Chapter 76: Stop Crying

Daddy? Did the little girl just call his boss Daddy? Was something wrong with the girl’s eyes? Why was she suddenly recognizing someone else as her father? Kaleb thought, but then he looked closer at the girl and his eyes widened.

’Shit, am I seeing things?’

Kaleb rubbed his eyes and looked again, the little girl had beautiful blue eyes large and expressive, with dark hair but…her facial features seemed to have some resemblance with his boss.

’Oh God, this is crazy, does the president perhaps have an illegitimate child?’ Kaleb exclaimed internally before his eyes suddenly lit up like someone who was pleasantly surprised.

Wait…if this was true then it means the boss can quickly get back his company.

Erica would no longer want to marry him when she discovers he had a child with someone else…at least that was what Kaleb thought. And then, whoever this kid’s mother turned out to be would come in handy. As astute as the president was, he would take advantage of the situation and strike a deal with the kid’s mother and a little staged affection play in front of the Blakewood matriarch would do the trick, before you know it, the president would have control over his company again.

Kaleb almost did a happy dance right where he stood as he envisioned such a happy ending.

Was this the feeling one gets when mana falls from heaven? Kaleb was already getting fed up with the scoundrels who call themselves the president’s cousins as they had immediately began to start making changes to the company immediately they were appointed.

But Kaleb’s little joyful deduction in his head was quickly smashed when he heard Tristan’s cold voice utter.

“I’m not your Daddy.” His expression was stern, without the faintest warmth one was supposed to show to a kid.

Kaleb gulped but then noticed the frown between Tristan’s brows as he seemed to stare down at the kid closely as if wondering something.

’That’s right president, I see it too. Doesn’t the kid look a bit like you?’ Kaleb said internally.

Tristan took a good look at the child that suddenly ran into him, apart from the fact that he found it weird that there was a parent who allowed their child out running around in public, there seemed something strange about the girl.

Her face held some familiarity as if he’d seen her before somewhere but couldn’t remember exactly where, but before he was able to look well enough to remember why he was feeling that familiarity, the girl’s large blue eyes filled up with tears and a feeling he hadn’t had in quite a while struck his chest.

A sharp tightness that burned deep through his heart.

These eyes…

He’d seen eyes like these before, exactly like these ones. Hurt…and blue like the deepest oceans yet striking like shards of ice reflecting the sun.

Why did this kid’s eyes look just like hers?

“What did you say?” The little girl’s voice resounded childishly laced with disappointment. Her doll like eyes glistening with tears.

“I said, I’m not your…” Before Tristan could finish the words to clear up the child’s misunderstanding, she had suddenly burst into tears sobbing loudly as large pearl like tears fell down her adorable little face.

“You don’t like me…you don’t like me! Daddy doesn’t like me!” The girl cried.

Tristan went stiff. He had never been faced with a crying child before. Kids were mostly too afraid of him to be anywhere near him, not that anyone he knew had the nerve to bring their child in front of him before hence this sort of situation was new to him.

Why was the girl crying?

He had just told her he wasn’t her father…was he?

Her eyes…he still couldn’t stop looking at the child’s eyes. He was suddenly struck with a realization the more he stared at the girl’s little face.

He recalled a bunch of childhood pictures buried at the basement of the Blakewood home, in the past his mother would show him pictures of himself when he’d been an infant. That face had changed over the years now but…why did this little girl’s face look almost exactly like his when he had been a child?

Tristan shook his head not letting the thought even settle.

He was overthinking it.

No woman in her right mind would have his child and keep it from him, they would have come knocking on his doors to get something from him or probably even gone straight to Blakewood home to claim a place and future inheritance for the child. The child would become a great excuse to infiltrate his life… Tristan was sure of it.

“Waaaah!!!” The girl’s sobs had become full on wails now even louder, bringing Tristan back from his thoughts.

Tristan glanced at Kaleb and the latter shrugged, showing a helpless face. Kaleb also had no experience with kids so he had no idea what to say to a crying little girl. He could only give his boss and encouraging look, he had made her cry so it was up to him to pacify the kid.

“Stop crying.” Tristan said coldly. He was accustomed to giving orders and people who heard them had no choice but to obey, but the child didn’t stop crying instead she bawled even louder.

From the far away distance, some people were already stoping to peek glances if it weren’t for the few guards around, a crowd would have certainly gathered because of the crying kid.

Tristan’s lips parted to say something but he couldn’t think of anything to say to a kid to make them stop crying. Damnit, this was one of the reasons he disliked children. But looking at this little girl he didn’t know why he felt an ache in his chest at seeing her cry.

He reached his hands slowly and touched the girl’s head, her ebony hair felt really soft. This time, he lowered his voice and said, “Stop crying.”

When the girl’s blue eyes glanced up to meet his own, he suddenly felt some unknown emotions in his heart.

“But…” She muttered softly then sniffed so pitifully, “…Daddy doesn’t like me.”

Those words caused his blood to freeze, his hazel eyes looked distant for a moment.

In the past he knew a little boy who desperately wanted to get his father’s attention, but at the time, that man had eyes for a different family.

Knowing that boy’s feelings, he knew the boy would have wished his father would have done something, even a little action to show him some affection.

“I’m sure he does.” Tristan said, finding himself caressing the girl’s hair comfortingly. Surprisingly this worked to make the girl stop crying, but a sheen of tears still lingered in her eyes.

“But you’re my Daddy, do you like me then?”

Tristan was suddenly rendered speechless.

Why was this kid misunderstanding him as her father?

Tristan stared hard into the girl’s face and the more he looked, the more the memory of a woman rose in his mind.

Celine.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep