NOVEL NEXT Chapter 542: Cold and hot
Nate was typing an email on his phone while Scarlet ran back and forth in the park. The weather was getting chilly, and autumn was close. There weren't many children out that day, except for the few whose parents were taking advantage of the last few days of summer. Read latest stories on empire
Soon, it would have been too cold to let the kids play for too long.
After the twins had been discovered, the press would follow Lara around a lot. They would intrude in her daily life, so she had started avoiding walking around alone or with one pup.
She had left her strolled for when she went to Mary Dixon's art gallery or another of the few places she would attend without worries. She was bonding with the other women, and it was easier after she understood they were just as regular as she was - except for their bank accounts.
She enjoyed exchanging parenting advice and boasting a little about her cubs. As such, she would bring Jaden around to show everyone his cuteness.
Scarlet was still too wild for those gatherings, and she preferred being with Nate because she could run, play, and collect things.
As such, father and daughter would end up stuck together more often than not.
«Daddy, daddy...» Scarlet said, «can I buy ice cream?»
She pulled his pants until he moved his eyes away from his phone. The reporters would follow Nate as well, but they dared not approach him. As such, his outings with Scarlet were quite peaceful. Always with more audience than appropriate, but they kept themselves far enough.
He paid extra attention Scarlet wouldn't grow or glare too much, but the rest was fine. They went along, in the end.
Maybe, he considered, he was spoiling her a little. But it was his baby girl... What was he supposed to do? How could he refuse when all she asked was pretty things and a little of his attention?
«Isn't it cold for ice cream?» he inquired.
«Why?»
«It's cold... What if you have a sore throat after eating ice cream?»
«Why, daddy? Ice cream is also cold, so it will be fine.»
She nodded at her words, convinced. If out was cold, and ice cream was cold, everything should have worked out just fine.
«Well,» Nate sighed, giving her a banknote. «If your throat aches later, do tell me immediately.»
«Ice cream can't make one ill,» she pointed out before running away. It was one of the best things in the world, how could it hurt her?
Nate returned to typing on his phone, one ear following his daughter and the other listening to the surroundings. If a reporter dared approach Scarlet, it would have signed the end of his career. Not of his life, but just because Nate had sworn not to break the law - too much.
He heard the steps towards the ice cream cart, but he didn't get up just yet. He would have gone to Scarlet if he sensed any danger, but it felt wrong to be too clingy. His girl needed to grow up and become independent so that she could choose her path once an adult.
For that, he needed to control his urge to protect her and let her make a few mistakes on the road. As for the steps, those were clearly human.
No human could hurt his girl under his watch, so he just listened to the words they exchanged.
«Hello,» said a young man. Maybe, twenty years of age.
He was in front of the ice cream cart, apparently waiting for his turn. It could have been a reporter, but he didn't sound too curious to hear from Scarlet.
«How are you?» he continued.
Scarlet looked up at him, confused by his friendliness. Her mommy always said not to trust strangers, so she didn't. But her mommy also said to be polite, so she replied.
«I'm a little hungry, but my daddy said I can have ice cream.»
«Isn't it cold for ice cream?» the man said.
She blinked, surprised. Why was everyone trying to take away her ice cream? Was it because that man wanted to get his own sooner?
«You're also waiting for ice cream,» she said.
The man chuckled, nervous.
«It's because I love ice cream,» he said. «So I eat it even when it's cold.»
He laughed when he saw Scarlet's confused expression. She was lost, missing the connection between cold weather and ice cream.
«Wouldn't you prefer hot chocolate when it's cold?» the man asked.
Scarlet poked her lips, thinking about it. It was a tough choice... But if chocolate was hot, then she could have it in summer... Or not?
«I need to ask my daddy,» she said, in the end.
She ordered her ice cream and paid, waiting patiently for the worker to deliver the food to her. She beamed after tasting the chocolate in the ice cream. Cocoa was fine hot and cold, how lucky!
She didn't need to choose so badly, either way. She was sure her daddy would retrieve what she wished without complaints. She wasn't sure Nate did it because he wanted her mommy to think he was nice or what, but she didn't feel too guilty to ask.
Her mommy wouldn't ask for too much, so Scarlet had to make up for it. She would have asked for hot chocolate, that evening. She didn't remember well enough which one she liked more.
«My daddy always buys me ice cream,» she said. «His name is Nate, and he's handsome.»
«Oh,» the man hummed. «Nice to hear about it. Your name is Scarlet, right?»
«Right,» she said. «How do you know? Do you read minds?»
But she hadn't thought about her name! How could that person know?
«My name is David,» the man said, ordering a random flavour of ice cream. «You might not know it, but I am your uncle.»
«Uncle?» Scarlet repeated, even less convinced. She stared at him, suspicious. Yet, she was too curious to just run away.
Her mommy didn't explicitly say she had to beware of people claiming to be her uncles, but it did sound like something she had to be careful of.