Julian touched his box bof /bcigarettes but held himself back. He sighed and said, “I don’t want to have anyone else in charge of thepany unless there’s no other option. You know how manypanies with billions in worth have been ruined by those pests, right? Besides, the shareholders would never agree.”

    Esther fell silent. Her heart ached for him.

    He lowered his voice and asked her a few things, to which she answered, b“/bThere hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary.”

    Despite thatb, /bhe would still bvisit /bLandon every night and speak to thetter through the incubator. That night would be no exception.

    As for Gabrie, he also had ns for her. She was his flesh and blood, and he would ensure she grew up without worries, even if he couldn’t be by her side. He wanted her to spend the rest of her life in bliss and do only what she loved. All that mattered was that she was happy.

    No one would expect her to grow up to be an heiress who would push herself harder than anyone else.

    Julian sat behind his desk in his study. He spoke to Liam on the phone and curbed his and Mnie’s desire toe over and visit. He only told them to drop by on thest day to see Gabrie.

    Amaid knocked on the door just as he hung up. “Sir, Mr. Lawless is here.”

    Zachary had arrived.

    Julian said calmly, “Bring him here.”

    Shortly after, the door swung open, and Zachary walked in. He sat on the couch and opened his briefcase to pull out a document. “This is a mediapany directly under your control. The 60% stake you own will be fully gifted to your daughter, Gabrie Harper. She’ll haveplete authority to do whatever she wants with it when she turns 18.”

    He couldn’t helpmenting the situation—a man as devoted to his career as Julian had thrown his rationality out the window after falling in love. He didn’t even want his empire anymore.

    Julian’s 60% stake in the mediapany was worth over 80 billion dors, yet he was giving it all to an infant who wasn’t even a month old.

    Of course, Zachary also felt envious. Some people were just born into such privilege.

    He pushed the document to Julian. “Please sign in the ces I’ve marked.”

    Julian thumbed through the document before signing and stamping it. Zachary left behind a photocopy of the document before leaving silently in the night.

    After Zachary left, Julian sat alone in the study for a while longer before heading to the nursery. It was quiet in the night, and he smelled the faint scent of flowers in the air. It smelled nice.

    He knocked on the nursery door and entered to see Willow feeding Gabrie. Thetter was curled up in Willow’s arms, her eyes shut as she ate, looking satisfied.

    Julian shut the door and approached them. He crouched and gently stroked Gabrie’s face.

    Willow didn’t shy away from him.

    His heart melted, and he tenderly caressed Gabrie’s hair as he looked up at Willow. “How many times do you need to feed her ‘ in a day? Does she wake up at night? Does she fuss?”

    Willow said, “She’s a good girl. She needs to be fed twice during the night.”

    Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “She’s like you. You must’ve also been a good girl as a baby, Willow.”

    She didn’t respond to that. She was still cold to him–she’d onlye for the b20/b–billion–dor guaranteeb, /bafter all.

    Naturally, he sensed this and smiled bitterly. He ced the photocopy of the earlier document on the bedside table and stroked Gabrie’s hair again. “Take good care of yourself and Gabrie abroad. Thispany is my gift to her. If possible, take a few photos of her now and then so I can see her.”

    Willow looked up at him. He smiled faintly and said, “I know you don’t want it, but it’s something I’m giving to my daughter. No matter how we turn out, I will always be Gabrie’s father.”

    Willow didn’t refute him. Whatever love they’d shared was well and truly dead; she was out of strength to argue with him.

    Later that night, Julian left the house after receiving a phone call. I was 3:00 am when he returned, and his heart was filled with so much bitterness that he couldn’t share with anyone.

    He went to the nursery to check on Gabrie. The faint smell of milk permeated the room, and it was so blissful that it washed away the despair in his heart.

    He’d just suffered a devastating blow. He wasn’t invincible–he was also human, and he would feel despair so overwhelming that he had no idea what to do.

    Unexpectedly, Gabrie was awake in the darkness. She looked at him with bright eyes.

    The sight made Julian’s heart twist painfully. He bent down to pick her up, holding her close as he pressed his face to hers. He’d never been the type to cry, but tears streamed down his face at that moment.

    The tear streaks seemed to stand out in the darknessb. /b