There She Is!

"Daddy?"

Ares was stunned speechless. Yet, for some reason, that word from her tugged at his heartstrings. But why?

He was at a complete loss.

"Daddy, you're finally back! You came back for me, right?" the little girl suddenly asked, blinking up at Ares like a lost little puppy.

Once again, Ares was stunned. Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, he lowered himself to the little girl's level, and gently caressed her hair. Then, he said in the softest voice he could muster, "I'm not your daddy. You're mistaken. Did you lose your parents? Come, I'll help you find them."

Though he had no idea where to start looking, he was willing to do it for her. After all, he couldn't just leave her out here alone.

What if someone kidnapped her?

"No!" the little girl exclaimed indignantly, her small voice filled with certainty. "You are my daddy!" Suddenly, she broke down in tears and started hitting Ares's chest.

"Daddy, why are you acting like Mummy? My matron told me she didn't want me either! No matter what she said to persuade her not to leave me there, she refused to have anything to do with me. She abandoned me!" She abruptly stopped hitting him and threw herself into his arms. "Daddy, you can't abandon me too, please."

Her mother abandoned her? Her Matron? Did that mean she grew up in an orphanage? At the thought, Ares's hands moved on their own, pulling her into a tight embrace. It wasn't because he suddenly believed he was her father, but because his heart ached for her. Ares himself had been abandoned at an orphanage. 

In the little girl's case, it was her mother, but in his, it had been a man. He didn't even know if that man was his father or just a stranger who didn't want him. But one thing was certain—his parents had discarded him. It felt like he was seeing himself in her.

For several minutes, Ares held her as she sobbed into his chest. 

When she finally calmed down and pulled away, he gently wiped her tears.

"Come," he said simply.

He couldn't push her away, but he also couldn't take her with him—she wasn't his daughter. He could have adopted her just to get her out of that orphanage, but he couldn't afford to. Not when he was about to embark on a path of revenge. 

The best he could do was feed her and then take her back to the orphanage. 

Maybe, when his revenge was complete, he would return for her.

The little girl didn't argue despite not knowing where Ares was taking her. She trusted him so much that she simply nodded and clutched his hand tightly.

Ares let out a wry smile. 

He actually found something amusing. He was still wearing his mask, so the little girl hadn't even seen his face, yet she addressed him as her daddy. How could it be possible that someone she had never seen before was her father? He shook his head before walking off with her. 

But after only a few steps, he abruptly stopped and lifted her into his arms.

The little girl giggled at the sudden gesture, her eyes lighting up. She looked so beautiful when she smiled that Ares found himself momentarily mesmerized.

Who would abandon such a beautiful girl?

Anger surged within him, but he quickly suppressed it. Sweeping his gaze around, he spotted a restaurant across the street and headed toward it.

Soon, he arrived at the restaurant and stepped inside. Ares was so tall that he had to bend slightly to enter. Such height.

The moment he walked in, all eyes turned to him, but he ignored the attention and made his way to a table by the window. Settling the little girl onto a chair, he took his seat as well. 

Almost immediately, a waitress approached. "Hello, sir," she greeted politely. "Welcome to our restaurant. Here is the menu."

Ares took the menu and casually flipped through it. "Can you read?" he asked, glancing at the little girl.

She rolled her eyes and snatched the menu from him, but the moment she looked at it, her brows furrowed.

She didn't recognize a single thing on the menu. Everything was foreign to her.

Ares quickly noticed this and calmly took the menu back, tossing it onto the table.

"Just serve the first meal on every page," he instructed.

"On every page? Are you sure, sir?" The waitress's eyes widened. 

There were over ten pages—if she served the first dish on each one, that would be more than ten meals. They were just a young man and a little girl. How could they possibly finish all that? And the bill—it would be ridiculously high.

Could they even afford it? 

Ares was dressed simply, his appearance neither rich nor poor, leaving her uncertain.

"Is there a problem?" Ares asked curtly.

The little girl huffed. "If my daddy said to serve every dish, then do it! Why are you standing there asking questions?"

The waitress shot the girl a pointed look. Sharp-tongued little thing. 

But she didn't dare say anything. 

She just hoped they had the money to pay. If not, she would make them wash every single plate used since morning—especially that sharp-tongued little thing!

"No problem, sir. I'll be back." She turned and walked away.

"I saw them enter here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! One of them was a really tall guy. He was carrying her."

Just as the waitress stepped away, loud voices rang out.

BOOM!

The restaurant door was suddenly kicked open, and three burly men stormed in. 

Their cold eyes swept the room, instantly locking onto the little girl.

"There she is!" one of them barked, pointing directly at her.