Chapter 296 This Sister is Biological
Daphne was stunned when she saw Lydia glaring at Charles, clutching a baseball bat. "Lydia, what are you doing?"
Lydia quickly hid the bat behind her back, stammering, "Nothing."
Daphne had a sneaking suspicion that Charles had set this up to make her think Lydia was about to hit him.
Damn it.
"Lydia's just showing me how to handle bad guys when I'm home alone," Charles said innocently, his eyes wide and sincere.
Lydia was momentarily thrown off.
Daphne walked over and said, "Even if I have to go out for work, I'll have bodyguards protect you. You won't be left alone."
"Thank you, Daphne." Charles softened when facing her. "Daphne."
"Yes?" she replied.
"Can you always be my sister?" Charles asked, his voice full of hope.
He didn't say everything he wanted to; he sensed that if he did, Lydia would be upset.
Daphne didn't mind. "Of course."
Seeing the conversation reach this point, Lydia interjected, "He's older than you. Even if his mind has regressed, it's not appropriate for you to be his sister."
"Is there a better term?" Daphne asked sincerely.
Lydia cleared her throat. "How about being his aunt?"
Daphne wondered if Lydia was really her sister.
"Think about it. If he always sees you as his sister, when he recovers, he'll remember this time as sweet and warm," Lydia explained. "But if he sees you as his aunt, he'll feel embarrassed when he recovers."
Daphne asked a practical question, "What if he doesn't recover for a long time?"
"This..." Lydia was at a loss for words.
She had a gut feeling that Charles would recover quickly. A smart, decisive, and never-made-mistakes businessperson should have a strong recovery ability. Don't ask Lydia how she knew; it was just a feeling.
"He can call me whatever he wants," Daphne said, not particularly concerned. "It's just a title."
Daphne raised her hand and ruffled Lydia's hair.
Charles watched, his eyes sparkling. He moved closer to Daphne and offered his head, wanting to be patted, too.
Daphne and Lydia looked at him, puzzled.
Lydia, speaking for both of them, asked, "What are you doing?"
Charles didn't speak; he just pursed his lips and looked at Daphne, waiting to be patted.
The atmosphere was tense.
Thinking about what had just happened, Lydia suddenly understood and felt a bit jealous. "You want Daphne to pat your head?"
"Can she?" Charles asked gently, his eyes full of hope.
Even Daphne felt the stark contrast. The same face and eyes, but with different expressions, looks, and tones—it was like a completely different person.
It was amazing.
"No way!" Lydia hugged Daphne's arm, not willing to give in. "Letting you call her sister is already the biggest concession. Don't push your luck!"
"His mind is only five years old," Daphne reminded gently.
"I don't care." Lydia's possessiveness over Daphne was strong. "I'm only three years old. If you pat his head, I'll cry!"
Even her ex-husband was vying for Daphne's affection; Lydia wasn't about to let him win!
Daphne affectionately ruffled Lydia's hair, her eyes twinkling with a smile. Lydia was still as cute as when she was a kid.
Charles felt a bit disappointed, but seeing Daphne smile made him smile, too. "Daphne, you're smiling!"
"That's because I made her smile," Lydia argued. "It has nothing to do with you!"
"As long as Daphne is happy, I'm happy," Charles said sincerely.
Lydia was taken aback. Looking at the innocent and pure Charles in front of her, her face suddenly felt hot, and her emotions became more complex.
Even though this was Charles, he was only five years old mentally. Why was she arguing with a child?
"You two play for now," Daphne said, treating them like two kids squabbling. "If you want snacks, call the bodyguard to buy them. If you want to watch TV, turn it on yourself. I have to go work."
"Okay," Charles agreed obediently.
After Daphne took her water to the study, Lydia and Charles started staring at each other.
If it were before Charles's accident, Lydia wouldn't even dare to look at him, let alone stare. But now it was different.
"What's so great about that?" Lydia still wanted to argue. "Daphne is busy, so you have to listen to me."
Charles was very obedient. "Okay!"
That saying was true; the best way to defeat an opponent was with sincerity.
Facing such a sensible, obedient, and cute Charles, Lydia couldn't bring herself to be mean.
"Get me a glass of water," Lydia said.
"Okay," Charles replied.
"Get me some snacks from that cabinet," Lydia continued.
"Okay," Charles nodded.
"I want some fruit," Lydia demanded.
"I'll wash it," Charles said.
The two of them chatted like children in the living room.
Seeing that they weren't arguing, Daphne started to focus on her work.
It would be Christmas in about ten days about ten days; Jesse had been busy with the annual party and masquerade ball.
"Ms. Murphy, the hotel and schedule are confirmed," Jesse said in a video conference. "The annual party will be on the first and second floors of the hotel. After the party, single men and women can go to the eighth floor for the masquerade ball. Everything is arranged."
Daphne nodded. "What are the prizes for this year's raffle?"
"Similar to previous years," Jesse reported. "Three first prizes of $50,000 each, five-second prizes of $30,000 each, ten third prizes of $15,000 each, and participation prizes for those who don't win, like iPads, laptops, phones, and gift cards."
HorizonTech Group had always treated its employees very well, with generous year-end bonuses for everyone.
The prizes and bonuses for the annual party were similar every year.
Daphne was silent for a moment. "Let's add a grand prize."
Jesse asked, "What?"
"For Benjamin," Daphne said slowly.
She had initially planned to transfer Benjamin to a branch office closer to his home, but he had refused, saying he didn't feel ready.
Since that was the case, she decided to give Benjamin a house so he would stop transferring money to her.
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