"Dad wrote you a letter?" Carla asked anxiously. "What did he say in it?"
Brad hesitated for a moment before playing it down. "It's mostly about asking me to protect you…On top of that, he said that if you have not claimed what he left you by meeting with Orima within five years, I should then deliver it to you personally."
When she heard his words, Carla's heart was in turmoil and filled with complicated emotions.
It never occurred to her that her father would write Brad a letter before he died.
Her father was likely worried about her. If she couldn't break out of her rut and start a new life in five years, Brad was to come and take care of her.
From what Orima had told her, she was now certain that the box's contents had nothing to do with her father's death.
In that case, what did Dad leave me?
"Carla…" Brad's voice interrupted her thoughts. Regaining her senses, she turned toward him. "Thank you, Brad. You should head home now and take good care of yourself."
"Mmm-hmm. Goodbye."
After looking longingly at her, Brad turned and left.
When Carla saw his slim silhouette, she felt extremely guilty for involving him in her troubles.
She hoped that Zayn would keep his word and not cause Brad any trouble.
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
Venus came out from the private room with Dori while holding a cake in her hand. "Mommy, this cake is really delicious. You should try it."
"Wow! It's beautiful." Carla bent over to carry Venus and gave the cake a bite. "It's really delicious!"
"Mommy, the banana milkshake is very nice too."
Josh brought over his milkshake and fed Carla with it.
"Hmm, it's tastes really good. I like it very much." Carla tried Josh's milkshake.
"Mommy, has Mr. Chroma left?" Randy walked out with an ice cream in his hand, scanning the surroundings. "He likes vanilla ice cream. I just wanted to share it with him."
"I have also saved a mango pudding for him." Josh raised his hand, not wanting to be left out.
"I want to introduce Dori to Mr. Chroma." Venus held Dori in her hand and raised her eyebrows in glee. "I told him that Dori can sing but he didn't believe me."
"Mr. Chroma is busy, so he has to leave first, " Carla explained. "Did you thank him for taking care of you over the last few days?"
"We did. We thanked him properly." The three children remarked, "We even invited him to join us at the theme park sometime."
"Mr. Chroma is busy so he may not have time to go with you. Why don't I come along with you instead?"
"Alright…"
"Mommy, let's eat together, the steak is getting cold!"
"Sure!"
As Carla led the three children back into the private room, Randy pulled out a chair for her in a chivalrous manner. She then gave him a peck on his face and praised, "Thank you, Randy!"
"Mommy, I want a kiss too, " Josh requested.
"Mommy, me too, me too…" Venus joined in.
"Mommy! Mommy! Dori too!"
As laughter filled the room, it was a sign of the sunshine after the storm.
Looking out the window, Carla noticed that Brad's car had left while Zayn's car was also no longer in sight.
She smiled wryly to herself. Zayn really doesn't leave anything up to chance.
Just when the children were having fun playing, Mrs. Borah came over and asked Carla softly, "Miss, has Mr. Chroma left?"
"Yes, he's gone." Carla nodded.
"He is a good man, " Mrs. Borah sighed. "He personally drove to the village to pick us and put us in his home. In the beginning, the children were frightened and were wary of him. But, he took good care of them and slowly won their trust. During the last few days, they were all very close to him."
"I know…" Carla sighed again. She felt the best way for her to repay her debt of gratitude was to stay away from Brad, so as not to cause him any trouble.
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