Chapter 25 Looking for My Dad
Madison and Rachel waited in the studio until almost eleven o'clock. Miss Grayson called to say she would be half an hour late. There was no helping it. Clients are always right. Madison thought.
It was almost lunchtime, and who knew when their appointment would end? As they emerged from the office, Quentin and Hannah were with Wendy in the pantry, looking at a storybook.
"Wendy, could you take these two out for something to eat later? Miss Grayson will be late. Rachel and I probably won't have time to join you," Madison asked upon entering.
Seeing Madison, Wendy stood up from her seat, "Of course, Madison. You go ahead with your work. I'll take Quentin and Hannah out for lunch. We'll bring something back for you and Rachel."
"There's no need. We can order takeout later. Take your time eating. Don't worry about us." Madison didn't want the kids to rush to bring them food and not enjoy their meal, so she and Rachel decided to order takeout instead, letting them eat peacefully.
"You go on with your work, Madison. You don't have to worry about them. I'm always great with kids," Wendy said with pride.
"That's right, Mom. You don't need to worry about us. Wendy tells us stories that we love. We'll listen to what she says," Quentin assured his mother.
"Mom, I'll listen to Quentin and Wendy, too," Hannah said with her childlike voice. Madison looked at her two little treasures and felt a surge of energy.
Once Madison had left, Quentin, clutching his sister's hand, confided in Wendy about his grand plan to find his dad. "Wendy, while we're out for lunch, could you drop us off at JK Group headquarters? Then, Hannah, you can go to find the Boss and say..." Quentin started to lay out his plan.
Eager to support her brother, Hannah said, "Okay, I will complete the mission."
Wendy had a simple thought, believing that since their dad was still around and Madison had been struggling to raise the children alone, the dad must take responsibility. So, she wholeheartedly supports Quentin's plan. The three of them agreed and immediately set off for JK Group.
*
Upon arriving at the JK Group Building, Hannah entered the lobby alone. The receptionist at the desk noticed a cute little girl walking in and quickly came around, squatting down to ask, "Hi there, are you by yourself, sweetheart? Who are you looking for?"
"Hi, pretty miss, I'm looking for my dad," the adorable little girl replied.
Her sweet words made the receptionist’s smile spread wide across her face.
"Do you know your dad's name, kiddo?" The receptionist wondered if she might be an employee's child.
"My dad's last name is Nelson, and he's the boss here!" Hannah said proudly and loudly.
Hearing that she was Matthew’s daughter, the receptionist was surprised and hesitant to decide, but the resemblance to Matthew was striking. She immediately called the CEO’s office, where Jannis took the call, "Jannis, there's a little girl here claiming to be Matthew’s daughter. She’s looking for him."
Jannis, the secretary, was also startled, "Matthew’s daughter? Are you sure she's talking about our boss?"
"Yes, she said she’s looking for her dad, Mr. Nelson, the boss here," the receptionist replied, relaying Hannah’s words unchanged.
"Bring her up then," The secretary, not quite sure what else to do, and with Matthew and Calvin, the executive assistant out of the office, decided they'd bring the child up and see.
Hannah remembered her brother's instructions to call him only after she saw her dad. So, obediently, she followed the kind receptionist into the elevator to go upstairs.
The receptionist brought her to Jannis’ office in the CEO’s suite, "Jannis, I’ve brought her."
The rest of the staff in the secretarial office gathered around, all curious to see the girl who claimed to be their boss’s daughter. After all, they’d been with JK Group for years and had never heard that the boss had a daughter.
Jannis glanced behind and saw a little girl, almost like a doll, standing quietly there with big, twinkling eyes. "Hello, beautiful ladies," said Hannah, greeting everyone politely.
"My goodness, is that the boss's daughter? She's so adorable!"
"Look closely. She resembles the boss quite a bit."
"But when did our CEO have a daughter? He's not even married to Miss Smith."
"It's just like the big shots to keep things under wraps. Their daughter's all grown up in silence."
There was a lively buzz in the crowd as everyone chattered, but little Hannah kept smiling. Her brother had told her that she must use her secret weapon to bring Dad home to be a family with a father finally.
She wouldn't have to be called a child without a dad by the chubby kid in class anymore, primarily since she and her brother had taught that chubby kid a lesson last time.
"All right, everyone gets back to work," Jannis interjected, concerned that observers might think their CEO wasn't running a tight ship if they saw the commotion. Then she squatted down to Hannah and asked, "Sweetie, what’s your name? Did any of your family members come with you? Where’s your mom?"
"My name is Hannah. My Mom is at work, and I came by with... I came here alone," the little girl remembered her brother's instructions and didn't mention that her brother and Wendy were waiting downstairs for her.
Such an adorable child was hard not to like. As a mother, Jannis wondered how the child's mom could let her go out alone, regardless if she was the CEO's daughter. She took Hannah to the lounge area, got her some snacks, and poured her some water.
"Hannah, Matthew is out today, so why don’t you rest here for a bit? I’ll try to contact him, okay?"
"Okay, thank you, pretty lady."
"You can call me Jannis. I also have a little one at home about your age," Jannis said with a smile.
"Okay, thank you, pretty Jannis. Please go ahead with your work."
Hannah sat in the lounge area while a few of the CEO's secretaries quietly took turns bringing her snacks. Hannah happily munched on the treats, almost forgetting the important mission her brother had given her—to find Dad.
Quentin and Wendy grew anxious downstairs as Hannah had not yet come down. Wendy was especially worried they couldn't just waltz into the JK Group Headquarters, and losing little Hannah would spell disaster. Madison had trusted her to look after the two kids, and with that thought, she was about to dash inside when Quentin stopped her just in time.
"I'll call Hannah."
Saying this, he dialed Hannah's smartwatch. "Hannah, where are you? How's everything going? Have you seen Dad?"
Hannah replied with a mouthful of uneaten cookies, "Quentin, Dad's not at the office today. The pretty ladies said he went out. I haven't seen Dad yet."
"Then you should come back. We have to go, or Mom will find out soon."
"But what about Dad?" Hannah thought about her unfinished task and that their dad hadn't been brought home yet.
"No worries, we have the address. We'll return again."
"Okay then, I'll come down and find you guys." Hearing her brother say this, Hannah felt relieved. She'd come to find Dad next time.
Finishing the conversation, she headed to the elevator, reached the ground floor button, and proceeded to find her brother.
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