Although Grape knew that Dexter was her father, she had never addressed him as such, instead opting to use “Mr. Russell” as a substitute.
Josie reached out and gently patted her little head. “Adult matters are beyond a child’s understanding. When you grow up, you’ll naturally understand.”
Grape wore an expression of apparent comprehension yet confusion, her tiny head appearing as though it was deep in thought.
The following day, early in the morning.
Before Josie could even get out of bed, she was rudely awakened by the incessant ringing of her phone. Groping for her phone, she answered the call in a daze.
“Good morning, Alice,” came the hearty voice of Lachlan from the other end of the receiver.
Josie opened his eyes and glanced at the time. It was only seven in the morning. “Morning…”
“Haven’t you gotten up yet?”
Josie gave a hum of acknowledgment, even though she was already fully awake.
“You’re calling me so early. Is there something going on?”
“Come over to the window for a moment…”
Josie was puzzled. “What?”
“I had prepared a surprise for you. You can see it from the window.”
The confusion in Josie’s eyes deepened. Unable to resist Lachlan’s persistent suspense, she rose, clad in her pajamas, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. As her gaze swept across the view, her eyes instantly met with the man standing downstairs.
Lachlan waved at her and said in a relaxed tone, “How about it? Are you surprised?”
Josie found it somewhat unbelievable. “Didn’t you go back to the country to deal with work- related matters? How did you return so quickly?”
“Indeed, I finished my work early, so I came back ahead of schedule. What’s the matter? Aren’t you planning to open the door for me?”
“Alright, just wait a moment.”
After changing her clothes, Josie finally descended the stairs to open the door. As soon as she did, she saw Lachlan standing there, looking like a weary traveler. The dark circles under his eyes were a clear indication of the man’s exhaustion.
“How did you return so quickly?”
“If I say it’s because I desperately wanted to see you because I’ve missed you, will you believe that?”
Josie smiled faintly, yet she was somewhat reluctant to respond to what was being said.
“Perhaps you should save those sweet words for other young ladies, Mr. Keller…”
Lachlan felt a tinge of disappointment in his heart, yet he couldn’t help but tease, “I’m being serious, but you don’t believe me. Surely, you don’t expect me to literally show you my heart.”
“You’re pouring your heart out so early in the morning. Anyone who didn’t know better would think something had upset you, Mr. Keller.”
Seeing Josie continually evading, Lachlan had no choice but to change the subject.
“Today should be the semi-finals of the Golden Key Awards, right? How is it? There must have been quite a few outstanding competitors in this competition, I assume.”
When it came to work, Josie became noticeably more serious.
“Hmm… there are a few promising candidates. They should be able to stand out from the crowd.
Pausing for a moment, Josie abruptly changed the subject by saying, “By the way, there’s something I need to tell you. I’ve decided to return to my home country.”
“When was the decision made?”
Josie spoke truthfully. “There isn’t a single piece of information about Paul in Switzerland, so I speculated that he might still be in our home country. Therefore, I planned to return and continue searching for him.”
Lachlan had always been aware that Josie was on a quest to find her father. This had been a constant source of distress for her over the past two years.
“Don’t worry. If he’s still alive, you’ll definitely find him,” Lachlan reassured her.
Josie nodded in agreement. She shared the same belief.
“When will you be back?” Lachlan inquired further.
“After the Golden Key Awards are over, I plan to bring Grape back to the country,” Josie replied.
“Okay…”
The two continued chatting for a while until they suddenly heard Grape crying from upstairs. Josie hurriedly rushed upstairs to pick up Grape, while Lachlan, being considerate, grabbed an apron and headed into the kitchen.
Before long, Josie descended the stairs, cradling Grape in her arms. The dining table was already adorned with a variety of delectable and enticing dishes.
