“I don’t have time. I’ll get Frankie to bring you out for lunch,” Justin replied.
“No, Daddy! You need to eat with Mommy and me!” Charlotte wailed. Justin was about to reject the young girl when Rachel spoke up. “Let’s treat this as my welcome meal, boss. We can eat with Charlotte; I’ll buy you guys a meal. It’s just one meal with your child, so it’s not going to take up that much time.”
Justin was captivated by her calm demeanor, and he found it hard to reject her request. For the first time, a sense of confusion flooded him as he considered the one question that popped up in his mind. Why did I divorce this woman in the first place?
“I want to eat with both Daddy and Mommy! Let’s go!” Charlotte gave Justin’s arm a powerful tug. Both the girls were asking him to go along, and it’d seem like he had something to hide if he didn’t just agree with them.
Therefore, Justin pulled his car keys out as he led the way to the car. “I’m heading out. Call me if there’s anything.” He left Frankie some orders.
“Got it, President Burton,” Frankie replied.
With one hand holding onto Rachel’s arm, Charlotte waved her other hand toward Frankie. “I’ll bring some good food back for you, Mr. Beckham!”
Frankie ruffled her hair. “Thanks, Charlotte.” The assistant turned to Rachel and gave her a nod after that. Rachel looked completely different from how she used to look five years ago. Frankie wouldn’t even have recognized her if they had bumped into each other on the streets.
Once they got to the garage, Justin threw his keys to Rachel, who froze. “Why are you handing me this?”
“Are you expecting me to drive?” he asked her in return.
“But… It’s your car. Why won’t you drive it?” she uttered. Right when Justin was bending down to put on Charlotte’s seatbelt for her, the young girl stuck her head out and winked at Rachel. “Daddy doesn’t know how to drive, Mommy.”
“How is that possible?” Rachel asked.
“Why are you talking so much?” Justin straightened himself as he shot Rachel an annoyed glare. “Are we going for lunch or not? I don’t have that much free time.” He got into the car immediately after that.
Rachel knitted her brows as she held the handle on the car door. Does Justin not know how to drive? Charlotte must have been kidding, right?
They arrived at a restaurant that Charlotte picked. It was a quiet place with elegant surroundings. “The fish and chips here taste really good, Mommy. Their pasta is really tasty too,” Charlotte said.
“Do you often come out for meals with Daddy?” Rachel asked when she realized how Charlotte seemed familiar with the dishes.
“No. My aunt is the one who brings me out for food,” Charlotte muttered.
Justin was midway pouring them glasses of water, but he shot the young girl a stare after hearing what she said. “Have you forgotten about all the times I brought you out for meals, you ungrateful
kid?”
Food was served soon after that. “Is it good?” Rachel asked as she peeled a prawn for Charlotte.
“Amazing!” the young girl exclaimed. They were halfway through their meal when the waiter came over with a trolley. “Hello, sir, madam. Today is our restaurant’s family day, so any married couple who
brings their child out is eligible to get our free fruit platter or a bouquet of flowers.” Married couple? Justin froze while Rachel frowned a little. “So, would you guys prefer the fruit platter or some flowers?”
“The flowers, of course!” Before Justin could say much, Charlotte pointed toward the trolley excitedly. “Those red roses, please!”
The young man immediately handed a red rose to Justin. “It seems like the both of you must have a really loving relationship. I hope that you guys grow old together.”
Since the flowers were right in their faces, Justin couldn’t do anything else but take it into his hands. A series of emotions flooded his face as he did so. However, the waiter didn’t leave just yet; he continued to put on a professional smile as he lifted a camera to snap a picture. “Smile! Look at the camera!”
“You need a picture too?” Justin’s face fell even more.
“Let’s take one! Let’s…” Charlotte urged Justin. “Give the flower to Mommy, and we’ll take a picture.” Everyone was watching him, so Justin didn’t have any choice but to hand the rose to Rachel.
The waiter pressed the shutter the moment Rachel took the flower from Justin’s hand. Click! The heartwarming moment shared by the family of three was captured and frozen in time. “Thank you, sir, madam. Have a great meal!”
Justin and Rachel exchanged rather awkward gazes after the waiter left. Charlotte, on the other hand, held onto the empty polaroid and shook it in the air. “It’s coming out! Look at it, Daddy!” Only then did the both of them return to their senses.
Rachel placed the rose aside to look at the picture in Charlotte’s hand. The outline of their figures was beginning to surface, and Charlotte was grinning so much that her gums were showing. Her eyes were the shape of half-moons as she exclaimed in joy, “This is my first ever family portrait, Mommy, Daddy!”
Initially, Justin hadn’t wanted to keep the photo, but he felt his insides melting after he heard what Charlotte said. The young girl was brought up by a single parent. Although she appeared bold and stubborn on the outside, she certainly recognized that she was lacking something as a growing child. Justin tried his best to be lenient and understanding toward her, but no amount of leniency had ever made her as happy as she was in the past two days.
“Can we take more pictures in the future, Mommy, Daddy?” Charlotte looked up at her parents, her gaze filled with anticipation.
Rachel gave Justin a look before she stroked Charlotte’s hair. “Mommy and Daddy can take tons of pictures with you if that’s what makes you happy, Charlotte.” Justin frowned a little.
None of them noticed a dark figure seated in the corner of the restaurant. Amber had followed them over to the store. At that moment, her face was a sickly pale shade as she watched the family of three getting along happily. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Rachel had left this child here in the past just to achieve what she’s doing now. I hadn’t expected her to play this move. It was too well calculated.
er pulled her phone out to make a call. “How’s it going with the things I told you to do earlier?” She continued after a short pause, “Okay. I want to see results.” An icy expression surfaced in her eyes after she ended the call.
Meanwhile, Justin had to rush back to the company after they finished their meal. Rachel parked the car in the garage, and she turned back to find Charlotte fast asleep on the child’s car seat.
“Can you wait here for a while? I’ll get someone to bring her home,” Justin said.
“It’s fine. You go ahead with your work; I’ll send her back,” Rachel replied. “I don’t have much to do in
the afternoon anyway.”
After taking a look at his daughter, who was fast asleep, he agreed with Rachel’s idea. “Sure.”
While Rachel refastened her seatbelt, she looked into the rearview mirror to see Justin’s figure leaving the garage. She then drove Justin’s car out of the garage and sent Charlotte home into her room. The maid came over to thank Rachel while she was tucking Charlotte into bed. “It’s a little windy today, and Charlotte isn’t dressed in really thick clothes. You should prepare some warm soup so that she can have it once she’s awake.”
“I got it,” the maid replied.
“I’ll be here with her for a while. You can go on with your work,” Rachel told her.
“Ah, okay.” After the maid left, Rachel glanced at the bedroom door and listened as the maid’s footsteps grew farther and farther away. Once there was no longer any sound from the hallway, Rachel got to her feet and left Charlotte’s bedroom.
She was familiar with the way to Justin’s bedroom, and she opened the wardrobe to reveal the safebox inside.
