Chapter 45: When He Called Me Nobody

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: When He Called Me Nobody

~Reynold’s POV~

My head snapped up, my eyes going wide as the words registered in my brain. Your daughter?

"Wait..." I stammered, my voice cracking slightly. "You have a daughter?"

Frederick didn’t flinch at my shock. His expression remained completely calm. "Yes. I have a beautiful daughter."

"You’ve never mentioned her to me," I blurted out, my chest tightening with a sudden wave of insecurity.

"I never mentioned her, but I’m thirty-six years old, Reynold," Frederick replied, stepping a little closer. "You couldn’t possibly think I wouldn’t have a child."

"I never said you couldn’t," I shot back defensively, a strange sense of uncertainty settling over me. "You just never told me! So... what, are you married? If you have a family, why do you even need me?"

Frederick’s intense eyes narrowed slightly at my accusation. "What are you talking about? I never said I was married. I just have a daughter."

"Then did she fall from heaven?" My voice rose slightly as curiosity and uncertainty began to creep in. "What about her mother? And what am I supposed to do now? You’re acting like you’re worried about her seeing me here."

"I’m not worried," Frederick said with a quiet sigh. "I’m just being cautious because she has never seen me with a man before

"So what am I supposed to do? Hide from her?" I crossed my arms, my heart pounding against my ribs. "How old is she, anyway?"

"Can we talk about this later?" Frederick asked, clearly trying to steer the conversation away. "The lobby just called. She’s already on her way up."

"I just want to know so I’ll know how to behave!" I snapped, still not ready to let the subject go.

"Just be yourself," he said, turning toward the mirror to adjust his cuffs. Then he headed toward the door. "I’ll go wait for her in my office."

I immediately felt a rush of panic. "Wait. Should I come with you, or stay here? Am I supposed to hide from her? What do I do?"

Frederick stopped at the door and turned back to me with a frown. "Why are you sounding like this? Are you angry?"

"Just answer my question," I muttered, looking away.

"Of course you can come outside. Your food should be here any minute anyway," Frederick replied, his tone softening slightly.

"Okay," I mumbled.

He crossed his arms and studied me closely. "Are you angry, Reynold?"

"What right do I have to be angry?" I retorted, my jaw tightening.

"Come on, Reynold. Don’t talk like that," Frederick sighed, walking back toward me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Alright, since you’re done getting dressed, let’s step outside together."

I pulled away slightly and ran a hand through my messy hair. "I haven’t even styled my hair yet."

Frederick chuckled softly. He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, gently smoothing the stray strands back into place with surprising care.

Once he finished fixing it, he held out his hand.

I took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in my throat before placing my hand in his.

Frederick took my hand and led me out of the private suite and back into the main office.

As we stepped inside, Frederick gestured toward the seating area, silently telling me to sit on the sofa. But before I could take a step, a sharp knock sounded against the grand double doors before they swung open.

A young woman walked into the office. She had striking blonde hair, delicate features, and an elegant appearance. I stared at her in surprise. For some reason, I had imagined Frederick’s daughter would be a little girl, maybe six or seven years old. I never expected her to be a grown woman who looked almost my age.

Frederick immediately stepped away from me and walked over to greet her.

"Mr. Co," she said, reaching out and wrapping her arms around him in a familiar hug.

She glanced briefly in my direction before quickly looking away.

Instead of going to the sofa as Frederick had asked, I stayed where I was, keeping a reasonable distance but remaining close to his desk. His office was massive, and if I sat all the way across the room, I probably wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.

Besides, I still wanted to see for myself if she was really Frederick’s daughter. The way she greeted him had made me curious, and seeing how young she was only made me more suspicious. Maybe I was overthinking it, but I needed to know for sure what their relationship really was.

Frederick hugged her tightly, his expression softening as he held her close.

"I missed you, Lily," he said.

"I missed you too, Daddy," she replied.

Oh. A quiet realization settled over me. Frederick really was her father.

He pulled back slightly, his expression becoming more serious. "What’s wrong, Lily? Why did you come back so suddenly?"

Lily let out an exaggerated sigh, dragging out the words as if she were putting on a performance.

"I came back because I missed you."

"Don’t give me that, Lily. We both know that’s not true," Frederick said flatly, crossing his arms. "Now tell me the real reason you came back."

She groaned, her shoulders dropping in frustration.

"Can you tell Uncle Wilson to stop forcing me to travel home with him every holiday? I told him I didn’t want to go home. I told him I didn’t want to come back, and I even told him I didn’t want to see you. But he dragged me back anyway, and then I had to pretend that I missed you! What is wrong with him? Just tell him to stop breathing down my neck. And you know what else?"

"What?" Frederick asked, completely unbothered by her attitude.

Wow. She’s harsh, I thought, watching how calmly Frederick handled her.

"You know Uncle Wilson," Lily complained, rolling her eyes. "He always comes home because of that ugly girlfriend of his. And the moment we landed, he dragged me over to see her. She was already standing there with that stupid smile on her face as soon as we got off the plane. It was so annoying!"

"Lily," Frederick warned, his voice low.

"What?" she said, sounding defensive. "Can’t I say what I think? Someone really needs to tell him that woman is hideously ugly."

Frederick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Then why didn’t you just call me to come pick you up?"

"I just told you I didn’t want to see you," Lily replied, crossing her arms. "I thought about going to Grandma’s instead, but then I remembered how she gets. What is wrong with everyone? Why are you all being so mean to me?"

"I haven’t done anything," Frederick said calmly.

"You’ve done everything!" Lily argued, her voice rising. "I know you’re the one who ordered them to bring me home for every holiday. It’s not fair."

"Calm down first," Frederick said, raising a hand to stop her.

Before Lily could say anything else, the desk phone suddenly rang. Frederick picked it up and answered.

"Sir, the food delivery has arrived," his secretary informed him.

"Bring it in," Frederick instructed before hanging up.

A moment later, the secretary opened the side door and brought the food inside.

Lily finally turned her attention away from her father and looked directly at me. Her eyes slowly traveled from my head to my feet, studying me with a sharp, almost critical gaze.

I shifted slightly under her stare, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

At least I’m not ugly, I thought defensively, wondering what had caught her attention.

As the secretary arranged the food containers on the table beside the sofa, she quietly slipped back out. The heavy double doors clicked shut behind her.

Frederick didn’t look up immediately. He simply glanced in my direction. "Reynold, you can go eat your food."

I nodded, keeping my eyes down. "Okay, Mr. Corvin."

I turned and started walking toward the sofa, but Lily finally spoke, her sharp voice cutting through the quiet office.

"Daddy, who is this?"

Frederick didn’t answer right away. He walked over to his executive chair, sat down, and looked up at her. "Lily, are you hungry?"

"Who is he?" she repeated, ignoring the question.

I continued toward the seating area, but I slowed my steps slightly, straining to hear his reply. Even though I already knew what he was supposed to say, some part of me still wanted to hear how he would brush me off.

Frederick lowered his voice as he spoke to Lily, clearly trying to keep their conversation private. "He’s nobody. So ignore him, okay?"

The words hit me harder than I expected.

I stopped in my tracks and looked back over my shoulder at him. I knew he was only following the rules we had agreed on from the beginning. Our relationship was supposed to remain a secret, strictly behind closed doors.

Still, hearing him call me a nobody stung.

Lily turned her head and looked directly at me. I quickly looked away, fixing my eyes on the floor.

"If he’s a nobody, why is he in your office?" she pressed, her tone skeptical.

Frederick didn’t miss a beat. "He’s a poor kid. I’m just helping him out."

"Is he an orphan?" Lily asked, completely unfazed.

"Not really. His story is complicated. I’m just helping him."

Lily hummed softly, her eyes lingering on me. "Poor thing... and he’s cute."

I walked over to the sofa, opened the food containers, and tried to focus on eating.