Chapter 199: Emily, Daughter
When William received Emily's call, he had just arrived in Sylvanor. Tonight, he was supposed to attend a very important business dinner.
Seeing "Sophia" on the caller ID, William's heart fluttered.
Before answering, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, then he laughed at himself. Sophia wouldn't even agree to see him in person, so how could she possibly call him on video?
But even though logic told him the person on the other end was most likely Emily, William couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.
"Mr. Smith."
Emily leaned in, getting close to the phone screen, looking at him with a big smile.
Outside William's car window the sun was scorching, while on the other end of the video, Emily was already wearing her onesie pajamas. Her freshly blow-dried hair was soft and smooth, and her cheeks looked pink and tender from just getting out of the bath.
As soon as the video connected, a clear "Mr. Smith" came through.
William had been working overtime for several nights in a row, but seeing cute Emily on the screen, the exhaustion in his eyes instantly turned gentle.
"What's wrong?" William asked.
He could hear water running on the other end. It seemed Emily had snuck in another video call while Sophia was taking a bath.
"Mr. Smith, I'm growing up."
When she said this, her eyes sparkled like twinkling stars. When she smiled, two cute dimples appeared on her cheeks.
In the past, Emily would smile at William too, but there was always a bit of distance. Even when she smiled in his arms, he had never paid special attention.
But today was different.
William's eyes immediately narrowed, and his body unconsciously straightened up.
Those dimples...
His grip on the phone tightened, and his gaze shifted to the car window glass behind the phone. He smiled at the glass and saw the exact same dimples on his own face as Emily's.
William's pupils darkened.
He looked back at Emily on the video, and that uncertain guess in his mind became stronger and stronger.
"Emily, can you smile at me again?"
Emily noticed his gaze was different from before, and her bright, intelligent eyes rolled around.
She nodded with a smile, grinning even brighter than sunshine, the dimples on both cheeks clearly visible.
William's heart began racing wildly at the sight of the dimples at the corners of her mouth
William tried hard to hide his inner excitement. His pressed-together thin lips slowly parted, his voice even more gentle and deep than before.
"Emily, did you need something from me?"
Tony, sitting in the passenger seat, clearly heard something off in William's voice and silently raised the soundproof partition between the front and back seats.
Emily was getting tired of leaning forward, so she held the phone with both hands and lay on her pillow to continue chatting with him. "My birthday's coming up, I need to draw pretty cards."
"For James, Michael, Lucas, Lyra..."
"Mr. Smith, I'm growing up, I'll be as tall as James soon."
William quickly understood what Emily meant - her birthday was coming up, and she wanted to draw invitation cards for her friends.
"You're looking for me because you want me to help you draw, right?"
He carefully examined Emily's face. She did look a lot like Sophia, but if you looked closely, you'd find she also looked a lot like him.
Remembering the times she occasionally followed James and Michael in calling him "Dad," William's feelings became even more complicated.
He already had James and Michael; he should be content. But thinking he might have a daughter too, he wished he could fly back home immediately and ask Sophia in person.
But thinking of Sophia's temper, William forced himself to calm down.
Even if Emily really was his daughter, Sophia would never admit it. The best approach would be to put the evidence directly in front of her.
Emily was his daughter.
If Emily really was his daughter, then why did the previous paternity test show "no parent-child relationship"?
Emily, in the video, nodded.
"Okay, I'm abroad right now. When I get back tomorrow, I'll help you draw together, okay?"
Even through the phone screen, William's heart was melting from Emily's sparkling eyes.
Emily remembered how William had tricked her before and sat back up. She held the phone up high and said to him very seriously, "Mr. Smith, we have to pinky promise, you can't trick kids."
William's lips curved up. "Okay."
"When I get back, I'll bring you a gift."
Just then, Sophia came out after finishing her bath and heard Emily saying something about "can't trick kids." She saw Emily sitting on the bed, holding up her phone.
While drying her hair, she asked, "Emily, who are you video calling?"
Since Emily often used her phone to video call Lucas, Joe and the others, Sophia didn't think anything was wrong.
Hearing Sophia's words, Emily was about to show her the phone screen. But Sophia, thinking it was Joe on the other end, waved her hand to let her continue chatting.
Learning from previous lessons, before going to the bathroom to blow-dry her hair, Sophia specifically reminded her, "Be good, don't go downstairs, okay?"
Emily nodded obediently and said in her childish voice, "Okay."
Sophia smiled helplessly. Emily had been copying how cartoon characters talked lately - she'd need to find time to help Emily correct her pronunciation.
William glanced at the time. It was already very late back home.
He reminded her, "Emily, you should go to sleep."
Emily put the phone aside and obediently lay down, pulled her little blanket over herself, and said "good night" to William.
When she tried to press the hang-up button, she didn't press it right, and the phone fell on the pillow. Thinking the video had ended, she closed her eyes and went to sleep peacefully.
William saw the screen go dark, but the video hadn't actually disconnected.
Thinking this was Sophia's phone, and that Emily might be his biological daughter, William couldn't bring himself to hang up.
Until Sophia finished blow-drying her hair and came out, seeing Emily already fast asleep, her eyes were filled with deep maternal love.
She kissed Emily's forehead and said softly, "Good night, baby."
Hearing her voice, William held his breath.
The next second, Sophia picked up the phone to check it and happened to lock eyes with William on the screen.
He saw obvious surprise in her eyes.
Sophia hadn't expected that Emily had been video calling William.
William looked at her deeply and took the first step to end the video call.
Seeing the call duration showing "30 minutes," the corner of Sophia's mouth twitched.
Emily was really something.
She could actually chat for so long with someone who didn't show much emotion.
In the car.
William closed his eyes and said to Tony, "Book the earliest flight back home tomorrow."
As the chief secretary who constantly monitored William's schedule, Tony had already been searching for tonight's latest and tomorrow morning's earliest flights when he heard Emily ask William to help her draw.
Originally, William was supposed to attend a meeting at Aetheria's branch office early tomorrow morning, then fly to other countries to expand business. For the next two weeks, he would basically be living on planes.
But now his mind was entirely on Emily.
Thinking of the paternity test that Holden had given him, which he had locked in the safe at the Smith Manor, William's heartbeat began racing again.
A daughter... Without even realizing it, the corners of his mouth were already turning up, his eyes full of anticipation.
She was his daughter.
William initially wanted to have a bodyguard go to the Smith Manor to get the test report, but after thinking about it, decided to go open it himself to witness this moment. This matter needed to be carefully thought out.
Back home, Sophia had just lain down when she received an email from Rat.