“Nina!”
Nina, whose mind had been wandering, was jolted back to senses by Nicole’s voice. Hastily, she leaped up to her feet and responded to Nicole, “Mommy.”
“Nina, it pains me to see how much weight you’ve lost. Please do eat more later, alright?”
Nina nodded. “Thanks for caring about me so much, Mommy.” Then, she took the initiative to apologize to Nicole, “Mommy, the way I dealt with Chris’ matter before this was clearly not right. But now, I’ve figured it all out and I’ve realized my mistake. From now on, I’ll do as Daddy said by never getting in touch with him again.”
Sizing Nina up, Nicole asked her gently, “Nina, may I know what has enlightened you to come around all of a sudden?”
Nina tugged the hem of her shirt subconsciously before putting a faint smile on her face. “I think what Daddy and you said are right – I should prioritize my studies over everything else at my age.”
Having noticed her body language, Nicole doubted what she said, but she did not let her suspicion show. “Oh, really? I can see you’re growing into a big girl now that you can finally accept the advice from us. Nina, please bear in mind that you will always be our sweetheart, and we’ll love you dearly at all times!”
Nina was touched by Nicole’s words, although her heart did not flutter and race like the way it did when she had read Chris’ message.
As much as she was aware of her parent’s love for her, she would still prefer to have sole control in her love life. The chance to meet the love of one’s life was scarce. According to Sheila, if one happened to miss it, there would be no second chance at it. That was the reason why Sheila fought so hard to be with Davin, who was the love of her life. Everyone had to make an effort to fight for their happiness, or life would not be worth living at all.
Nina couldn’t agree more with Sheila’s principle. In the end, Sheila’s effort did come to fruition as she managed to have a blissful life with Davin now. Inspired by her success, Nina was determined to emulate her and to make sure she would have no regrets in life.
“Mommy, I’ll keep that in mind. Why don’t we head to the dining hall now? My stomach is rumbling,” Nina said.
“Sure.”
By the time Nicole and Nina stepped into the dining hall, Maya’s cake was ready as well. “Everyone, please have a taste of my cake! I didn’t put too much honey in it, so it won’t be too sweet to be enjoyed in the morning!”
“The cake is gorgeous. The stripes of honey on top of it really look like rays of morning sunlight! Maya, Mommy is very happy to see how good you’re at baking now. I believe both Nina and you will have a very bright future ahead.”
Feeling elated, Maya responded with a smile, “I think so too, Mommy. I believe Nina and I are on the right track to becoming better and better!”
With that, she spun around and faced Evan. “Daddy, could you please organize a Gourmet Conference for me? Instead of putting my desserts on exhibition, I’m going to showcase my newest food plaza system!”
“What kind of system is that?” Evan stared at Maya with a look of astonishment.
Maya took some time to contemplate her answer before answering Evan, “Daddy, I’m afraid I have to keep the details confidential. All I can say is that I’m sure it will be a hit! Not only can this system make it easier for people to discover delicious food, but it can also ensure a satisfactory user experience!”
“Wow, you certainly sound very confident about that system of yours!”
“Yes, Daddy. Are you interested in finding out more about how the system works? Do you feel like learning the details right here, right now?”
Intrigued by Maya’s description, Nicole said, “Maya, I think you’d better give us a rough idea of your system first so that we can tell you whether it’s viable or not before you go on to embarrass yourself.”
“Mommy, why can’t you have some confidence in me? Don’t worry! I’m not going to screw up this time.”
All of a sudden, Nina chimed in, “Maya, I believe in you! Daddy, please do organize the conference for Maya.”
It will be easier for my plan to work if Daddy and Mommy focus all their attention on preparing Maya’s Gourmet Conference!
