His One True Love

Chapter 12---Caring for Candy

Wendy's eyes flickered, her gaze locking onto the warm watercolor painting of a "family of three."

"Is Candy lonely?"

The little one cupped her cheeks, her bright eyes darting around before she solemnly nodded and said pitifully, "Yes! Candy has no friends, and Mommy's on Mars and won't come back to see Candy! Rose's mom braids her hair beautifully every day—Candy wants a mommy to braid her hair too."

Wendy couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to stroke the child's adorable mushroom-cut hair. "But Candy, you have short hair. You can't braid it."

Candy pouted, her voice full of, "It's because no one would braid my hair, so Daddy took me to cut it short. Daddy said he doesn't know how to braid hair. Daddy's so clumsy."

Wendy burst into laughter. An image flashed in her mind—Chase Fields, known for his ruthless authority in the business world, awkwardly fumbling with a child's hair, frowning in frustration as he failed to tie a single braid. She'd heard stories of his iron-fisted leadership, but it was hard to imagine him ever looking so helpless.

"Well, this time, don't cut your hair. Teacher can braid it for you."

Candy furrowed her tiny brows, thoughtfully asking, "Hmm… Will it be pretty braids, like Rose's?"

"Of course! You're such a cute little thing—braids will look adorable on you."

Suddenly, Candy's soft, pale little hand grabbed hers. "Mia, my mommy's on Mars and can't come back. Can you be my mommy for now?"

Wendy froze. "Huh?"

The little girl sighed deeply, sitting down on the step with a pitiful expression. "If Mia doesn't be my mommy, then Daddy will bring some other auntie to be my mommy. But those aunties scold Candy, won't let me eat, and even hit me. Mia, if I get hurt and go to the hospital, will you come see me?"

Her big, watery eyes gazed up at Wendy, so pure and sincere, making Wendy's heart ache.

Would Chase's girlfriends really mistreat the child?

They wouldn't dare in front of him, of course—but behind his back? Could it really be true, as Candy said, that they refused to feed her, scolded her, or even hit her?

Wendy's maternal instincts surged. She asked gently, "Does your dad often bring ladies home?"

To get Wendy to be her mom, Candy didn't hesitate to throw her father under the bus. She crossed her little arms and declared indignantly, "Hmph! When Daddy brings an auntie home, he ignores Candy and tells me to go play by myself!"

Wendy frowned. She couldn't help but feel angry. Chase seemed like such a respectable man—she'd assumed he doted on Candy. But when it came to women, he clearly didn't care about his daughter at all.

"Do you really want me to be your mommy?"

"Yes! Because I know Mia won't hurt me!"

She wanted to protect Candy, but… this wasn't her decision to make. "You need to ask your dad first. I can't decide this. But even if I can't be your mom, I'll talk to your dad and make sure he spends more time with you."

Clever as ever, Candy blinked her big eyes twice. "Mia, I'll take that as a yes!"

Wendy smiled affectionately at the little one, taking her small hand. "Alright, time to go inside for class."

…

By afternoon dismissal, Candy was once again the last one left.

Wendy, having learned from last time, called Chase directly. The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered.

"This is Wendy Moore. Mr. Fields, it's already four o'clock. All the other children have gone home. When will you come pick up Candy?"

The man on the other end glanced at his watch, his voice low and calm. "I'm in a meeting. It'll be another two hours. Please look after Candy for now."

Before she could respond, the line went dead.

"…"

Wendy twitched at the corner of her mouth. Is this how someone acts as a father?

She seriously doubted whether Candy was even Chase's real daughter.

Didn't he worry she might kidnap Candy?

Wendy looked down at the little girl standing beside her, backpack on, gazing up at her with innocent eyes. She crouched down and said softly, "Your dad is busy with something important right now. He'll come get you later. How about we go play nearby?"

Candy wasn't sad at all. She clapped her hands happily. "Yay! Mia, can we go to your house?"

As they walked out of the kindergarten, Wendy said, "Huh? To my place? But there's not much to do at my house."

"But I just wanna go to Mia's house! If another auntie bullies me next time, I can run to Mia's house!"

Wendy suppressed a smile. This little one was quite clever—already thinking about escape routes. "If an auntie bullies you, call me first. Don't run off alone. You might get lost, okay?"

"Then Mia, can I have your phone number?"

Wendy didn't hesitate. "Sure."

Candy held out her wrist, where a smart touchscreen watch was strapped. "Mia, enter your number here. Then I can call you next time!"

Wendy typed in her phone number. "There. Done."

Holding Candy's hand, they walked out of the kindergarten. Passing a KFC, Candy suddenly stopped, her little hand rubbing her belly.

Wendy laughed. "Hungry? Want some KFC?"

Candy nodded eagerly. "Yes yes, Mia, can I have KFC?"

"Of course. Let's go."

Inside KFC, Wendy ordered a kids' meal for Candy and got herself a Coke and a burger.

Candy happily gnawed on her chicken nuggets. Seeing how joyful she was, Wendy asked curiously, "Does your dad take you to KFC on weekends?"

Candy shook her head. With two greasy little hands, she held her drink and sucked on the straw. "Daddy says KFC is bad for the body, so he never takes Candy."

Well, KFC was fried food. Though many kids loved it, it wasn't exactly healthy.

But eating it once in a while, and seeing the child so happy—it was worth it.

Still, it seemed Chase rarely spent time with Candy.

As Candy scooped mashed potatoes into her mouth, she whispered conspiratorially, "Mia, can we keep the KFC a secret from Daddy? He'll get mad!"

"Okay. Our secret. I won't tell your dad."

Suddenly, Candy climbed up, leaned across the table, propped herself up with her little hands, and planted a loud, unapologetic kiss right on Wendy's cheek, leaving a greasy smear. "Thank you, Mia!"

Wendy froze, touching her greasy cheek where Candy had kissed her. Strangely, she felt a surge of happiness.

What was wrong with her? Even if she became Candy's stepmom one day, it would only be part of a deal with Chase. So why did she suddenly feel like she was actually Candy's real mother?