Ch. 32 Lori's Birth Father

That night, Anxia slept with Lori, which made Anxia very relieved. Luckily Richard didn't force her to sleep together and used the excuse that he had important work that required him to do a video conference call with a company in Japan.

The time difference was seven hours, and the meeting occurred at eight in the morning in Japan, which means one in the morning in Delft. Richard had to review all the details for tonight's meeting material.

Richard shouldn't have any schedule, especially when he's on vacation. But because of his father's actions, like it or not, Richard had to obey his father and join the video conference.

Before Anxia entered the room to put Lori to sleep, Richard had asked Anxia to tell Lori who her birth father was. The man even shamelessly forbade Lori from something.

"Baby girl, from now on, you are not allowed to call other men your dad. I'm the only one you can call 'daddy.' Okay?"

"Okay!"

Anxia sighed as she realized that the longer her daughter was here, the greater the bond between the father and daughter.

"Mom? Isn't dad handsome?"

Lori's question made Anxia frown. Well, Richard was handsome, but his European face was not her type.

"You don't like him?"

"How about you? Why do you like him? He's just a stranger." instead of telling her daughter that Richard was the girl's father, Anxia gave the impression that Richard was just a stranger.

"He's not a stranger. He is my daddy."

"Why are you so sure?"

"..." Lori didn't answer and made a sullen face. "Because I have his name and my face is similar to him."

"…"

Anxia took a deep breath, hearing her daughter's answer. What Meisya said was true. Maybe no one had told the child who the father was, but Lori had guessed because her daughter was no ordinary child.

Anxia lifted her daughter and sat her on her thighs. She looked closely at her daughter's face.

Blonde hair, eyeballs of two different colors, and perfectly molded eyebrows, accompanied by curly eyelashes, made her daughter as beautiful as a doll.

Anxia had always admired her daughter's beauty and wondered why there was no trace of her. It seemed her daughter took more of the father's genes.

This child was also a genius like her grandfather and also smart to adapt to different environments like Richard.

If Anxia hadn't experienced herself that she had given birth to this beautiful child, she probably wouldn't have believed that Lori was her daughter.

"Mommy? Why do you look sad?" Lori raised a hand to caress her mother's cheek.

"I'm not sad, darling. I just realized you are more like your daddy than me. And you also adore him more than me."

A pair of green-purple eyes widened at the words from her mother. She stood up directly and circled her arms around her mother's neck.

"That is not true. I love you too, mom."

"Then who do you love more?"

"..." for a moment, Lori did not immediately answer her question. "I can't choose both?"

"Nu-uh. You only have to choose one. Who would you like to go with if we were to separate?"

Lori let go of her arms and lowered her head sadly. Seeing her daughter's reaction made Anxia believe Lori would choose her father.

After all, if Lori lived with Richard and his family, the little girl would be much happier than living with her struggling alone. Sometimes Anxia would leave her to a trusted neighbor for a few days while she was on missions, so the motherly love that Lori received must have been lacking.

Not only that, Lori would be much safer with Richard than with her. If Lori had chosen to be with Richard, Anxia would not have been angry. On the contrary, she would make up her mind to leave this place before she got entangled deeper into the trap of this husband's charm and family warmth.

Her purpose in coming to Europe was to find her mother, whether the older woman was alive or dead. She could only live in peace when she discovered her mother's state.

Apart from Lori, her mother was the only family she had, and if there was a possibility that her mother was still alive, Anxia didn't want to give up this hope and would search for her mother at the end of the world.

However, Anxia wouldn't be able to focus on her quest as she also had to be careful not to get her daughter involved. But if Lori could live safely and happily with Richard, she could focus on finding her mother without worrying that her daughter would get involved.

"Lori, just answer my question. I won't be angry if you don't choose me."

Lori looked up at her mother and immediately understood. Her mother seriously didn't want to be with the handsome daddy.

"I'm going with you."

Anxia froze in place hearing this. She had no idea that her daughter would choose to come with her.

"Why? Don't you like your dad? You also have opa and oma who love you. Isn't living here much more pleasant than living with me? Your daddy will surely be sad to hear this."

"Daddy will not be lonely even if I'm gone. But who will accompany you if I'm not with you?"

Anxia's breath hitched at her daughter's answer. She had prepared herself to leave her daughter and steeled her heart to let her daughter go to Richard's family. But all of her preparation was crumbling apart when she heard her daughter's explanation.

Anxia hugged her daughter tightly and felt like she wanted to cry because she was so emotional. Unfortunately, her tears didn't come out even though she was teary. It seemed her tears had dried for a long time, and nothing could bring her to tears.

Her heart had been tightly shut and frozen without giving anyone a chance to enter her heart. She only opened her heart to her baby girl, who gave her light in her dark and cruel life.

"Lori, I have something to tell you." Anxia continued without letting go of her arms and patted her daughter's buttocks gently. "Daddy Richard is your biological father."

"I know."

"Not because we got married. You are in this world because he and I once were together."

Lori raised her head to look at her mother. "You mean daddy Richard isn't a stranger? He is my daddy? Like opa Stanley is daddy's father?"

Anxia smiled gently as she answered her daughter's questions. "Yes. Daddy Richard is Lori's father just like Opa Stanley is daddy Richard's father."

"…"

Lori shuffled off the bed leaving Anxia confused. Then Lori told her to open the door as her height was not tall enough. After that, Lori took Anxia's hand, looking for someone.

"Lori, who are you looking for?"

"Daddy."

Was it possible that her daughter wanted to confirm the truth? Well, it didn't matter to her, so Anxia helped her daughter find Richard, who was currently drinking coffee in the kitchen.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, baby girl. I thought you were already sleeping." Richard put down his coffee cup to carry his daughter.

"Dad, I want the three of us to sleep together."

Two pairs of eyes widened at the sudden request of their daughter.

Anxia screamed inwardly, wanting to cry. Lori, why did you ask to sleep with your father as well??