Justin, however, didn't give him a chance to speak. He said coldly, "I'll be speaking with the kindergarten. Ms. Turner will be under the Hunts' protection from now on."

He hung up right after saying that.

Justin looked at Cherry tenderly and said, "There, I've made the call. Don't worry, Pete."

Just now, Cherry had suddenly run over and said that someone was bullying her godmother, so she wanted him to talk to the Smiths. He had been rather stunned when she said that.

However, he had very quickly reacted and knew that this was a great opportunity for him.

After all, one must never offend their woman's best friend.

Thus, he had made the call. To him, it was nothing but just a matter of lifting his finger.

Cherry nodded and chirped, "Okie-Dokie!"

However, Justin was still staring at her.

Cherry blinked and asked, "What's the matter, Daddy?"

Was little Cherry not cute today?

Just as she was wondering, Justin said, "You should give your Mommy a call and report this to her."

How could he stay quiet about it after doing a good deed?

Cherry tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

Without batting even an eyelid, Justin replied, "Because your Mommy won't need to worry anymore if you do that, right?"

After thinking for a while, Cherry agreed and said, "Okie-Dokie!"

Justin sat there and watched his adorable little baby take out her cell phone. Her little fingers swiped across the screen slickly and turned it on. Then, she dialed Nora's number.

The young woman's lazy voice rang out from the other end of the call the moment it connected.

"What's the matter, Cherry?"

Cherry found herself missing Mommy a bit when she heard the familiar voice. Longing appeared in her big eyes as she said, "Mommy, the kindergarten fired God-mom!"

"What happened?"

The woman's voice instantly turned sharp. Then, Cherry heard rustling sounds from the other end of the call—she was likely... getting out of bed?

However, Cherry went on and said, "But you don't have to worry, Mommy~ I've already settled it for you~"

Justin, "??"

Cherry said triumphantly, "I coaxed Daddy to call the Smiths after I heard the news, so God-mom should be fine soon~ Aren't I super awesome, Mommy?!"

The woman on the other end relaxed and likely laid back down on the bed. She said, "Uh-huh, Cherry's the best. I'll get God-mom to thank you when she comes back. Mwah~"

Then, she yawned again and said, "Mm, I'm going to bed."

And then, she hung up.

Justin, "????"

He was obviously the one who resolved the issue, so why was all the credit Cherry's in the end?!

His expression darkened right away.

However, Cherry turned to him right after that. She broke into a grin and said, "There, I've made the call, Daddy! Isn't Cherry... Pit super awesome?!"

Although he was gnashing his teeth, Justin nevertheless forced a small smile and replied, "... Yes, you are."

Satisfied, Cherry ran off to play in the study.

Justin heaved a silent sigh as he gazed at that tiny little figure.

Were she Pete, his big hand would already have made intimate contact with his little butt. But if it was Cherry... Never mind. Girls were delicate creatures. She was his daughter after all. The only thing he could do was pamper her, he supposed!

Now that he couldn't count on his daughter anymore, Justin could only do something about it himself.

He picked up his cell phone and called Nora.

The other party picked up very quickly. The voice on the other end sounded very annoyed as she asked, "What is it now?"

Justin paused slightly and asked, "Aren't you going to treat me to dinner after I helped you out today, Ms. Smith?"

"... Oh, I see."

Justin, "?"

"Text me where and when," said Nora.

Justin breathed a sigh of relief. He picked a restaurant and sent the address to her.

Then, he stood up and got ready to set off. When he passed the study, he saw Cherry playing in there. Were she Pete, he would never take him along and have him be the third wheel.

But if it was Cherry... He'd better take her along, he supposed. Otherwise, what if she started crying at home?

Justin smiled and beckoned to her. "Let's go out for dinner, Pete."

"Okie-Dokie!"

—

At the Smith Corporation.

In the office, Joel clenched his fists tightly after Justin hung up. The look in his eyes, as he stared ahead of him, was volatile and unreadable.

Even his expression, which was always amicable, had become a little sharp. An unusual gleam appeared in his deep eyes. He pressed the button that summoned his personal assistant. Thirty seconds later, his assistant knocked on the door and entered. "Is there something you need me for, Mr. Smith?"

Joel's voice was awfully cold as he ordered, "Find out what happened at the Golden Sunshine Kindergarten!"

The assistant was stunned for a moment.

Joel was well-known for being a wolf in sheep's clothing. He had always been mild-mannered and treated everyone amicably. During all these years as his personal assistant, Joel had been relatively forgiving toward him even when he made the occasional mistake.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a cold and ruthless look on Joel's face.

The assistant hastily nodded and replied respectfully, "Yes, sir."

After the assistant left, Joel thought for a while and nevertheless got up and walked out of his office. When the assistant noticed him, he said in surprise, "Mr. Smith?"

Joel instructed, "Cancel all my meetings today. Call me when you find out what happened."

"Yes, sir."

Joel took the CEO-exclusive lift down to the underground car park and drove out by himself.

To be honest, he didn't know where he wanted to go, but he simply felt so irritable. He drove around aimlessly in New York. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the university where he used to study at.

He stopped the car. He was about to walk in when he spotted a familiar figure right away.

The young woman, who seemed a little sad, was sitting on a bench under the tree. Her thin and frail figure gradually blended with the one from a few years ago.

All the noise around him seemed to disappear and time quietly rewound to a few years ago...

Back in high school, they had made a promise to each other that they would attend the New York University together. However, when they were seniors, she suddenly began to pursue dancing before the entrance exams. She wanted to go professional, so she gave up on enrolling at the New York University and instead made plans to go abroad. He was very sad when she told him, but he didn't want to hold her back, so he had agreed.

The two of them seldom spoke to each other after that. After the college entrance exams, the two of them didn't contact each other for a whole summer.

When school finally started, all Joel could feel was dejection as he walked down the path with his luggage without her. It seemed like the world only became bright and colorful when she was around.

But as he walked, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.

He looked up and saw her standing at the New York University's reception counter for freshmen with a suitcase. With a big smile on her face, she had called out, "Joel Smith! I'm staying here all for your sake! Don't you dare bully me in the future, you hear me?"

Even after so many years, he could still clearly remember that she had worn a pale blue dress that day. Her calves were fair and her figure tall and slender.

When she smiled, it was as if everything around her had lit up.

In the midst of Joel's thoughts, the sound of a cell phone ringing suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Had his assistant already found out what happened at the kindergarten?