Chapter 229 - How Kind Of You

Desmond reached a hand out to touch Zaria's face but she evaded it.

His heart broke. "Zaria, things may have changed now that I'm probably a father, but I don't want to lose you. Our relationship doesn't have to change."

It didn't. She knew this, but she also knew that the only way for them to be together was for her to accept Rosaly's existence. Knowing Desmond, he would want to fight for her custody. Was she ready for a little girl to think of her as the reason why her family could not be together?

"Let's talk about it when the results are out." She stepped away from him. It was her way of evading the truth but he humored her.

"You must promise me that no matter what, you will not leave me because of Rosaly." He demanded.

"You can't just ask that of me!" She scoffed.

"I can and I did!" He fired back. "If you want to leave me because you don't love me anymore, I can accept that. But if it's because of someone else, I will not let that happen. And Rosaly definitely qualifies as someone else."

"Are you kidding me?" She huffed, and his serious expression proved that he was not kidding. The man was trapping her. She brushed past him and left.

He sucked in a breath and dug into his pants pocket. He held the blue velvet box he had just taken out in his hand and laughed at himself in ridicule. A few meters down the street, there was a regal hotel that had earned the title of the most romantic hotel in the city. It was the tallest and gave a beautiful view of the city at night, and had a romantic VIP chamber on the rooftop. Tonight, he had booked the VIP chamber. He had planned to ask her out after the banquet and propose to her in the most romantic place in the city. Who would have thought that Angela would come waltzing back into his life and bring with her a daughter to change everything?

"I really don't have any luck with proposing, do I?" He spoke to the velvet box as if it could hear him.

…

The day before.

"Are you looking for Zaria?" Theodore asked Desmond who had just entered his office. He frowned when he remembered that the man who should know where Zaria was during the day was not him but Desmond. "Is she alright?"

"Zaria is perfectly fine." Desmond took a seat when Theodore pointed his hand at the leather chair opposite him. "I came to speak to you about something."

"Get to the point."

Desmond revealed his intention to propose to Zaria. He thought Theodore would be excited to wish him luck but on the contrary, the man was expressionless.

"Do you really think it's a good idea?" He asked.

"I don't see why not." Responded Desmond. "Zaria and I love each other and we both know that we are good for each other. Besides, we are soon-to-be parents now and I think it's best to give our baby a complete family. I'm sure she thinks the same way."

Theodore did not flinch. "That's not the point. Your past is dark. You still have too many pending issues. I suggest you solve these first, instead of pulling my daughter with you into a ditch."

"I will never let any harm befall Zaria." He vowed.

"Of course you wouldn't. If you insist, go ahead and propose to her."

Desmond smiled bitterly as he replayed Theodore's words from the night before over and over. He didn't have his blessing. He should have listened.

His phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"It better be something important." He growled at Liam who had called.

"You ungrateful jerk. Angela is about to leave the banquet."

For a while, he didn't understand why that should concern him. When he realized what he had planned to do, he yelled "got it" into the phone and made a beeline for the exit.

When he arrived, Angela was trying to talk her way out.

"Angela." He called, and she turned with an eye roll.

"Did you order them to stop me?"

"We still have business to finish."

When Rosaly heard his voice, she excitedly ran to him. "Daddy!"

He hesitated, looking down at the cute girl. He suddenly didn't know what to do with her. It was awkward, especially with the girl holding out her arms to be hugged. He quickly realized this and picked her up. His heart stung at the thought that he was holding his daughter for the first time when she was already so old.

Without a word, he turned to leave.

"Where are you taking her?" Angela screeched.

"Stop her." He ordered the guards, who blocked the yelling Angela as he headed to the elevator.

"Daddy, are we going to play?" Questioned the girl a few seconds before she asked, "Why was mommy shouting? Is it because you didn't eat your vegetables?"

"No." He found it odd that the girl would think refusing to eat vegetables warranted getting yelled at. He didn't want to deliberately give her a bad impression of her mother so he changed the topic. "We are going to meet a friend."

As soon as the elevator opened, a nurse greeted them. "You must be Mr. Fort. I'm Victoria, Mr. Preston told me to meet you here."

Rosaly immediately grabbed onto Desmond's clothes, whining in fear.

"Hi there sweetie, you don't need to be scared. I'm not going to inject you." Victoria smiled kindly, but Rosaly's hands only loosened a little.

Desmond rubbed her back. "It's okay. She is only going to check your cheeks."

"Really?" She was relieved when Desmond assured her, so she let him bring her to a room where she opened her mouth with Victoria's instructions. When the nurse got the mouth swab, she gave her a lollipop for being a brave little girl.

"The results will be out on Monday. Shall I send them to your home address?" She asked.

"Send them to my office." He turned to leave.

Angela was beside herself in fury when she learnt what Desmond had gone to do. "I could have sent you her sample. You didn't have to traumatize her like that!"

He gave her back to Angela, his eyes full of warning. "Don't do anything you shouldn't."

"I have no idea what you mean." She shrugged. When she turned to leave, Rosaly stuck her hand out to reach for Desmond.

"Daddy, are you coming with us?"

"No. Go home with mommy." He didn't know how to explain to her. He knew that the girl must be confused because her friends' parents lived together.

The girl tilted her head in confusion and asked, "But other daddies go home with us."

"Rosaly!" Angela roared, having been unable to stop her in time.

On the other hand, Desmond's back stiffened when he processed her words. "Other daddies, Angela?"

"Doesn't every father live with his child? She is confused about it but don't worry. I will not force you to live with us." She brushed it off as an ordinary situation.

Even so, he knew that it was not what the girl meant. It sounded like she was talking about her other daddies. Was Angela so irresponsible as to introduce multiple men to her daughter as her fathers?

He had been reluctant to separate a child from her mother earlier but if this was the case, he would sue for Rosaly's custody as soon as she was proven to be his daughter.

…

Meanwhile, Zaria stumbled into the house feeling exhausted. She had cried in the bathroom for a long time, wiped her tears and redone her makeup in the car. Theodore wouldn't suspect anything.

But when he saw her, he was startled. "Zaria? Why are you back?"

"I don't understand. Is there any reason why I should not come home?" She frowned.

"No. That's not what I meant." Theodore got out of her way. "I just expected you to stay over at Desmond's. You have not been that close to each other lately."

"Of course." She pressed her lips together.

He was even more confused. Did she say no? Why was the situation so different from what he thought? When he peeked at her finger and didn't see any engagement ring, he concluded that the proposal either didn't happen or she said no.

"Princess, you know you can tell me anything, right?" He coaxed when he noticed the emptiness in her eyes, which shattered his heart.

She had intended to keep it to herself and not worry him but as soon as he asked, her tears came gushing out yet again. "He has a daughter."

"What?"

"His ex girlfriend showed up with their daughter." She buried her head in his embrace and explained everything to him.

"Oh princess."

He let her get herself together before asking, "Is that why you rejected him?"

"How did you know?" She sat up straight.

"You reek of heartbreak. The kind which is only ever a result of cutting ties with the one you love." He flicked her forehead.

"So you are the heartbreak expert now, huh?" She laughed at his new superpower through her tears.

He chuckled. "Maybe. Anyway, did he decide to leave you to marry his daughter's mother?"

"No." She bit her lips. It didn't change a thing.

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "So, you are making the decision for him. How kind of you to push your man into another woman's arms even if it breaks his heart."

____

AN

Mass release tomorrow (5-10 chapters, 12:00am to 11:59 pm GMT+8)