He was no longer a wandering drifter, rootless like duckweed.
"Lucas, Lucas..." Sienna Johnson called.
"Hmm?"
"What were you thinking? I called you several tis, but you didn’t hear ."
"I was spacing out."
Sienna Johnson squinted slightly, looking at Lucas Robertson. Lucas had a robust build and slightly dark skin, giving off the impression of sturdy iron. But now, he seed much softer to her.
"Indeed, a man about to beco a father gives off a different vibe," Sienna smiled.
"I’ve never been a father before. I’m working hard to beco a good one!" Lucas said earnestly.
"As long as you’re there for your child, you’re a good father."
This was her personal experience. For a child, no material condition could compare to their parents’ presence.
Sienna shifted the topic back. "Did Milo Leland really lose his mind?"
"Yes."
"Was it Aiden Howard’s doing?"
"Yes."
"What did Aiden Howard do to Milo Leland to drive him insane?" Driving soone to madness surely required extre asures. Sienna felt a deep sense of dread towards Aiden.
Lucas said expressionlessly, "Aiden Howard had Milo’s parents’ skeletal remains pulverized, mixed the powder with water, and forced Milo to drink it all. That’s what broke him."
After hearing this, Sienna felt a chill down her spine. She couldn’t help but picture Aiden’s face, with its ever-present, unsettling smile that failed to conceal his insidious nature. It seed as though even deeper darkness lurked behind that facade.
"Help investigate Aiden Howard," Sienna instructed, her fingers tapping on the desk.
Lucas asked, "Why?"
Isn’t Aiden one of Sixth Master’s n? Why would Sienna want to investigate him? Lucas couldn’t understand Sienna’s reasoning.
"Intuition! My intuition! That man... I can’t quite put it into words... I just feel that he—he’s not as simple as he seems." Sienna’s words were disjointed, mirroring her current state of mind.
"Alright."
Whatever Sienna wanted, Lucas would do, without asking too many questions.
After talking to Lucas, Sienna returned to her bedroom with a heavy heart. The bed was empty, but she could hear laughter coming from the bathroom.
"Daddy, why can’t we take a bath together?"
"Because you’re a girl, and I’m a boy."
"But you’re my daddy."
"Even so, I belong to your mommy. You’re my daughter, and you’re not allowed to see my body!"
"Daddy, you’re an! Now that you have Mommy, you’ve forgotten about your daughter."
"You’re wrong. I had your mommy before I had you. Without your mommy, where would you have co from!"
Sienna realized Adrian Desmond was giving Curly a bath. She walked over, knocked on the bathroom door, and reminded her, "Curly, behave during your bath and stop ssing around, got it?"
Giving Curly a bath was definitely a challenge. Curly was like a little eel, slippery and quick, always leaving whoever bathed her drenched by the end.
"I know, Mom, you’re such a nag."
Inside the bathroom, Sienna heard the father and daughter whispering. She leaned in, trying to hear what they were saying, but their voices were too low.
Sienna knocked on the door and said, "What are you two saying about in there? I heard you, you know."
Curly called out, "I didn’t say anything, Mom!"
"You dare lie to ? I heard everything."
Curly giggled, then tried to shift the bla to her father. "Mom, I didn’t say anything bad about you! It was Daddy who said bad things about you!"
Adrian Desmond feigned anger. "I can’t believe I dote on such a little traitor, always throwing under the bus! Let tell you, if you keep this up, I’m not going to spoil you anymore."
"Daddy, Daddy, my good daddy, I was wrong! Please keep spoiling , spoil lots and lots!"
Listening to their conversation from outside the bathroom, Sienna felt a warmth spread through her heart, seeming to ease the burdens of her day. Their family was warm, stable, and happy. Even if the world outside was full of storms and thunder, it ant nothing here.
Half an hour later, Curly finished her bath.
"Mom, I’m all clean! Do I sll nice?"
Curly was cradled in her father’s arms, wearing a white bunny-thed bathrobe. Her curly hair was still damp, her cheeks were rosy like an apple, and her eyes crinkled with a happy smile.
Sienna put down her magazine, only to see Adrian Desmond looking completely soaked and rather flustered.
She laughed. "What happened to you? You look like a drowned rat!"
Adrian Desmond looked helpless. "I am never giving your daughter a bath again." He then shook his head lightly, his gaze towards their daughter softening with tenderness and indulgence.
He placed Curly on the bed. The mont she landed, she started hopping around and singing a children’s song, "Little bunny, good and dear, open up the door, open here..."
"Mommy, do I look like a little bunny?" she asked, tugging the two bunny ears on her hood and tilting her head.
"Co here, you little bunny. Let dry your hair, or you’ll catch a cold tomorrow."
"Little bunny coming!" Mimicking a rabbit, Curly hopped over to her mother and knelt, letting her dry her hair.
"Mom, can I talk to you about sothing?"
As Sienna dried her hair, she asked, "What is it?"
"I want a new hairstyle."
"What kind of hairstyle do you want?"
"I don’t want curly hair anymore. I want straight hair and bangs, like a Barbie Princess!" Curly declared, clearly dissatisfied with her curls.
"But your curly hair is natural; it can’t be straightened."
"Mom, you’re treating like a little kid and fibbing again! Nowadays, even curly hair can be straightened. Auntie Leanne’s long hair is so pretty!" Curly said, enviously grabbing a lock of her mother’s hair. It was soft and silky, with a beautiful, radiant sheen.
"Mom, am I really your daughter?"
"Of course you are."
"You’re so mischievous. If you weren’t my daughter, I would’ve given you away a long ti ago." Sienna finished drying her daughter’s hair, then handed the towel to Adrian Desmond. "You should go take a shower too before you catch a cold."
"Mmm," Adrian Desmond agreed, taking the towel and heading into the bathroom to shower.
"Since I’m your daughter, why do you have straight hair and I have curly hair? I want to have pretty straight hair like you, Mom."
"Do you know why that is?" Sienna looked at Curly seriously. Curly blinked her big eyes, looking back at her mother with equal seriousness.
"Why?"
"It’s called genetic mutation!"
Curly didn’t understand such a technical term, but seeing her mother’s expression, she had a feeling it wasn’t anything good.
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