"Yue, do your homework now."

Nicole gave their daughter a warning look, still, she won't leave his side. He had to nudge her to listen to her mother because if not, he will be the one who will be in hot water with her.

"I don't want you to go," she whined, clinging on his neck. She said her complaint in a hushed voice, not wanting her mother to hear her or she would get another scolding.

"On your school vacation, I'll pick you up and you can stay with me." he smiled, despite the lump on his throat. They have been away for almost a year now, but the idea of leaving her still got him every time.

However, his hands are tied. The court gave his ex-wife full custody of their child. And it was all his fault. Fixing his past mistake would probably take time. Nicole agreeing to have their daughter spending her school vacation with him was already a huge thing, and he can't wait for it, -- maybe more than his daughter.

His daughter reluctantly gets off his lap to go to her room to do her homework. She kept on looking back at him while she walks to her bedroom.

"Hurry now!" she told her who just stuck her tongue to her mother in response.

When their daughter closes her bedroom door behind her, he gave her an inquiring look.

"Stop worrying about your daughter. She just in the age of being naughty and testing the boundaries of her freedom," she said nonchalantly sipping her tea.

"Why would you oppose the security I wish to provide for you two?" he asked her in frustration.

"You are just being paranoid Noah. How many times do I have to tell you that, the reason I brought Yue here is that I want her to have a normal life. I would rather send her to a regular school, interact with other kids in the neighborhood than to have her with you in those special school where she would be told and treated that she is better than the rest of the kids her age."

Noah wasn't able to refute her lengthy explanation. For the nth time, they have discussed this same topic, nevertheless, he still couldn't understand why they kept on coming back to this discussion. Maybe, it was because he kept on insisting on something that the mother of his daughter disagrees on.

"I understand. But security is another matter." he raked his fingers through his hair. He can't seem to win an argument with her. "Even so, you can call me paranoid, I just want to make sure that the two of you are safe."

An uncomfortable silence ensued between the two of them. He wondered if there will be a chance for them in the future to mend the pain of their past.

"Okay."

Noah was shocked to hear her agreeing to the security for them. He has been introducing the idea of having a bodyguard to his ex-wife for her and their daughter, but she won't listen to him in the past.

Now, she agreed!

"But, I want restriction with those bodyguards." she raised her fingers on him. The same way she would raise her hand on their daughter whenever she makes a mistake.

"Let me hear what you have in mind," he said too eagerly. He would agree to any request she asked, to ensure their safety.

"Not more than two. That's the first rule. I don't want strangers to surround us to the point we could no longer breathe! -- we have been there before, so I'm sure you would understand.

"The second rule, I don't like those securities to interfere with our lives. Make sure that they are like ghosts, I don't want to feel or know that they exist. Especially Yue."

"I can work with that. Thank you for this. I understand your misgiving about it because of everything that happened in the past. But, my father would like me to run the business for him, and there are some people that I can't trust. I don't want them to go after you."

"I don't want our daughter to grow up in that kind of environment." she snapped at him.

Noah nodded in agreement. It is because of this reason that despite having to fly to the other side of the world just to see his only child, he is not complaining.

There are only a few things that he and his ex-wife agreed on, and one of them is to give their daughter -- Lucille Yue, a normal childhood.

"Are you going back home today?" she asked when another dead air passed through them.

"Around midnight," he answered in regrets. "I have a meeting for lunch."

Nicole smirked sarcastically. It is always like this in the past. He will be a father to their daughter for a few hours and spend the rest of the day in the laboratory buried in research.

Another dead air covered the room. He and his ex-wife no longer know how to have a conversation that does not involve their child.

Both of them were saved by the shrill voice of Lucille dashing towards them with books in her arms.

"Papa, help me with my Science homework," she begs cutely to her father.

"Yue, you have to finish your homework early so you could go to bed early too."

"Finish homework early, sleep early. Then, I sleep early to wake up early," she said in a sing-song voice to annoy her mother. "My life is nothing but to be early. Don't you feel pity for me?" she batted her eyelashes that curtained her eyes that look a lot like his.

"Sweetie, I would have taken a pity if you didn't cut class with your friends to fall in line to some newly opened Booba store." he chuckled softly ruffling her hair.

"A single mistake will haunt me forever," she said pouting, wanting some sympathy.

He laughed as he remembered Miss Zimmerman back at the university who would always retort smugly.