Chapter 45
"Our dad's missing, and we haven't found him yet," Sophie said, looking serious.
Could an adult really get lost? Was Ryan and Sarah's dad some kind of idiot?
No way. How could a guy like that have such awesome kids like Ryan and Sarah?
And the dad of a kid who looked like Nathan couldn't be a fool.
But with that serious look on her face, it was clear Sophie got that line straight from her mom.
Ryan and Sarah were too young to get all the adult stuff, so their mom probably just told them their dad was lost.
Nathan's mind flashed to his twin brother Nick, the one he sent to the Stellaria branch.
Even though Nick and Nathan were twins, they were like night and day. Nathan was the calm, quiet, serious type with a knack for strategy. Nick, on the other hand, was the life of the party—cheerful, chatty, and always hanging out with celebs.
Despite their different vibes, they looked exactly the same. Nick was a free spirit and had a thing for the ladies. Could these cute kids be Nick's?
"Did your mom ever mention your dad's name?" Nathan asked.
Ryan and Sophie shook their heads at the same time.
"Nathan, can I have your phone number?" Sophie asked.
"Sure thing. If you need anything, just call me. I don't have my business card, but I'll write it down for you," Nathan said, heading to Harper's desk to grab some paper.
"No need, just say it once, and Ryan will remember it," Sophie said.
Nathan was surprised and looked at Ryan. "You can remember it after hearing it once?"
Ryan nodded confidently.
Nathan had met people who could remember numbers after hearing them once before, and that person was himself.
The Kennedy Corp business empire had tons of companies and hundreds of execs. At every shareholders' meeting, Nathan could call out the names of those execs when shaking hands with them. Everyone thought Nathan gave them special attention and felt honored to be remembered. But Nathan didn't try to memorize; he just needed to hear it once, and it stuck.
However, Nick couldn't even remember the names of the regional branch execs. He probably couldn't remember his ex-girlfriends' names a month after breaking up. Partly because he had an average memory, and partly because he had too many exes to keep track of.
Today, Nathan wanted to test this kid Ryan, who might be his nephew. He recited his private number, saying it only once.
Sophie frowned. "That number's too easy. Even I can remember it."
Nathan's number was simple, with the last six digits all being 8, a special number from the Aurora City telecom operator.
"This is my private cell. I also have five work cells, but my assistants or secretaries usually answer those," Nathan quickly rattled off five more numbers, not giving Ryan a chance to memorize.
When he finished, Nathan looked at Ryan, who stayed cool as a cucumber.
"How many did you remember?" Nathan asked.
"All of them," Ryan said, cool as a cucumber, and rattled off the five numbers Nathan had just said without missing a beat.
Nathan was astonished by this, as even he couldn't do that himself!
"Have you had speed memory training?" Nathan asked, still in disbelief.
Ryan just shook his head.
"Ryan hasn't had any training. He's just super smart. He even won a programming competition. Ryan's a genius, and so am I!" Sophie said, puffing out her chest with pride.
Nathan found her adorable.
"You're both amazing," Nathan said, nodding with a big smile.
"So, can we hang out?" Sophie asked.
Nathan was puzzled. "Hang out?"
Sophie nodded. "Yeah, friends hang out, right? You can treat me to a big meal. I love strawberry ice cream and all kinds of yummy stuff."
She started listing off foods, some Nathan knew, some he didn't.As she got more excited, Sophie started to drool a bit. Ryan shot her a look, reminding her to keep it together.
Realizing she was getting carried away, Sophie quickly put on a serious face. "I was just saying, you don't have to treat me."
Nathan's lips curled into a smile.
If a reporter caught this moment, the headline would be something like: [The Cold Nathan Actually Smiled!]
"I'll treat you," Nathan said, feeling genuinely happy. He felt honored to treat Ryan and Sophie to a meal. It felt more important than dining with foreign dignitaries!
Sophie beamed, her eyes sparkling. "Really?"
"Yes," Nathan replied sincerely.
"Okay, it's a deal. One more thing, can I bring my mom? She's my family, so it's cool to bring her on a date, right?" Sophie asked.
Nathan felt like Sophie had outsmarted him, but he liked it.
"Of course," he said firmly.
"Great, let's seal it with a high-five. You can't back out," Sophie said, walking up to Nathan and raising her small hand.
Nathan had never done something so childish but raised his hand anyway.
Among the scents from Sophie, there was one Nathan was very sensitive to. It was the scent of orange blossom! Sophie had a faint scent of orange blossom! It was so faint it was almost undetectable, but Nathan could smell it.
Sophie's small hand was raised, waiting for a high-five. But Nathan suddenly froze, his arm stiff in mid-air, his eyes locked on her.
This made Sophie nervous, and she asked softly, "Are you backing out?"
Nathan snapped out of it, gently clapped her hand, and said softly, "How could I?"
Sophie's smile came back.
Nathan's mind was buzzing with questions about the faint scent of orange blossom on Sophie, but he didn't know how to ask. Even if he did, Sophie might not be able to explain it. Besides, he was puzzled by the scent.
After the high-five with Sophie, Nathan turned to Ryan and asked, "Shall we make a pact with a high-five too?"
The high-five was just an excuse; Nathan wanted to get closer to Ryan. Unexpectedly, Ryan gently shook his head.
"Why not?" Nathan felt a bit disappointed and asked.
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