Chapter 293: She Is About to Give Birth
Scarlett turned her head and saw Daniel striding towards them from the corridor.
Daniel's eyes were sharp and cold, making no effort to hide his wariness and menacing aura.
Scarlett felt inexplicably guilty, but she was more worried about what Daniel might do to Theron.
She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Daniel's arm.
"It's nothing. I've been out here for a while. Let's head back inside."
Daniel's gaze fell on the small hand gripping his arm with a hint of surprise and delight.
Her hand was beautiful, resting on the dark fabric of his suit. As she clutched at it, her nails turned a lovely shade of pink from the pressure.
But what mattered most was that she was pulling him closer, not pushing him away anymore.
It seemed all his dissatisfaction, suspicion, and anger instantly melted away with just this simple gesture from her.
Daniel had never known she could affect him this much, but he didn't mind the feeling.
He took Scarlett's hand in his and even turned back to Theron with what he considered great magnanimity.
"Mr. Howard, please join us."
When they returned to the private room, Ingrid had already gone back and was sitting in Scarlett's previous seat, chatting with Steven and Maeve.
Daniel seemed obsessed with the seating arrangement. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately led Scarlett to sit in his previous spot, next to Steven.
Daniel sat on Scarlett's other side and promptly instructed the server to change the tableware.
By the time Theron walked in a step behind, the seats had all been switched.
Scarlett was too embarrassed by Daniel's childish behavior to even look at Theron's reaction.
When Steven switched seats again with Maeve, who had been eagerly watching Scarlett, Scarlett felt extremely awkward.
After finally finishing dinner and leaving the private room, Steven's assistant was waiting outside and handed Steven a bag.
Steven took it and passed it to Daniel. "Daniel, since you seem somewhat teachable, I'm giving you a welcome gift. Study it carefully when you get home."
Daniel accepted it. It seemed to be a few books. He raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Howard. I'll read them carefully."
Steven turned to Scarlett with warmth and friendliness. "Scarlett, Maeve and I both really like you. Maeve treats you like her own child—that's the greatest kind of connection.
We'll be staying in Shadow City for a while longer, so you must come visit us often. And if anyone wrongs you, don't be shy with us. Maeve and I are both willing to stand up for you."
Scarlett saw Steven and Maeve to their car. Maeve held onto Scarlett's hand, refusing to let go, her eyes brimming with tears.
Scarlett added Maeve on Facebook and promised that whenever Maeve missed her, they could video call anytime. Only then was Maeve appeased, and she left in the car.
Daniel drove Scarlett home. In the car, Scarlett asked him curiously.
"What gift did Mr. Howard give you?"
Daniel picked up the cloth bag from beside him and pulled out three books.
Scarlett looked and froze, staring at the ridiculous titles. Then she burst out laughing.
"What are these? How can books like this even exist?" she asked with a laugh.
But Daniel's gaze lifted from the books. His deep eyes fixed on Scarlett, who was laughing beside him.
His eyes rippled with emotion. "Maybe Mr. Howard wrote them himself?"
Scarlett chuckled softly. "Let me see. Mr. Howard is so funny..."
She reached for the books, but Daniel didn't let go.
Daniel gripped the books and pulled gently. Scarlett lost her balance and fell forward, straight into Daniel's arms.
She lifted her head from his chest, her eyes a bit dazed.
But she met Daniel's deep, boundless gaze.
The way he looked at her was so intense, his profound eyes clearly reflecting her small face.
The air grew thin. Scarlett froze.
Daniel's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse. "Scarlett, it's been so long, so long since you smiled at me like that."
A relaxed, light smile.
A smile that made his heart cave in and ache, wave after wave of emotion.
Like a person dying of thirst in the desert with no way out, finally seeing an oasis.
Daniel spoke softly, slowly lowering his head. Moved by emotion, he longed to kiss her red lips, to capture that faint smile at the corner of her mouth.
But just as he was about to touch her, Scarlett suddenly raised her hand.
Daniel's kiss landed on Scarlett's fingertips, his burning breath sending a trembling tingle through her nerve endings.
Scarlett pulled her hand back and quickly pushed Daniel away, leaving his embrace.
"You're pushing your luck again!"
She looked out the car window, ignoring him.
He said they'd start over, but this page wasn't even finished yet—still full of ellipses—and he already wanted to put a period on the next page. Where was the logic in that!
But Daniel noticed her slightly reddened ear tips, and his thin lips curved upward.
He patted the three books in his hand and smiled. "Alright, I'll study first. When I finish these three books, I'll ask Ms. Lewis to grade me, and then I'll proceed to the next step."
Hearing Daniel's words, Scarlett's lips curved slightly, but then she thought of Sarah, and her smile faded.
If Sarah firmly opposed this, she wouldn't hurt Sarah for Daniel's sake.
Daniel made his own mistakes—he had to solve them himself.
However, when Scarlett returned to Radiant Grove and waited until evening, not only did Sarah not come back, but Scarlett received news that Sarah had taken a flight to Skyview City for an audition.
Sarah was auditioning for the female lead in a major production. She took it very seriously and went early to prepare. She probably wouldn't be back for three to five days.
Worried that her own situation would affect Sarah's mood, Scarlett said nothing over the phone.
Scarlett thought she'd wait until Sarah returned from Skyview City to talk about it. By then, she and Daniel would have the divorce papers ready too.
But sometimes fate plays tricks. Words left unspoken probably weren't meant to be said—even heaven didn't favor them.
Three days later.
Daniel finished his meeting and left the office after 8 PM.
Tom followed behind Daniel, reporting the next day's schedule.
Seeing Daniel not heading toward the elevator but walking toward the CEO's office instead, Tom's head ached.
Daniel was going to work overtime again!
A while back, Daniel had led the charge on skincare routines.
These past few days, Daniel had been working overtime like crazy.
Fortunately, Daniel worked overtime himself and didn't require them to do the same.
But as his special assistant, Tom felt tremendous pressure not leaving before Daniel did. His recent search history was full of hair loss prevention tips.
He followed Daniel step by step to the office door. Daniel stopped and turned to look at him.
"You can go home."
"Should I stay and help Boss a bit longer?"
Daniel's expression was odd. "I'm working overtime because I'm about to take divorce leave and maternity leave. Why would a single person like you join in?"
Tom fell silent.
What was divorce leave?
He was truly ignorant—this was the first time he'd heard of it.
And maternity leave—wasn't that for women?
But clearly both involved Scarlett, so Tom didn't dare ask. He immediately forced a smile, turned, and left.
Daniel entered the office, processed two documents, and then his phone rang.
At this time of day, Gia would call to report on Scarlett's daily activities, big and small. Daniel answered and held it to his ear.
"Did the swelling in her feet go down today?"
Yesterday Gia had mentioned that Scarlett's feet were a bit swollen in the afternoon.
Daniel had specifically asked a doctor, who said that if there were no other discomforts, it was most likely due to hormones and didn't require intervention.
Daniel had been thinking about it constantly. However, after a moment of silence on the other end, Waverly's voice came through instead.
Waverly's voice was slightly urgent. "Daniel, it's me! Hampton Villa just called. Alice just fell, her water broke, and she's going into labor! What should I do? Can you come with me? I'm so panicked and scared right now."