After learning from his experience of raising Nate, he worked extra hard to raise Carmen. He took care of everything by himself and no longer made other people do the work. He changed Carmenâs diapers, and he even cleaned her after she peed and pooped. He formulated milk powder for her under the guidance of an expert and when she was ill, he guarded her all day and night.
ââ¦She was very sick and in a lot of pain. The doctor even advised me to euthanize her and let her go peacefully, but Carmen was still trying very hard to continue breathing. Her heart was beating hard and I knew that she wanted to live. She was always so strong and optimistic. No matter how bad the situation was, she tried her best to live on. I stayed next to her in the hospital and watched them inject things into Carmenâs thin arms again and again. She relied on a ventilator to survive. Occasionally, she would open her eyes and look at me. As soon as I stretched out my hand, her little hand would grab my fingers hard.
Although she was still ignorant and didnât know who I was, she knew that I hadnât given up on her. She was trying hard to live for me. Then, she overcame all difficulties and survived healthily.â
When Sophia heard Michael talk about this, she couldnât help but cry.
That scene felt familiar to her.
Back then when she was in a coma, she seemed to have heard similar words. The doctors were saying that she could not survive and would die in endless pain. They said that it would be better to euthanize her and let her pass away peacefully.
However, a pair of warm and strong hands held her all the time, desperately trying to warm her. Although she was in a lot of pain and she wanted to give up so that she could be free, the warmth of those big hands had given her courage. She was in a lot of pain, but she still wanted to live. She wanted to live no matter how small the chance was!
It was simply a gift from heaven that she could survive and even reunite with Carmen and her dad!
âYou made me cryâ¦â Sophia sobbed.
Michael kissed her on the forehead and whispered in her ear, âWill you promise me one thing? You and Carmen are everything to me. Donât leave me, okayâ¦?â
He tasted his own salty tears, and he heard Sophiaâs soft voice answering, âOkayâ¦â
Early in the morning the next day, Cooper learned that Michael had slept in Sophiaâs building all night.
His face flushed red with rage, and he kept glaring at Michael during breakfast. Michael didnât back down either.
Sophia knew that the two of them were at odds with each other, so she intervened and said, âOkay, stop staring at each other. If you guys keep glaring, you might become cross-eyed soon.â
It was only then did Michael and Cooper finally stop.
Although Cooper was angry that Michael had taken away his baby girl, as a father, he was still grateful to him. They had both watched their daughter dying in front of them before. Thinking about it this way, he had a better understanding of Michael.
Still, they were still on opposite sides because Michael wanted to snatch away Cooperâs baby girl. This was simply unforgivable!
Bubbles came over and the huge dog looked at Michael pitifully, as if he knew that Michael was going to leave. Michael patted its head and said, âDad is going out to make a lot of money. Take care of our home and donât destroy it.â
Bubbles stuck out her tongue, looking very cute.
Carmen immediately skipped over and said, âI also want you to ruffle my hair!â
Michael freed up a hand to ruffle Carmenâs hair and said to Sophia, âLook, our pets are also very cute.
When Carmen enters elementary school, letâs get a few more pets.â
Sophia hugged Sunset. The beautiful Ragdoll cat was full of aristocratic temperament.
She finally knew why she had decided to raise so many cats and dogsâit was because she couldnât have children at that time.
It was said that in many feudal families in Cethos, women who could not give birth to children, especially those who could not give birth to sons, had to be hung up and beaten. In comparison, Michael truly treated her well. She had not been able to have children after so many years of marriage, but he didnât hang her up and beat her. He even raised so many pets with her.
The family was enjoying themselves. Cooper, who was left out, couldnât stand it anymore. After eating, he changed into his clothes and went out. His baby girl was about to be snatched away, so he felt an even more urgent need to find his son.
Before leaving, he fed his tortoise and said to Dimon, âSend him off in a while. Keep an eye on him.â
When he said this, his fierce eyes were staring at Michael.
Dimon was speechless.
Iâm just sending Michael to the airport. Why does it sound like Michael is going to be killed? Geez.
After eating breakfast, Linus dropped Carmen off at the kindergarten.
âUncle Linus, please take good care of Carmen.â Sophia said goodbye to Linus at the door. Meanwhile, without Cooper around, Michael took it one step further and openly placed his arm around Sophia as her lover.
Linus glanced at them and said, âYeah.â
Carmen went out wearing new clothes. She was wearing a fuschia hat with two pointy cat ears, and she was in a pink outfit. Her hands, which were in her little gloves, waved. âDaddy, you can be rest assured and go off now. Make sure you earn money to buy me a floral dress!â
After leaving the house, Linus glanced at Messenger calmly and realized that he had a new message.
Alice texted, âEverything is ready.â
â¦
This time round, Michael didnât let Sophia send him off. The journey would take two or three hours, and he couldnât bear letting her feel tired.
Michael and Harry returned to the crew together. So far, they had been on leave for five days already.
They were the main male leads so if they didnât come back, the crew would be in big trouble.
As soon as Michael came back, he saw an extra person in the crew. She was an extremely beautiful Western woman with dazzling blond hair who stood out in the crew.
This time round, the crew of âThe Winter Breakthroughâ hired a well-known foreign photography team, and the woman was a well-known photographer.
When Michael came, the woman had already become acquainted with Celine and was teaching her English.
âHello, Mr. Murray. I have been a fan of yours for many years. Please call me Alice.â
The Western women took the initiative to talk to Michael. She had long legs and a very tall figure. Even if she was wearing thick winter clothes, she still couldnât hide her beautiful curves, and she was very proud of her height of 1.7-meter. When she looked up at him, there was just the right amount of worship and pleasant surprise in her eyes. She didnât look too cold nor overly fanatical.
As soon as Michael lowered his head, he saw her work tag.
She was Alice Michel, an assistant photographer.
Michelâ¦
Michael frowned when he saw this surname. Still, he shook hands with Alice and said, âNice to meet you.
Thank you for your hard work.â
Alice smiled. She had very sharp facial features, and her eyes were as blue and as beautiful as the deep sea. She said, âIt is an honor for me to join this team. Iâd appreciate your kind guidance.â
She was not very fluent in Cethosian, but even her accent sounded elegant, just like herself.
The two talked briefly before they separated.
After Michael and Harry returned, they started shooting on a tight schedule.
From then onward, there was an extra employee in the crewâAlice. She had a good personality, and on top of that, she was very gentle and good-looking. Thus, she was the most liked person in the crew second only to Cereberus.
Michael worked overtime to finish his work faster, but he didnât expect that disaster would soon befall him.