Chapter 17

It's been nine years, Yara didn't know what to do if Kenzo decided to claim his paternity rights for Dream. She's been all her life, all her strength and courage. Even though, Dream didn't came from her, she loved her niece as if she was her own daughter. She also knew that her mother, Emma, loved Dream so much. She never thought that this day would come that Dream would finally meet her dad and might leave them. Her eyes started to well up before she entered the elevator.

"Wait up!" Kenzo shouted. Yara wiped her eyes and press the open button of the elevator. Kenzo entered and he knew Yara was about to cry.

"Don't mind what Buster have said." Kenzo said but Yara didn't answer and when Kenzo looked at her, tears are falling from her eyes.

"Hey..." Kenzo said and pulled Yara into his arms. Yara started sobbing.

"Ssshhh, don't cry." Kenzo said while stroking her back. When the elevator opened, Yara walked out immediately and hurriedly entered the washroom. Kenzo sighed and walked towards the office door and open it.

After a while, Yara stopped crying. She sighed deeply and washed her face. She sighed again seeing her eyes were swollen. She put a light make up and went out.

Kairo, Kylo, and Buster were already inside the office when Yara came in. Buster felt guilty when he saw Yara's eyes. He walked towards her.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to offend you." Buster said.

"It's okay, Sir Buster. You're telling the truth. Sir Kenzo was her real father and no matter what we do, it's his right." Yara said and smiled but her eyes didn't.

"I'm really sorry. If only I can punch myself just for you to forgive me." Buster said apologetically.

"I can do that!" Kairo said.

"Me too!" Kylo followed that made Yara smiled.

"Will I be forgiven if this two will give me a punch?" Buster said.

"No need to do that. I'm fine." Yara said smiling.

"Okay, to make it up to you, your lunch for the whole week is on me." Buster said.

"I'll be expecting that." Yara said smiling.

"Sure!" Buster said and they all smiled.

Kenzo was looking outside his room through the glass window and when he saw Yara's smiling face, he sighed.

"I will not take away Dream from you but I will think of a way on how you will stay by our sides. You, Dream and me." He said to himself.

Because they took an off yesterday, paper works, calls, and meetings were resumed the whole morning. They didn't even noticed that it was already past lunchtime until their stomachs were grumbling because of hunger.

Buster went out from his room.

"Let's eat guys, I'm famished." He said.

"Yeah, my stomach is already complaining to me." Kairo said.

"Let's go!" Kylo said.

"You eat without us. I'm meeting a client. I'm bringing Yara with me." Kenzo said that made his friends looked at him with questions in their faces. Yara also looked at him with questioning eyes. Kenzo walked out first without answering the glares of his friends. Yara followed him.

Inside the car, they were both quiet. No one dared to start a conversation because they didn't know what to talk about.

Kenzo brought Yara on a fancy restaurant. He opened the door for Yara and they both entered the place. The waiter ushered them on a VIP room and Yara furrowed her forehead.

"The client must be a big shot." Yara said to herself.

The waiter gave Kenzo the menu.

"One Bucatini all'Amatriciana please and one Ragu Napoletano. A Bacon Cheese Pizza and a Meatball Pizza." Kenzo said that made Yara furrowed her forehead. She thought that he's done ordering but kept on looking on the menu.

"Maybe it's for the client." She said to herself.

"Then a Barbecued Burger and a Grilled Bean Burger. For the drinks, ahm, a watermelon shake and a cucumber shake." Kenzo said and closed the menu.

"Anything more, Sir? What about for your wife?" The waiter said that made Yara blushed.

"I'm not..." Yara wanted to correct the waiter but Kenzo spoke and she was surprised.

"It's all her favorites." Kenzo said and the waiter smiled. Yara blushed even more.

"Where's the client?" Yara asked after few minutes of waiting for the client to arrive.

"That was only an excuse. There's no one coming. I just wanted for us to have time to talk without disturbances." Kenzo said smiling.

"Why did you ordered too much?" Yara asked.

"I'm really starving and I'm craving for these." Kenzo said and Yara sighed.

"Yara..." Kenzo said but wasn't able to continue because their food were already served.

"Let's eat first then we can talk." Kenzo said and Yara nodded.

The food were really delicious and Yara enjoyed it a lot. Kenzo felt happy because he can see that Yara liked the food he ordered.

"I'm really full but my mouth likes to eat more." Yara said that made Kenzo smiled.

"Even you eat all of these, you will not get fat. I remembered when we ate on food chain, you finished a feast." Kenzo said smiling.

"You're overacting, it was only spaghetti, a burger, a chicken, and a float." Yara said smiling too.

"And a fries and an ice cream too. Yvette told me that you had a stomachache when you got home." Kenzo said.

"Yeah, I had a low bowel movement too after that." Yara said remembering how she promised not to eat anymore. They both laughed.

"Dream was also a heavy eater. She's competing with me whenever we had cravings." Yara said.

"Let's eat with her next time so I can be the judge who will be the champion on an eating contest." Kenzo said.

"Sure, let's do that next time." Yara said. They both kept quiet after that.

"Yara..." Kenzo said. Yara looked at him.

"I'm the father of Dream and I know my responsibilities for her." Kenzo said.

"I know and I'm thinking on how to adjust when Dream will be no longer with us but please don't rush things. I know Dream needs to adjust too. Please let me slowly prepare her for the changes that will happen on her life without us." Yara said sadly and her eyes begin to well up again. Kenzo smiled.

"I didn't say that I will snatch Dream from you." Kenzo said and Yara's face

lighten up.

"What do you mean?" Yara asked.

"Yes, I'm her dad. I will give her all the things she needed. I will support her studies. I will try to be the best dad for her. But..." Kenzo said.

"But?" Yara repeated his word.

"But, you're her mother and I will not do anything to change that." Kenzo said.

"Really!?" Yara asked happily and Kenzo nodded.

In an instant, Yara embraced Kenzo that made the latter became stiffed.

When Yara realized what she have done, she blushed. She slowly withdraw from the embrace but Kenzo's hands was on her back and the man didn't removed his hands but instead, he tightened the embrace.

"I like it when you're this close to me." Kenzo said that made Yara blushed.