CHAPTER 15: CHAPTER 15: PHONE CALL WITH BLAKE SINCLAIR

No more endless work emails, no need to be on call 24/7; Holly Crowe finally had the chance to wake up naturally.

In recent days, she had thoroughly cleaned her house, and spent the rest of her time with Celia Stiles at the Lunar Lotus Studio, making for rather fulfilling days.

During this time, Secretary Lynch from the secretary’s office sent a few messages, filled with hints of gossip.

He said that the day after she took her leave, Zion Pence had Mia Chapelle take over most of her work.

He mentioned that Daniel Alden, who usually didn’t get along with her, was oddly attentive to Mia Chapelle.

He even said that word had spread in the company break room that someone had seen Zion Pence and Mia Chapelle entering the same hotel one after the other.

But Holly Crowe only responded with a few nonchalant greetings, without any interest in opening the messages about Zion and Mia.

Daniel Alden’s odd behavior didn’t surprise her.

Zion Pence had managed to cover things up so flawlessly for three years, and she figured Daniel Alden must have been instrumental.

It truly affirmed the old saying, "birds of a feather flock together."

Understanding this, the stone that’s been pressing on her heart lightened somewhat.

But she really wasn’t in the mood to dwell on these matters right now.

Lunar Lotus Studio had been invited to join the Thirteenth Lane market event, and after three days, Holly was worn out, though Celia was still full of energy.

As they were closing up, Celia stretched with a sigh, "Finally, it’s over."

Holly was about to make a joke when she heard a crisp child’s voice, "Crowe!"

Shirley Sinclair, with her double bun hairstyle, was standing on the left front side of the stall in her Beldon First Kindergarten uniform skirt, with a pink strawberry bear backpack on her shoulders.

She ran over with quick little steps, her backpack bouncing behind her.

"Shirley?" Holly glanced around and quickly moved forward to pull her to her side, "How come you’re here by yourself?"

Little Sinclair looked up with wide eyes blinking, "I saw so many pretty hair clips here, I want to buy some for Mom..."

She pointed to the stall next door that sold hair accessories.

Holly felt a pang in her heart.

Beldon First Kindergarten was just next door, but letting such a young child wander the market alone...

"Who brought you here?" Holly asked.

Shirley shook her backpack, not noticing anything amiss, "The driver uncle was late, so I came by myself. Red light, stop; green light, go. The teacher taught us in class."

Holly felt her vision darken, as she could already see the Sinclair Family digging up the earth, mobilizing the whole city to search.

Thankfully, the Lunar Lotus Studio stall was right at the entrance to the market; if something happened to the Sinclair family’s little princess... she dared not think further.

Holly quickly explained to Celia and took Shirley’s hand back to Lunar Lotus Studio.

On the way back, Shirley chatted incessantly until they reached the store and Holly gave her a cookie, which finally quieted her.

"Crowe, your cookies are better than the kindergarten’s!" Shirley sat on the sofa swinging her legs, cookie crumbs falling on her uniform skirt.

Holly couldn’t help smiling, but also felt a lingering fear.

She was just about to contact the Sinclair Family when she saw Shirley hop off the sofa and pull a smartwatch out of her backpack.

"Mom is calling me!" Shirley waved the watch at her from a distance.

Just as the call connected, before she could call out "Mom," the voice on the other end startled her, "Shirley, where did you go?"

Shirley’s voice, after being scolded, came with a stutter, "I... Mom..."

The voice on the other end already carried a sob, "Didn’t we tell you not to run off after school? The driver called you so many times, why didn’t you answer?"

Little Sinclair’s eyes immediately turned red, "Sorry, Mom... I... the watch was in my backpack..." As she spoke, tears began to fall and she burst into tears.

Holly quickly crouched down, soothingly patting Shirley’s trembling back.

She took the watch still in call, "Hello, Shirley’s mom, I’m Holly Crowe. Don’t worry, she’s safe with me. We’re at the Lunar Lotus Studio in the Thirteenth Lane market. You can send the driver over, I’ll stay with her until then."

The line was silent for a while, and Holly pressed her lips together, continuing, "You can also call me directly, my number is 1352..."

"Miss Crowe, this is Blake Sinclair."

A deep male voice cut in unexpectedly, making Holly’s fingers twitch.

She hadn’t expected someone else to take over the call so quickly and was momentarily stunned, "Hello, President Sinclair."

From the other end came the sound of rustling, "I’ll be at the store in five minutes; could you please look after Shirley until then?"

Holly agreed.

Five minutes later, a black Maybach parked at the store entrance.

Blake Sinclair stepped out of the car, his dark gray three-piece suit’s hem fluttering slightly in the breeze.

Today, he wasn’t wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, his sharp gaze unshielded.

Though Shirley had stopped crying, her eyes were still red. She hugged Holly’s shoulder, trembling intermittently, and upon seeing Blake Sinclair approaching, she buried her head in Holly’s embrace.

"Shirley." Blake Sinclair stepped forward, reaching out, his voice deeper than on the call.

But little Shirley remained unmoved and, after hearing his voice, held onto Holly’s neck even tighter, smearing her tears on Holly’s shoulder, leaving a water-stained circle on her beige long dress.

A smokeless confrontation ensued.

Holly patted Shirley’s back, mouthing the words softly to Blake, "President Sinclair, let me..."

Before she could finish, Shirley’s legs kicked in the air, her little shoes nearly hitting Holly’s stomach several times.

Blake Sinclair’s eyes darkened, his fingers tightening slightly around the rear car door, his watch reflecting a cold gleam.

"Today is Friday." He suddenly said, "Shirley, PADA closes in an hour and a half."

The words seemed to have magical power; Shirley immediately stopped crying.

She lifted her tear-streaked face to look at Blake Sinclair, her small mouth forming a stubborn line.

Blake Sinclair maintained his usual composed demeanor, and as he raised his hand to check the time, Shirley finally spoke her first words, "I want Crowe to come with me!"

Holly was taken aback, "?"

What is PADA?

Fifteen minutes later, the black Maybach was parked steadily in a roadside parking spot.

Holly texted Celia from the back seat.

A child’s emotions come and go quickly.

Shirley had already regained her energy, leaning beside Holly, chattily introducing the delicious desserts at PADA.

Before getting into the car, Blake Sinclair noticed her confusion and explained that PADA was Shirley’s favorite dessert shop; however, since she was in a tooth-replacement phase, her family limited her sweets to once a week on Fridays.

Holly understood, realizing Shirley had stopped crying earlier because her gluttonous nature had surfaced.

After the car engine was turned off, the three got out.

PADA dessert shop’s decor featured a soft creamy color, with a stuffed bear hanging from the sign at the entrance. Through the large windows, several pretty girls could be seen checking in.

Once in the shop, Shirley held Holly’s hand with familiarity, leading her to the counter to place their order.

As they passed the customer area, they overheard a few gasps from the girls taking pictures:

"Girls, this one’s real! That man is quite handsome; his face is exactly what I imagined my ideal type to be! He’s definitely a catch!"

"He sure is handsome, but why do I find him familiar? But you’d better not think too much, didn’t you see he has a wife and kid..."