Chapter 62
Sarah answered, "Caroline's gotta work late tonight to catch up on the filming she missed. She might not be back until we're all asleep."
"So, my mom won't have dinner with us?" Sophie asked, looking a bit down.
Sarah was a bit thrown off. Caroline missing dinner wasn't unusual, so why was Sophie so worked up about it today?
"Sweetie, is something bothering you?" Sarah asked, curious.
"Sarah, we're good friends, right?" Sophie asked, a bit slyly.
Sarah's heart skipped a beat. "Of course, we're best friends."
"And good friends help each other out, right?" Sophie's innocent voice had a serious edge to it.
Sarah got a bit more alert. "Just tell me what you're thinking."
"Can you promise me something first?" Sophie blinked her big, gemstone-like eyes.
Sarah nodded, "Sure, friends keep secrets for each other."
Sophie leaned in, "So if I have dinner with Nathan, you won't tell Mommy, right?"
Sarah was taken aback. "You want to have dinner with Mr. Kennedy? When did this come up?"
"Not yet. I'm planning to invite him now," Sophie said, sounding way too grown-up for her age.
Sarah couldn't help but chuckle. No matter how smart a kid was, they were still a kid and didn't get how things worked.
Nathan wasn't easy at all to invite over for dinner. Word on the street was he was one of the hardest people to get a hold of in Aurora City. He prefered to stay in his house alone rather than push himself into a crowd of strangers for socialization.
This had bummed out a lot of socialites who wanted to get close to him; they couldn't even get a glimpse of him, let alone his attention.
Now Sophie wanted to invite Nathan. Sarah didn't want to crush her spirit but also didn't want her to get her hopes up.
"Sweetie, let's just eat at home. We don't need to bother Nathan, okay?" Sarah gently suggested.
"No, I want to eat with Nathan. He even promised to treat us to something yummy," Sophie insisted, looking pretty upset.
"But he's super busy and might not have time," Sarah tried to explain.
"Can't we at least try? Sarah, please," Sophie started to plead.
Meanwhile, inside the Kennedy Corp Tower, Nathan was in a meeting with several regional presidents. He kept glancing at his watch, looking a bit anxious.
Tonight, he had to fly to Avaloria for a royal princess's coming-of-age banquet. The Kennedy Corp was negotiating a multi-billion euro infrastructure project with that country, and he needed royal support to seal the deal.
The banquet was all about the king's favorite little princess, and the guest list was packed with big shots from around the world, including some high-ranking officials from well-known international organizations.
So, Nathan couldn't afford to be late and had to get ready fast.
Jack noticed Nathan's anxiety. "Let's speed this up. Mr. Kennedy has to head to Avaloria soon for a royal banquet."
The presidents exchanged looks and cut their speeches short.
The meeting finally wrapped up, and there were less than two hours left before the flight.
Since it was an international trip, private jet procedures were a hassle and took time. Plus, Nathan, who always kept a low profile, rarely used private jets and preferred to book first-class tickets.
As a major shareholder of Aurora City Airlines, whenever Nathan booked a first-class ticket, the first-class cabin was off-limits to the public, making sure he had it all to himself.
Even his staff had to fly economy because Nathan needed absolute quiet during the flight.
It was almost like chartering a plane.
"Mr. Kennedy, do you need to change clothes?" Jack asked.
"No time. We'll do it there. Have someone get the clothes ready," Nathan replied.
Jack nodded. "Got it, Mr. Kennedy."
The car was ready, and Nathan headed to the airport.
But just as the car left the parking lot, Nathan's private phone rang.
It was the special number ending in all 8s. Fewer than thirty people in Aurora City had this number, mostly core members of the Kennedy Family.
Even family members wouldn't call this core number unless it was a real emergency; they'd use other ways to get in touch.
Nathan had strict rules about this. If the core number rang, no matter the time, place, or importance of the meeting, it had to be immediately relayed to him.
Jack quickly handed over the phone. "Mr. Kennedy, it's the core number calling."
Nathan glanced at the screen and saw it was an unknown number.
This was odd. The people who had this number were super important to him and should've been saved in his contacts. How could there be an unknown caller?
Despite his confusion, given the few who knew the number, Nathan answered the call.
"This is Nathan," his deep, magnetic voice resonated.
"Nathan! Is it really Nathan?" A child's innocent voice came from the other end.
Nathan frowned slightly. What was going on?
"Nathan, is it really you? Say something," the child's voice urged again.
Nathan replied, "Yes, this is Nathan."
The child asked, "Awesome! I'm the super adorable Sophie. Nathan, do you remember me?"
Nathan's tightly knit brows gradually relaxed, and a barely-there smile appeared on his lips.
Jack, sitting in the passenger seat, was stunned. 'Who's call could make the usually stern Nathan smile like this?'
It was rare to see Nathan smile even a few times a year. Who had the power to brighten Nathan's mood with just a phone call?
"How could I forget you? Hello," Nathan's voice was gentle.
Jack was shocked. Nathan's gentle tone was something he hadn't heard in years.
No, not just years; it was an entirely new experience for Jack!
Having followed Nathan for many years, Jack had only seen Nathan's cold demeanor when reprimanding people. Nathan had never been this gentle!
Who on earth had the skill to make Nathan so tender?
"Nathan, you really remember me! That's great! I'm so charming and cute; I knew you wouldn't forget me! But do you remember what you promised me?" Sophie continued.
"Go ahead," Nathan's voice grew even softer.
Sophie said, "You promised to take me out for dinner! I've been waiting for so long, and you haven't invited me yet, so I had to invite you myself. I know you're busy, and I have to get up early to make breakfast for my mom, so my time is tight too!"
Nathan was puzzled. Sophie's mom was so lazy that she made Sophie take on the responsibility of making breakfast?
"And then?" Nathan asked with a smile.
Sophie responded, "So, I specially made time to invite you today. I dressed up just to see you!"
Nathan hesitated. "Today? I'm afraid..."
Sophie's innocent voice carried a hint of disappointment. "I knew you would refuse me. I'm so sad. It's so hard to make an appointment with you. I'll just find someone else to play with!"
Nathan was momentarily speechless.
He couldn't explain to a child how important the upcoming banquet was, nor did he need to.
Nathan usually didn't explain his actions, whether right or wrong. As long as he liked it, there was no need for excessive explanation.
In this world, there was no absolute right or wrong, just different perspectives.
But this time, he felt an urge to explain, yet he didn't know where to start.
Should he say the banquet was crucial for a multi-billion dollar investment, the guests were all high-ranking officials from various countries, and missing it might make the royal family feel disrespected?
These things didn't seem important to Sophie.
What mattered was whether he was willing to have dinner with her.
"Nathan, you go ahead and be busy. I won't bother you anymore," On the other end, Sophie's disappointment was palpable, and Nathan could feel it too.
"Where are you? I'll come pick you up, and we'll have dinner together," Nathan responded.
Jack, shocked, turned around and pointed at his watch, indicating that time was tight.
Nathan ignored him.
On the other end, Sophie was overjoyed. "Really? You're really coming to pick me up for dinner?"
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