The guests showered Blue with all sorts of presents, each wrapped beautifully, a reflection of the love and adoration she received from everyone at the reception. The pile of gifts stacked higher than ten feet, filling almost two entire rooms. She gazed at them with a bright smile as the last of the guests took their leave.
Vladimir had been caught up entertaining his friends, but once they were finally gone, he made his way back to Blue. She stood beside her maid, her lips curved into a permanent smile.
"My granddaughter is looking so beautiful, isn't she?" Vladimir remarked, gently patting her head, careful not to disturb the floral headband made of fresh flowers.
Blue nodded. "I am very happy," she replied sweetly.
"You even got so many gifts from the guests—it makes me feel like you won't have anything left to ask me for your birthday," he said, intentionally pouting like a child.
Blue hesitated for a moment, glancing at Nala, who gave her a reassuring nod, silently encouraging her to speak up.
"Grandpa, I have something I want as my gift," she finally said.
Vladimir's face lit up. "What is it?" he asked with interest.
"I—I want to learn how to swim. Can I join swimming lessons?" she asked, flashing a bright, hopeful smile.
For a second, Vladimir blinked, caught off guard by the request. He pondered for a moment before asking, "Have you asked your father about this?"
"No! He will never let me," she quickly said, clutching his hand tightly. "Don't tell Dada," she added urgently.
At that, Vladimir's brows lifted in amusement, his mood visibly lightening. "That useless father of yours... Look, he's still not here to congratulate you. Does he even deserve to know about this? I don't think so!" he huffed before nodding.
"Alright, I will arrange swimming lessons for you. Is that all you want?"
"I want to learn from Aunty Sara. Can I?"
Vladimir's expression turned slightly puzzled as he glanced at Nala, who explained, "She's taken a liking to a swimming instructor and wants to learn from her."
"Is that so?" Vladimir mused.
"Yeah! She's super nice! When I got lost, she even celebrated my birthday and asked the police to take care of me until you all found me," Blue gushed, her voice filled with excitement. Never before had Vladimir seen her speak so much about a single person. Her entire demeanor had shifted—her eyes sparkled with admiration, and her tone carried an unmistakable fondness.
Growing slightly curious, Vladimir folded his arms. "Well then, I'll have to check if Miss Sara is truly worthy of teaching you, right? How about I let you know once I've arranged for an instructor?"
"Yeah!" Blue cheered, jumping happily as she clapped her hands together. "Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you so much!"
The response was real this time. Her eyes sparkled with genuine excitement, and her face lit up in a way Valdmir hadn't seen before. He was truly curious—who was this person who had brought her such joy?
Gasp.
Sher almost dropped the laptop bag he was holding. His heart lurched as he clamped a hand over his mouth, stopping himself from making a sound. He had rushed back as quickly as he could. The smoke in his house hadn't been from a fire—it turned out his girlfriend had tried to cook dinner for him and ended up burning the pot. She'd left it near the window, and his neighbor, seeing the smoke, had panicked. Once he confirmed she was fine, Sher had immediately rushed back to Augustine, not wanting to face his wrath if he delayed.
But what he walked into left him utterly baffled.
Sara's eyes snapped open as she sat up, tugging her hand slightly, as if checking whether it was still being held. It slid free successfully.
"Thank God!" she muttered, turning around—only to spot Sher standing there. She almost screamed in shock before settling down.
"You're finally here!" she exhaled in relief, and for a split second, Sher thought he saw invisible teardrops shimmering in her eyes. Without warning, she launched herself toward him.
"What is this?" He pointed at the close proximity between her and Augustine.
"Don't misunderstand anything. I was just changing his towels—he's sick. The doctor checked on him and asked me to do it," Sara explained quickly.
"Boss is sick?" Sher gasped, hurrying over and checking Augustine's temperature. It had gone down quite a bit.
"Thank you so much for helping out. If not for you, I'd be dead meat," Sher said gratefully.
Sara, however, shook her head, pursing her lips. "Your life at the expense of mine," she muttered.
"I'll be leaving now. Please take care of him, and I made some porridge—feed him when he wakes up. Keep changing the towels to help bring the fever down," she instructed while stretching her sore back.
"Thank you so much! Please send me your account number. I'll transfer money for your help," Sher offered.
Sara's head snapped up, and she immediately waved her hands. "No! It's fine. This was just a misunderstanding. I'm not a delivery person."
"Huh? You're not?" Sher asked, confused.
"No. I was just returning a toy that belonged to a kid. Her mother works in your company, but you mistook me for a delivery person," she bit her lip.
Sher's guilt deepened. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea—I was panicked and didn't even give you a chance to explain. Please, leave your contact information. I'll definitely repay you."
"There's no need. I just have to get home quickly," she insisted. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "And as a favor… please don't tell your boss about me. He's not exactly… pleased with me."
Sher glanced at Augustine and nodded. It was a rare occasion when he was pleased with anyone.
"Also, the toy—could you return it to someone named Sofia Core? Her daughter left it with me, and I can't come back again," she said.
"Oh!" It suddenly hit him that she was there to meet Sofia. " Sure. But at least let me drop you off," Sher offered.
Sara hesitated, not wanting to burden him, but after the rough experience of getting here, she figured it wouldn't hurt. So, this time, she didn't refuse.