Chapter 123 Kind-Hearted Uncle
"What's his name? Did he say anything?" Olivia pressed, her mind full of questions.
None of her friends knew Leo was at this kindergarten.
Could it be Jason?
But she quickly dismissed the thought. Jason had an important surgery today; there's no way he could get here so soon.
"I don't know. He didn't say. I asked if he knew you, and he said yes, that he's a friend." Leo shook his head, sounding a bit disappointed.
Olivia grew even more puzzled. Who could be so kind as to help out and then leave without a word?
"Where is he now? Where did he go?" Olivia looked around but didn't see anyone.
"I don't know. He said he'd leave once you arrived. When he saw you come in, he quietly left," Leo said softly, feeling a little sad about the kind uncle.
Olivia's heart was filled with gratitude. No matter who it was, she had to thank him properly.
"Sweetie, let's go home first. Tomorrow, Mommy will ask at the kindergarten. I'll find him and thank him in person," Olivia said, patting Leo's head and making up her mind.
Leo nodded, though he felt a bit torn inside.
The next morning, Olivia dropped Leo off at kindergarten and made a point to find Mrs. Morris to ask about the kind stranger.
"Mrs. Morris, thank you so much for yesterday, and for the person who took Leo to the hospital. Do you know who he is? I'd like to thank him face-to-face," Olivia said sincerely, her eyes full of gratitude.
Mrs. Morris smiled and, following Luca's earlier instructions, said, "The gentleman didn't want to give his name. He just said he was passing by and helped out. He didn't say much about himself or leave any details. He seemed very dependable, took good care of the child the whole time, comforted him when he cried, and even bought snacks to cheer him up."
Olivia felt even more grateful. Someone so thoughtful and kind, yet unwilling to take credit, was truly rare.
"Did he leave any contact information? Or say anything about himself?" Olivia didn't give up and kept asking.
She really wanted to find this person and thank him in person.
"He did leave a temporary contact number in case you needed to reach him," Mrs. Morris thought for a moment and pulled out a piece of paper from her drawer. "I wrote it down for you. You can try contacting him."
Olivia quickly took the note with a phone number on it, carefully saved it in her phone, and thanked her repeatedly. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Morris. I really appreciate it."
"No problem," Mrs. Morris said, smiling and waving her hand. "Leo's doing well today, so don't worry."
After dropping Leo off in the classroom, Olivia took out her phone, looked at the unfamiliar number, hesitated for a moment, and then sent a text.
[Hi, I'm Leo's mom, Olivia. Thank you so much for yesterday, for taking Leo to the hospital and looking after him. I'd like to invite you for a meal to thank you in person whenever you're free.]
After sending the message, Olivia felt a bit nervous, hoping for a reply but also worried about bothering the person.
She held her phone, waiting and waiting, feeling all sorts of emotions.
Meanwhile, Luca was in his office dealing with paperwork when his phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw the message from Olivia.
Reading the text, a faint smile appeared on Luca's face without him realizing it.
He had been waiting for her message, feeling both excited and a little nervous.
He wanted to see her, but he was afraid of revealing his identity and making her uncomfortable.
After a long internal struggle, he replied: [It was no trouble at all, no need to thank me. There's no need for a meal. I'm just glad the child is okay.]
After sending the text, Luca put his phone down, feeling a mix of emotions.
He wanted to accept her invitation, to see her again, but he knew it wasn't the right time.
He was afraid his presence might disrupt her current life, and even more afraid that if she learned the truth, she'd push him away even further.
Olivia received the reply and felt a strange sense of disappointment.
The person declined her invitation. Though the tone was polite, it felt distant.
She had wanted to ask more about who he was, but it seemed he really didn't want to share much.
Still, at least she got a response and knew he meant no harm, just pure kindness.
After thinking for a bit, Olivia sent another message: [No matter what, I want to thank you again. If there's ever anything I can help with, feel free to contact me.]
This time, Luca didn't reply.
Olivia stared at her phone, full of curiosity. Who was this mysterious kind person?
She had no idea that the person she was so grateful to and curious about was her ex-husband, Luca, whom she wanted to avoid at all costs.
Meanwhile, Luca sat in his office, looking out the window, thinking about how to slowly get closer to her and Leo, how to reconnect with his child.
He knew this path might be tough, and Olivia wouldn't easily forgive him, but he didn't want to miss out again.
Five years ago, he lost her due to misunderstandings and his own foolishness.
Five years later, he wasn't going to let go, whether it was her or their child.
At the kindergarten, Leo kept thinking about the kind uncle.
He felt the uncle was familiar, like he'd seen him somewhere, but he couldn't remember.
He quietly asked the teacher, "Mrs. Landau, will the uncle who took me to the hospital yesterday come back?"
Mrs. Landau paused, then shook her head. "I don't know, he didn't say he would."
Leo felt a little disappointed. He wanted to thank that kind-hearted uncle again.
Back at Luca's end, after replying to Olivia's message, he couldn't focus.
He kept checking his phone for new messages, but each time he was let down.
He knew he couldn't rush things; he had to take it slow.
He called his assistant. "Look into Olivia's studio, how it's doing, and her recent schedule."
"Yes, sir," the assistant quickly agreed.
After hanging up, Luca leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk.
He needed to know everything about her—her likes, her worries—so he could get closer to her.
He couldn't be overbearing and selfish like before. He had to learn to be gentle, patient, and how to love someone, how to care for a child.
He thought back to holding Leo yesterday, that soft, warm feeling filling him with a satisfaction he'd never felt before.
That was his child, his and Olivia's child.
This realization made him both excited and guilty.
Excited because he had such a lovely son.
Guilty because, from the child's birth until now, he hadn't done anything, hadn't even known he existed.
He silently vowed to make it up to Leo, to give him all the fatherly love he deserved, to help him grow up healthy and happy.
Meanwhile, Olivia sat in her studio for a while, unable to resist taking out her phone and looking at that number again.