Love’s Cruel Stroke

Chapter 44 Call Me Papa

When Rachel glanced at her watch, she was surprised to find that it was nearly 4.00PM and that school would be over. She couldn’t believe just how long she had dawdled at the Ford Residence.

Initially, she had planned on dropping by the workshop to see how things were going, but it was already getting late, and she had to pick up the kids.

Rachel drove over to the kindergarten and waited by the entrance. Before long, she saw her kids walking out of the building hand-in-hand.

It was even more heartwarming to see that a bunch of kids had swarmed around Olivia and Casper, clamoring for their attention.

“You were so cool today, Casper! I bet you’re the smartest kid in our school!”

“You’re so good-looking, Casper. Can I be your friend, too? Will you sit next to me in class tomorrow?”

“I’ll be sitting with my sister,” Casper replied indifferently. “But I’ll be friends with you if you’re willing to be friends with her.”

“Olivia is so pretty. I’ll be a pretty princess like her, too, if I play with her!”

“I want to be Olive’s friend, too!”

And just like that, the little kids surrounded Olivia. They knew she neither liked speaking nor getting touched, so they kept their distance while talking to her. As such, Olivia was unfazed, though she did not respond to any of the kids’ questions and incessant chattering.

Upon seeing this, Rachel felt her heart swell. She never expected these children to have taken such a liking to Olivia, much less extend friendship to her.

She walked over on her heels, and her presence was instantly greeted by gasps and exclamations of awe. “Wow, Casper, is this your mom? She’s so pretty!”

“Your mom looks like an angel from heaven! It’s no wonder you and Olivia both look so good!”

The children crowded around Rachel and began pelting her with compliments.

A warm smile lit up her face as she said, “If you eat more fruits and drink a healthy amount of water, then your skin will glow, and you’ll be really pretty, too!”

The little girls who cared about their looks secretly took mental notes when they heard this.

When Casper bade the little girls goodbye, he took Olivia’s hand and helped her into the car.

Rachel drove away from the kindergarten and remarked happily, “Well, it looks like all the kids and teachers here are just lovely. I’m sure Olive will make plenty of new friends here.”

Casper nodded. “The kids are all pretty nice, and Olive doesn’t seem to mind them, so you can rest easy, Mommy.” Indeed, with him around, no one would dare pick on Olivia.

Rachel had witnessed the little kids’ enthusiasm at befriending Olivia, which reassured her to no end. She said nothing more about this and kept her eyes on the road.

Casper, on the other hand, turned to look at the passing scenery. Just then, he frowned and pursed his lips, then said, “Mommy, there’s a black car that’s been tailing us.”

Rachel’s brows drew together as she glanced into the rearview mirror. Sure enough, there was a black van tailing them, though it kept some distance.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and made a left turn, only to see the van following her as well. When she turned right, the van did the same, but it kept a fifty-meter distance from her nonetheless.

“Casper, hold on to your sister and sit tight; I’m going to try to shake that van off!” With that, she stepped on the gas, and the car sped down the road, overtaking cars wherever she could.

However, it was clear to see that the driver of the black van was equally skilled, for she couldn’t shake off their pursuit, no matter how fast she was driving.

Casper’s frown deepened as he suggested, “Mommy, let’s stop by a restaurant and see who the driver is.”

At a time like this, Rachel thought that seemed the best way to go about this situation. She turned the wheel and maneuvered the car to the outermost lane, but just as she was about to stop outside a nearby restaurant, a loud crash sounded from behind them.

She glanced into the rearview mirror and saw that a small sedan had rammed into the suspicion van, hence the loud crash. The back of the van caved in from the impact, and by the looks of it, the vehicle could not be driven anymore.

The driver of the van was presumably too afraid to get out of the vehicle and demand compensation, so he sped away despite the van’s damaged state.

Meanwhile, the door of the small sedan swung open, and a man dressed in a gray suit came out of the vehicle.

This was a man who would have women screaming fanatically over him. He had brown eyes that glimmered in the evening light, and upon closer inspection, he had the distinct look of a classic heartbreaker.

There was a devilish smile on his lips as the man walked up to Rachel’s car, and with his long legs, it took him all but a couple of strides to reach her. He leaned against her window and knocked on it, then chuckled roguishly as he said, “I told you we’d meet again, Rae.”

Rachel rolled down her window and eyed him with a smirk. “You really are an incubus no matter where you are.”

This man was none other than Asher Kingsley, a scion whom she had met while abroad. He was also a renowned playboy among the upper-class echelons there.

Being the incubus that he was, he had pursued Rachel fervently after their first meeting, and he didn’t give up on her until she had thrown him over her shoulders out of self-defense a couple of times.

Once he had stopped pursuing her romantically, the both of them warmed to each other as friends instead. They had dinner together as a farewell gesture before her recent return to the country, and she thought that would likely be the last time they ever saw each other. After all, Asher was mainly based abroad, and she had no plans to leave her homeland after her return.

She certainly didn’t think that the incubus would travel all the way here to Seaview City.

“Mr. Asher, what are you doing here?” Casper asked, leaning forward curiously.

“Hey, Casper, I told you countless times that it’d be so much better if you called me ‘Dad’ than ‘Mr. Asher’. We’re no strangers to one another, you know.” Asher reached out to ruffle the little boy’s hair a little brusquely, then smirked as he added, “Though I’ll settle for ‘Papa’ if that’s what you prefer to call me.”

Casper dodged his hand and pressed his shell-pink lips into a thin line, then pointed out, “I’ll call you that when Mommy gives me the green light.”

Asher rolled his eyes at this. Yeah, as if Rachel would ever give you the green light to call me ‘Papa’. There’s a higher chance that pigs would fly before that happens!

He blinked and turned to look at Olivia, who was demure and quiet as usual. “You’re still the cutest, Olive. Come here and give me a hug.” He burrowed into the backseat and pulled the little girl into his arms.

She was impassive, but she didn’t mind him caressing her hair at all. As such, he took the liberty of ruffling the soft tendrils of her hair.

At the sight of this, Rachel laughed and shook her head in exasperation. There were only about a handful of people whom Olivia liked, and Asher happened to be one of them.

While driving, Rachel asked, “So how long will you be staying in Seaview City?”

“Until you get sick of me,” Asher replied with a wisecrack grin. “I miss your cooking, Rae, and I am craving desperately for it. I want to try every single specialty dish that Seaview City is famous for, and I mean every one of them!”

“Don’t get your hopes up.” She glared at him through the rearview mirror. “I’ll cook for you, and you’ll eat it and get back to wherever you came from.”

She pulled up at the supermarket after that and bought a bunch of groceries, then drove home.

Upon their arrival, Asher carried Olivia out of the car and took in the villa before him in wide-eyed wonder. “Holy crap, Rae! Look at the size of this place. Where did you get the money to buy real estate like this?”