Chapter 268 - Old Friend

Emerson was in the middle of inspecting the casino when he suddenly received a phone call from a number he hadn't seen for a long time. He was a little surprised when he saw the name, 'Danson', pop up on his screen. "I can't believe he's still using the same number," Emerson whispered to himself.

All these years, even though he had lost touch with Danson, he never deleted his phone number from his phone; he even copied it over to every new phone he got.

Perhaps...he was secretly hoping that his old friend would contact him again one day. Who knew this day would actually come...

Emerson picked up the phone with curiosity and asked, "Why are you calling Mr. Qian?"

On the other end of the phone, Danson hesitated for a moment before he said, "I need your help."

Emerson was surprised by how straightforward this man was. He usually looked cold and arrogant, but he actually put his pride aside today and directly asked for help.

"What do you need?" Emerson asked. He wasn't agreeing nor rejecting the man until he knew the situation.

"I need to step away from the country for a bit. I'm not sure how long it will take. Can you help me run my company while I'm gone? I will compensate you for it," Danson asked.

Emerson laughed, "Mr. Qian, I have an entire casino to run. How will I have time to help you? Besides, don't you have anyone else to ask?"

"You won't have to do much. You simply need to be there for a few meetings and just to make sure the employees aren't slacking off. My personal assistant will be sending me important doc.u.ments to sign and keeping me updated on most things. I just need your help with anything I can't attend in person. To be honest...you're the only person I can trust," Danson said.

"Me? We've barely talked in 10 years..." Emerson scoffed.

"I know..." Danson said. "But, I also know that you haven't changed in these 10 years."

Emerson heard the seriousness in Danson's voice, "Why are you suddenly leaving the country? Is it an emergency?"

Danson fell silent for a short moment. He was planning to fly to Singapore to look for Marissa and his son, but he didn't want anyone to know about it. After all, what would people say if they knew he had a child with his stepmother? 

Ever since he found out about his son that morning, his mind had been a mess. Why didn't Marissa tell him earlier? Why didn't his father tell him? Was this why his father married Marissa? A million questions ran through his mind.

He sat in the park for a long time trying to gather his thoughts, but it was hard to deal with the news all on his own. He was desperate to talk to someone; to find someone to confide in. But, he had no trustworthy friends. Everyone he knew, simply hung around him because of his status and money.

"I heard Marissa left the country. Are you going to find her?" Emerson guessed.

Danson could sense that Emerson was genuinely concerned about him and felt slightly emotional. All of a sudden, he felt like they were back in high school; like nothing had changed and they were still best friends.

"Ems..." Danson said.

This was a nickname that Danson used to use for his best friend. Ever since 10 years ago, no one had called him that again. It sounded affectionate and nostalgic. "What is it old friend?" Emerson replied caringly.

Danson felt a lump in his throat, he finally felt like he had someone to talk to. He had missed this friend, "I messed up this time. I really messed up..." he said.

"What happened?" Emerson asked patiently.

"Marissa has a son..." Danson said.

"A son?" Emerson repeated.

"Yes," Danson confirmed before he paused for a moment.

He then swallowed and said, "That son is mine..."

...

At this time, over in Guiyang City, guests were gathering and decorations were beginning to go up for one of the biggest weddings of the year.

The wedding of Sean and Natalie was happening the next day and everyone was both relieved and excited.

"We did it!" Natalie said to Sean as she checked the venue of their wedding one last time. "We actually organized everything in one month. I can't believe it!"

Sean hugged his fiancee. "A lot of it was thanks to family and friends. We really need to treat them properly after the wedding."

Natalie nodded in agreement before she checked her watch, "Haili and Jackson should be arriving at any time now. Let's hurry back to Haili's home for dinner."

Sean nodded and walked out holding tightly to his fiancee's hand.

When they arrived at the Feng Family Home, Pumpkin came running up to them. He had been spending the day with Father Feng and he was excited to show off what he had helped cook for dinner. "Daddy! Come, look what I made!" the little boy chuckled excitedly as he grabbed Sean away from Natalie.

Natalie sighed. Ever since the little brat accepted this new Daddy, he had practically forgotten about his Mommy.

Sean saw the look on Natalie's face and laughed helplessly.

But, Natalie was not upset. She was glad that her son finally had a father.

"This is steamed egg with tofu," Pumpkin said as he pointed to a dish. "I cracked the eggs and whisked it!! Grandpa Feng said I did really well. It's SUPER DUPER smooth!"

Sean looked at the eggs and smiled, "You could be a chef when you grow up!"

Pumpkin quickly shook his head, "Food is just my hobby. My real passion is to help people! I want to be a doctor when I grow up!"

Sean smiled proudly at the child, "If that's what you want, you can do anything you put your mind to." The little boy was only 5-years-old and children were ever-changing; who knew what his 'passion' would be next week. But, Sean supported him nonetheless. "You can speak to your Auntie Haili later. She was a nurse at the hospital once..." Sean chuckled a little as he thought about Halia's first mission at the hospital.

Just as he was thinking about Halia, the front door to the Feng Family Home opened and she walked in with her husband. Sean couldn't make it back to Beijing to see them sign their marriage papers, so this was the first time seeing them as husband and wife and he was really happy for them.

"Sean," Halia smiled as soon as she saw her handler. She immediately ran over and gave him a hug. There was a warmth to their hug, like a brother and sister reuniting after a month.