Opening her heart

"Young Miss..." Butler Bong wanted to speak but Ava hissed disliking the title. "Mister, calls me Ava, the title is too grand for a little child like me," she retorted. "Or, little Ava, Miss little Ava is okay too," she grinned at her own suggestion.

Butler Bong "..."

"I can't Young Miss. You are my little Master, I..." Butler Bong cupped his mouth noticing he had fallen to the 'little' train of nicknames.

Ava let out an amused laugh. The old man's expression was really funny.

Butler Bong grinned, happy to hear the little girl's laugh. Then, he remembered another task. He took out his phone from the briefcase placed under his chair, dialing a familiar number and placed the phone next to his left ear.

"Good afternoon Grandmaster, I have met Young Miss Ava. Would you like to talk to her?" Ava froze after she listened to Butler Bong's half conversation reporting and requesting the phone receiver to talk to her.

Then, when Butler Bong ushered her to take the phone, she trembled. With a shaking hand, she held the phone close to her left ear. Butler Bong wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from her. He thought she would act calmly like what she displayed in the beginning.

'She is still a child,' he reminded himself.

"Ava, is that you? Hello, my dear, this is grandpa..." the man's voice was fragile as if trying to prevent himself from crying.

"Grand...pa?" Ava responded. She could feel her heartbeat getting louder. This was the person related to her. One that had been looking for her. She calmed herself so that she wouldn't cry but the man on the other side of the phone failed to hold his tears, he was already sobbing.

Ava felt the nerve surrounding her eyes stiffen, her nose blocked, and soon, the contagious cry infected her. Tiny droplets of clear tears rolled down her cheek. She was crying.

"My precious granddaughter, I've finally found you..." Willow Sr.; the one on the phone was almost whispering.

"Grandpa, this is Ava," Ava introduced herself and the man who was listening chuckled. Between their exchange, tears continued to supply the needs to reduce the pain and longing to both of them.

Butler Bong couldn't hold his tears, and somehow, Mdm Jin who just entered the room with some beverages was also crying with her back against the door.

The sight of the girl's crying was tugging their adult hearts.

Mdm Jin put the tray she brought on top of her desk and hugged Ava who was still crying. Butler Bong had taken the phone and was now conversing with the Grandmaster.

"Yes, Grandmaster. We will wait here," Butler Bong ended the call and then kept the phone inside his briefcase.

He smiled towards Ava who had stopped crying. Now and then, the crystal of tears fell on her tiny hand.

"Grandmaster will personally come to bring Young Miss home," Butler Bong shared the news he had just received and saw the raw joy from Ava's teary eyes.

"Grandpa is coming?" Ava couldn't hide the joy in her voice. She looked at the old man sitting next to her in delight.

Butler Bong encouraged himself to touch the little girl's head and nodded. He likes the Young Miss standing next to him, unlike most children, she was reserved but amazingly wiser. She was sharp and unpredictable yet very much humane who was longing for love.

'At last, the Willow has hope,' he thought, unsure why such thought actually popped inside his mind. While waiting for the Grandmaster to come, Butler Bong was still musing over the thought he was having earlier. He quitted upon seeing a black car stopped in front of them.

Ava watched as the luxurious black car stopped not far from where she was standing. Her eyes followed each unfolded event. A white-haired old man wearing a tailored made suit came out from the driving seat. His pace was quick and soon Ava was already hovering in the air.

"My granddaughter, grandpa is here!" the aged man screamed in joy before putting her down just to pull her back to his embrace.

"Grandpa's here..." was what Ava heard so many times. She was overwhelmed with unknown emotions. It isn't a bad feeling just that it wasn't something she used to feel.

'Is this the family bond I always read about?' she thought to herself while enjoying the bizarre feeling of being hugged. Still, Ava was one that wouldn't allow mistreatment, the constant physical movement made her dizzy that it finally annoyed her.

"Grandpa, at least let me find prove of resemblance in you. Are you trying to make me dizzy to hold me from inspecting you?" she was only trying to get herself out of the situation but all she heard afterward was the endless laugh from the spectators especially Mdm Jin and Butler Bong.

Willow Sr. was taken aback after hearing his granddaughter's first sentence but when he saw her wobbling body, he realized that his hugged was probably causing her unable to breathe properly.

"Sorry, did grandpa hurt you? As compensation, you can do the inspection?" he apologized and close his eyes with his face forward, purposely letting the girl examine him.

He was actually joking for he thought the girl was too. Little did he know, that soon her tiny fingers were touching all over his face. Not a spot was missed.

"Mr. Willow, all these years, I've noticed and assured that Ava is a gifted child," Mdm Jin explained after seeing the look of astonishment at the man who was squatting down. She was hoping that the little explanation she gave would enlighten the man.

"Master, you have no idea how shocked I was the first time I met Young Miss Ava," pride was written all over Butler Bong's face. "She is really good in a debate," he proclaimed.

Ava rolled her eyes not believing what she heard. Even so, her fingers were still discovering similarities between her and the man who was also her grandfather.

Willow Sr. pondered over the information he just received and decided to ignore them for a while. He noticed that Ava had freed himself so he asked.

"Princess, what's the verdict?" Willow Sr. wanted to tease the little girl but her seriousness was really adorable he pinched her cheek.

"We do have some similarities," Ava declared confidently while rubbing her swollen cheek. Butler Bong and Mdm Jin were surprised at her confidence and shamelessly observed the two to fulfill their curiosity.

"Amazing, Young Miss is right," Butler Bong clapped his hands and stared at Mdm Jin, waiting for the result of her observation.

"I agree," Mdm Jin said before continuing, "Mr. Willow, she really resembles you in many areas," and those conversations somehow coerced a smile from the serious Ava.

"Grandpa, a little gift for you," Ava spread her tiny arms before hugging Willow Sr.'s head. Since that's the only part that could fit in her tiny little arms. Tears streamed down the cheek of the man in Ava's embrace. He freed himself before pulling his long-lost granddaughter into another embrace.

"Thank you, princess. Thank you for holding on and living on. I promise I will protect you from now on," it wasn't only a promise but an oath he deeply engraved in his heart, soul, and mind.