Chapter 249
Owen glanced outside the door and then his face instantly drained of color.
He rushed into Haley's embrace and blurted out anxiously, "Haley, Father's here to take me back!"
Haley checked the time on her wristwatch. It was still ten minutes before 8:30 PM. This man was here early.
As the thought crossed her mind, the doorbell of the villa rang.
Haley went to answer it.
The chill of late autumn filled the air, and Ivan carried the night's coolness with him.
He lingered in the entryway before stepping inside.
Owen, trying to hide his nervousness with a pretense of calm, said, "Daddy, I was just about to head home and here you are..."
Ivan replied in a detached tone, "If I hadn't come, you would've stayed here at least another two hours."
Owen stuck out his tongue playfully.
His father knew him all too well. In truth, he had hoped to spend the night at Haley's place.
"Mr. Ivan, I told Owen to stay a bit longer," Haley intervened smoothly. "It's getting late. You should take him home."
Ivan nodded.
His gaze swept across the room, landing on Angela on the play mat.
The little girl was looking up at him with big eyes that sparkled brilliantly as they met his.
She grabbed a plush bunny from beside her and toddled over, thrusting the rabbit into Ivan's hands.
The rabbit's softness seemed to melt Ivan's heart.
He crouched down, his usually stern face softening. "Angela, you haven't greeted me today."
He knew ever since that day, Angela hadn't spoken a word. That call of "Daddy" last time now felt as distant as a dream.
"Come on, say 'Mr. Ivan' or 'Ivan.'"
Ivan watched her seriously, gently coaxing.
Angela parted her little lips, trying over and over. After some time, a voice finally emerged.
"Dad-dy."
It was that same word.
For some reason, Ivan's heart swelled with an unusual sense of satisfaction.
"Angela, say 'Mr. Ivan,'" Haley corrected, squatting down beside her. "He's Mr. Ivan, not Daddy."
"It's okay to call him Daddy," Owen piped in with wide eyes. "Angela and I are best friends, so my Daddy can be her Daddy, and can her Mommy be mine..."
Before the grown-ups could grasp the depth of his words, Angela's face suddenly turned cold.
Whatever crossed the little girl's mind, her eyes swept over Owen, and then, abruptly, she turned and dashed upstairs.
"Angela, wait up! Where are you going?" Owen hurriedly followed her.
Todd stepped in front of him with a calm demeanor, casually saying, "She's probably headed to the restroom. Why would a guy like you need to follow her there?"
Owen scratched his chin. "I don't know, but doesn't Angela seem a bit down all of a sudden?"
Todd gave him a sidelong glance.
It had taken Owen over an hour to notice that his sister wasn't in high spirits. At least he wasn't beyond help.
The two kids were chatting at the top of the stairs, but an odd tension filled the air between the adults.
Haley spoke with slight embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ivan. Angela must have heard Owen calling you, and she just mimicked him. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again..."
Ivan spoke nonchalantly, "At Angela's age, kids are craving a father's love. Ms. Haley, have you ever considered finding a dad for her?"
The question was bordering on intrusive. Yet, when your own daughter goes around calling someone else "Daddy," it was not unreasonable for them to ask such a question.
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