Chapter 37 He Never Smiled
Everyone was staring at Adrienne as she jumped up. She dashed to the man at the entrance and hugged his leg.
She raised her head and called in a sweet voice, “Daddy.” Her voice echoed in the lobby.
The crowd could not believe their eyes.
Daddy?
The receptionists at the front desk gawked at Adrienne, and the crowd was murmuring.
“Am I seeing things? Isn’t that Mr. Godfrey?”
“It’s Mr. Godfrey.”
“Adrienne… Adrienne called Mr. Godfrey ‘Daddy’?”
“I heard it too.”Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
The crowd was speechless.
The man got out of the car, and Adrienne clung to his leg as soon as he entered the lobby. The man in question was the president of Godfrey Group, Theodore Godfrey.
“Mr. Godfrey.” Moses was baffled as he stood next to Theodore.
All the collaborators, who came to attend a meeting with Theodore, were exchanging confused looks too.
Everyone knew that Theodore had a fiancee, but they had yet to hold their wedding. When did he have a daughter?
Theodore was no longer composed like he usually was. He lowered his head to stare at the little girl who was dangling on his leg. He was startled and couldn’t hide his shock as he said, “Adrienne?”
Adrienne looked up and grinned at Theodore happily. “Daddy, Alastair and I have been waiting for you.”
Theodore looked up and spotted a little boy walking over calmly. The boy was holding Adrienne’s ladybug backpack. He pursed his lips and he looked too mature for his age. He was staring at Theodore as well.
One of the collaborators, Gabriel Harper, inquired, “Mr. Godfrey, are they your daughter and son?”
Theodore came back to his senses, but he did not explain. He was indifferent and said apologetically, “Mr. Gabriel, Mr. Carter, I’m sorry, but I have something to attend to. Could you please wait for me in the conference room? I’ll be with you shortly.”
“It’s okay.” The two collaborators smiled, and they were very understanding.
Theodore gave Moses a knowing look.
Immediately, Moses showed the way and invited, “Mr. Gabriel, Mr. Carter, this way, please.”
After Moses left with the collaborators, Theodore knelt down slowly to match Adrienne’s height. He asked, “Why are you guys here? Where’s your mother?”
“Mommy is at work. Alastair and I were bored, so we came to play with you, Daddy.”
Adrienne’s eyes were curved when she smiled. Her eyes sparkled like the stars in the night sky. She probably rushed to him; hence there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Her bangs were wet, but her face was delicate and sweet.
The ice melted from Theodore’s face, and his eyes were warm. He extended his hand to Adrienne and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you and your brother upstairs.”
Many of Godfrey Group’s employees were gathered in the lobby. Thus it was not the best place for them to talk.
Adrienne threw herself at Theodore and said in a spoiled voice, “I want a hug.”
…
At the front desk, the receptionists covered their mouths in disbelief. They widened their eyes at Theodore as he picked up Adrienne and allowed her to hug his neck.
Adrienne planted a wet kiss on his cheek, and he stared at her dotingly. He waved to Alastair, and he brought the children into the elevator.
“God, I’ve never seen Mr. Godfrey smile.”
“I knew it! The two children looked so familiar. They must be Mr. Godfrey’s son and daughter.”
“But isn’t it odd? Mr. Godfrey and Miss Bailey aren’t married yet.”
“Who knows? Maybe Mr. Godfrey went through a divorce, but we don’t know.”
“Who cares? Look how cute Adrienne is.”
…
The heated discussion made Emily frown. After checking which floor the elevator was heading to, she lowered her head and typed something on her mobile phone hurriedly. She attached two photos that she took earlier and sent them.
It was almost evening, and the production team in the suburb finished their work early.
Everleigh packed her stuff swiftly and was in a hurry to leave.
“Dr. Trevino, we managed to finish work earlier today, so let’s have dinner together.”
“I’m sorry but I can’t, so maybe next time. I’m afraid I’ll miss the bus, and it’s not easy to get a taxi around here.” Everleigh rejected the crew member’s invitation politely and hurried out of the hospital.
Previously, she did not expect the set to be so remote that it would be difficult to get a taxi. After a few days, it was becoming more and more inconvenient. Therefore, she was pondering whether she should get a car.
Shortly after leaving the hospital, she heard a familiar voice behind her. “Everleigh!”
Everleigh stopped and turned around in astonishment.
A white figure came out from the left side of the entrance. He was over six feet tall, and he looked elegant in a white coat. He was slim, and the rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose made him look amiable. He was smiling at Everleigh and greeted, “Long time no see.”
“Stainley?” Everleigh was taken aback.
She met Stainley in college, and they were in the same class. After she went abroad to further her studies, Stainley tagged along too. Before meeting Christopher, Stainley took care of her. However, she did not want others to gossip about Stainley. Hence she kept her distance from him. However, even after all these years, she was still very grateful to him.
After coming back to her senses, Everleigh looked at him and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Stainley had returned to the country the previous year. Thus that was the first time she had seen him in over a year.
“I’m here for an academic exchange, so I’ll probably be here for a while,” Stainley adjusted his glasses and continued with a smile, “I didn’t expect to see you here. When did you come back? Why didn’t you contact me?”
“I came back recently. I’m sorry, I was occupied with work, so I didn’t have the time to contact you.”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to be so polite. We’ve known each other for years.” Stainley glanced behind her and added, “Are you here for the academic exchange too? I didn’t see you in the conference room just now.”
“No, I’m here to work as a medical expert on set,” Everleigh explained in embarrassment, “I’ll also be here until the filming is over. We managed to wrap things up earlier today, so I’m heading home.”
At the thought of heading home, something dawned on Everleigh. “Oh, Stainley, I have to go. I’ll miss the bus if I don’t leave now.”
After that, she turned to leave.
Stainley called after her hurriedly, “Everleigh, wait a minute. I’m driving, so why don’t I give you a ride?”
Everleigh was taken aback.
Before she could think about it, Stainley added, “I’m guessing that the kids are here with you, right? I’m sure they’re waiting for you at home, so it’s better for you to go home early. The bus is going to take forever to reach the city. I’m off work anyway, and it’s not that far, so you don’t have to be shy.”
She could not reject his offer after what he said. If she did, it would look like she was avoiding him.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to trouble you again,” Everleigh chuckled, “As if I didn’t trouble you enough when we were abroad.”
“Don’t be so reserved. I didn’t do much when we were abroad. Christopher was always there to help, so you never needed me.”
Somehow, Stainley’s remarks sounded a little bitter. Everleigh felt a little uncomfortable when she heard what he said.