left the office again.
Gabriel glanced down and saw Danielle diligently doing her homework. Despite her age, she took her teacher's instructions on writing posture and pen grip seriously, and her numbers were neatly written.
He leaned over, watching her finish a problem. Noticing his gaze, she quickly covered her work with her hand and giggled. "Uncle Spencer, don't look! I'll get nervous!"
"Nervous about what?"
"I'm afraid I'll mess up and you'll laugh at me!" Danielle pouted.
Gabriel chuckled, pinching her pouting lips. "You're doing great, why would I laugh? I'll be busy but I'll stay here with you. If you need anything, just call me, okay?"
Danielle nodded quickly and waved him off. "Uncle Spencer, go work, bye-bye!"
Even though she said bye-bye, the distance between his desk and her little table was less than sixteen feet, so she could see him with just a glance.
An hour later, having finished her homework, Danielle was drawing with her watercolor pens and looked up at Gabriel behind the desk.
Danielle had been listening to Gabriel on the phone and occasionally talking to someone through a meeting app. She didn't really get what he was saying; her mind was busy with thoughts like, "When will Mommy let Uncle Spencer be my dad?" Lost in her daydreams, she accidentally poked her chin and face with her pen.
When Gabriel finished reviewing a document and set down his tablet, he noticed Danielle's face covered in red and green marks.
She was sneaking glances at him and immediately grinned when she got caught.
Gabriellaughed, despite his exasperation. "Danielle, come here," he called.
Danielle quickly put down her pen and trotted over, trying to climb onto his lap.
Gabriel picked her up and let her sit there, wiping her face with his hand, but the marks wouldn't come off.
He frowned slightly, looking at her. "Did your teacher tell you to draw on your face?"
Danielle looked confused at first, then realized what he meant and quickly covered her face with her chubby hands. "Ah! I drew on my face again!"
That face-covering gesture was just like Jessica's. No wonder they were mother and daughter.
Gabriel chuckled, took a disinfectant wipe from his desk drawer, and cleaned her face. Luckily, it was washable watercolor, and the wipe easily removed it.
Embarrassed for making a mess, Danielle buried her head in his chest. Even after her face was clean, she stayed in his arms, not wanting to leave.
Gabriel didn't make her get down, gently patting her little head. She didn't take up much space and didn't interfere with his work.
He wasn't bothered, but Danielle soon fell asleep in his arms.
With her eyes closed, she clutched the buttons on his shirt, sleeping soundly as if his arms were the coziest bed.
Maybe she felt insecure in the office but quickly found comfort in his arms.
Gabriel stood up with Danielle, thinking of taking her to the resting room for a proper nap. But if she woke up in an unfamiliar place, she might feel even more uneasy. So he laid her on the sofa, covering her with his jacket.
As he turned to leave, he noticed a piece of drawing paper on the small folding table beside the sofa.
He paused, looked down, and picked it up.
There was a homework assignment from kindergarten on the paper: "Children, please use 'My Dad' as the theme and draw a picture of your dad. (P.S.: After you finish drawing, remember to ask your dad to sign the picture.)"
On the white paper, Danielle had used a brown watercolor pen to draw something resembling a desk, with a figure in a white shirt and black pants sitting behind it—presumably Gabriel.
Gabriel looked at the desk not far away, then at his shirt.
Though abstract, it was clearly him.
This was much more realistic than the one Jessica drew of Gabriel holding a 131-foot-long brick.
He took the drawing, glanced at the sleeping Danielle, and then brought it to his desk. Picking up a pen, he signed his name in the lower right corner of the drawing.
