Carmen spent the evening having dinner at Sophiaâs place. When she was done, she took Judge, which was wearing its skirt, by the harness and headed home. Judge was beyond recognition, for it was covered in tattoos, and its claws were painted bright red. It could no longer tell if it was a dog or a doll.
âMiss, my daddy is coming home soon. So I need to go back now. Iâll come play with you again tomorrow. Youâll need a full course of bear dance to recover, okay?â
Sophia packed the desserts she just learned to make, including the jelly and pudding, for Carmen to be brought home. She even packed extra for her two âdaddiesâ.
She gave the packed desserts to the nannies. Apparently, Carmen had five to six nannies, and all of them were highly educated!
Sophia stood at the entrance as she gazed at Carmen, who was heading home. She also noticed a car parked in front of Villa No.8. Both her âdaddiesâ were back. One of them carried her lovingly and lifted her high up in the air.
Such a wonderful, happy family!
Itâs a shame that the Cethosian society could not accept their love. Life must be tough for themâ¦
She returned to her living room, the laughter of joy heard earlier still lingering in her ears. Now that the guests were gone, she felt emptiness creeping in.
Cooper saw the disappointment on her face and consoled her, âItâs okay, dear baby. I will bring you out for a ride tomorrow.â
Upon that, Sophia let out a forced smile.
At Villa No.8.
There was a feast going on tonight again. As it was the first dinner after New Year, the food would have to be rich and extravagant.
Stanley grabbed Michael the moment he stepped in through the door. âUncle Michael, look at what your daughter has done to my dear Judge! I donât care. You gotta pay me back! At least with a bottle of wine.â
Michael glanced at Judge and noticed its pathetic skirt and the heavy makeup. He could not bear the sight.
This sh*tty dog has been freeloading for years; itâs time for it to pay back.
Before he could say anything, Carmen interrupted by snarling at Stanley. âStan, youâre making daddy drink with you again! I wonât allow it!â
Everyone said daddy turned into a big bad wolf because he drank wine, so he shall not drink another drop!
Stanley tried to weasel out and explained, âIâm drinking, but you daddy isnât. Iâll drink all the wine in your house, then you daddy wonât have any left to drink.â
Carmen replied, âYou wish! Donât even think about it! Iâm saving it for my future husband!â
Stanley was left speechless.
A moment later, Carmen discreetly whispered to Stanley, âStan, Iâll offer you the wine in my house. Only 998 for each bottle. Donât tell daddy! You should take all the bottles away; Iâll offer you a package price.
With no wine left, daddy wonât turn into a big bad wolf anymore.â
Stanley was lost for words once more.
Stanley and Sean were invited over for dinner that night together with Harry and Sarah. Harry brought his son, Hope, too. Hope inherited his bad-boy charm from his father. Although he carried this dangerous vibe with him wherever he went, it was contradicted by his beautiful looksâsomething he got from his mother. It had been bothering him for a while, for he wished to exude a more dominating presence.
Carmen had had her meal at Sophiaâs place much earlier, so she skipped dinner. Her nannies reported to Michael what she had eaten. Everything she ate had to be inspected by Nicholas beforehand. Michael was pleased to know that his little daughter did not forget to take away some food for him after having a meal somewhere else. The pain and suffering I went through for her was worth it, after all.
âDaddy, Miss gave these to me. You can have them.â
Michael opened the pink lunch box and noticed the pudding and jelly within. He could tell they were not made with enough practice. He then went ahead and tasted a couple of spoonfuls of jelly. To his amazement, they were delicious and fragrant.
He was going for more when he saw Carmen gaping at him. He could tell she really wanted to eat them, but she did not have the heart to keep it all to herself. She even had that adorable frown on her faceâ¦
Those watery eyes were more than enough to make Michael feel guilty. He then carried her onto his lap and fed her the desserts.
âDear baby, why donât you eat them? I donât really like them anyway.â
As Carmen enjoyed the jelly and pudding, she said to Michael, âDaddy, the Miss next door is also uncleâs dear baby. Uncle gave his dear baby a big lion! The big lion is this big! This big!â She described by reaching out both her little arms as far apart as she could.
Michael replied, âThey have big lions, but we have big pandas. Good girl, when youâre older, letâs go see my big pandas.â
He personally fed her every spoonful of dessert until she was done before he resumed his own dinner.
Everyone gathered at the table and chatted. Sarah brought up the topic about the new neighbors who had moved into Villa No.2.
âI saw Linusâ niece, Lucile. Linus said she contracted a severely infectious disease called Vir-18 back in Africa. As a result, her entire face was disfigured. Sigh. I wonder if sheâll ever recover. It might be hard.â
Michaelâs ears stood up. He knew a long while ago that someone had moved into Villa No.2. One of them was Linus, and another was a lady with a disfigured face who never showed it.
Sarah continued, âI think Lucileâs pretty young. Linus said sheâs barely 20 years old. Her face and vocal cord were ruined, and she had to come to Cethos to seek medical help. I even saw Lucileâs father today.
He looked rather young. He could pass off as a thirty-something-year-old. He even resembles Chester, that washed-out internet celebrity. You remember Chester? Heâs the one who became viral over a photo several years ago. He later participated in a singing contest, but he didnât last long in show business.â
By the time Sarah was done with her words, the men at the table froze as they stared at her.
Stanley gaped at her, a chicken drumstick still in his mouth as he exclaimed, âLucileâs father looks like Chester?â
Sarah could not fathom everyoneâs reaction. Seeing everyone staring at her, she said, âWhatâs wrong with you guys? Lucileâs father really looks like Chester, except that heâs more refined than Chester!â
Still speechless, everyone shifted their sights toward Michael.
Chester was that internet celebrity Cooper resembled.
Someone who resembles Cooper appeared in Linusâ house. Wouldnât that meanâ¦
A long-standing mystery that had been bothering everyone for years was about to be disclosed, yet everyone was far from feeling excited. As a matter of fact, they felt a growing despair.
Back when Sophia was still around, she desperately wished she could meet her own father in person.
Alas, she did not get that chance even until the day she died. When Sophia was in peril, Michael thought of seeking help from the Michel Family. If Fass Michel was indeed Cooper Mitchel, he would not let his own daughter suffer.
However, he was not very well acquainted with Linus, so he could not even contact the latter during that moment. The Michel Family was very mysterious; they were like a dragon with impenetrable scales for armorâno spear or sword could get through to them. Michael could not even find Fass, let alone verify if Fass and Cooper were actually the same person!
It seems that Cooper already has his own family and children. It shouldnât matter to him anymore whether he used to have children. Michael was filled with sorrow, especially for Sophia. Both of them were Cooperâs daughtersâLucile was brought up in an abundant and loving family, while his chica had to suffer since she was young. Not only that, she married such a useless husband who could not help her when they turned her into a pot of stew!