Ch 193
[Chapter 193]
Gerald recognized her straight away.
He had met her in Homeland Kitchen just a few days ago. Jane had been scolding her—back when she still worked for them.
She'd left an impression on him. Even just seeing her from the side, he had known that she was an extraordinary beauty. Seeing her again now, she'd immediately seemed familiar to him, and then he'd placed her.
"You know me?" she whispered, gathering up the three children protectively.
She was evidently frightened of him. What if he was involved in human trafficking?
"Yes, we bumped into each other in Homeland Kitchen. Have you forgotten me?" Gerald smiled at her.
The woman spent a moment in recollection, then brightened up. "Oh, it's you, sir! Thank you for helping me out, that time!"
That time, she was being scolded so hard she didn't dare look up from the floor. It was only when she was leaving that she had stolen a brief glance at Gerald.
Meeting him again now, what she recognized was his voice.
He had saved her that time.
Also, he was rich!
"Don't mention it. At least you won't have to keep your guard up around me. Have you been looking after these three children?"
Gerald inquired curiously.
"Yup, yup!" Queta Smith nodded, bringing over the three kids.
As they walked along together, she told him the story: It turned out that these three children had been wandering urchins who had managed to escape after being kidnapped by slavers.
With such muddled circumstances, no orphanage had been willing to take them in, and so they'd been wandering the city on their own, begging for scraps… until Queta found them, and took them all under her care.
She mainly worked as a kindergarten teacher and also did some other work on the side, thereby earning enough to keep them all fed. She had even been saving up money to send them to school.
Good thing Queta often worked with kids. She'd taught these three well.
What a mess. And the three children were all siblings.
His heart wrenching terribly, Gerald asked, "What about your family?"
"I don't have one—I grew up in an orphanage." As she told him this, Queta hung her head and picked at her clothes.
What a phenomenally beautiful woman she was, though her radiance was being obscured by long hardship.
And she was being very reserved in Gerald's presence. He knew it was because she was afraid he would tire of her.
Queta wouldn't know that Gerald used to be the sort of person who never felt he was good enough, either.
The two of them were about the same age. Gerald used to think he'd gotten the short straw in life, but Queta here had it so much worse: A young woman with no parents, caring for three kids on her own.
How often did you come across a woman like this, these days?
Gerald was deeply moved with admiration for her.
"Where do you stay?" he asked.
"Over there!" All three children pointed towards an ordinary residential area, not far from the school.
"Would you mind if I swing by for a bit?" he asked with a chuckle.
After a moment's consternation, Queta nodded.
The whole area was basically a collection of old squatter shacks.
When they reached her place, Queta brushed off a stool and offered it to him. Then she shooed the three kids away to go get a bath. The children had been trying to do their part, collecting some refuse to sell every day. That was why they were covered in grime.
"Queta Smith, my name is Gerald Crawford. Shall we be friends?"
"Friends?" She was taken aback. Queta knew that Gerald was a powerful man since he had been able to order around that manager person.