Suddenly, the cheerful music of a ringtone broke the silence in the room.
Maxwell Peary quickly picked up the phone to answer it.
"You realized you lost your phone?"
The gloominess vanished from his face. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and his tone, now higher, held a faint trace of pleasure.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Nia Mitchell shivered in the phone booth. Even through the phone, she could almost feel his breath against her ear as he spoke.
"Huh?"
Nia Mitchell bit her lip in embarrassment, her left hand twisting the telephone cord. "Uncle Peary."
Her crimson lips parted slightly, and the soft, gentle words "Uncle Peary" slowly escaped them. She watched the rain fall harder and harder, feeling utterly helpless and lost.
"Uncle Peary, it's raining outside, I don't have any money, I don't have a place to stay, I... I'm so hungry..."
「Ten minutes later—」
A silver-gray Rolls-Royce sped aggressively down the road, splashing water in its wake. Hurried pedestrians quickly moved out of its way, fearing they might provoke someone important.
Thinking about Rabina Mitchell's aggrieved voice on the phone, Maxwell Peary promptly stepped on the gas.
The mere thought of Rabina Mitchell alone at a bus stop, especially so late at night, made him uneasy.
"SQUEAK—"
The sharp sound of brakes pierced the air. Maxwell Peary spotted Nia Mitchell and immediately got out of the car.
He had left in such a hurry after hanging up that he hadn't even put on a coat; he was still just in his shirt and trousers.
The cold wind had slightly tousled his impeccably combed hair. He looked less stern and imposing than before, possessing instead a warm, scholarly elegance, like that of an immortal who had descended to the mortal realm.
Nia Mitchell sat on the bench, shivering from the cold wind after getting drenched while searching for a phone booth.
Though disheveled, she greeted Maxwell Peary with a wide smile when she saw him.
"So silly."
Maxwell Peary suppressed the panic rising within him. He had to admit, seeing her still able to smile made his heart finally ease.
Taking a deep breath, Maxwell Peary suddenly reached out and, without warning, swept her up by the waist.
Nia Mitchell stiffened in surprise, reflexively wrapping her arms around his neck. His steady heartbeat thrummed in her ear. An unfamiliar scent—his scent—filled her nostrils. She felt a strange mix of fear and reassurance.
Once he placed her in the car, Nia Mitchell realized something.
"Uncle Peary, where are we going?"
Maxwell Peary chuckled lightly. "Going home."
Home?
Earlier on the phone, she had only described her desperate situation hoping he would return her phone. Could she mention it now?
She glanced at Maxwell Peary's tense expression.
Heh, better not to say anything. She had a strong premonition that if she spoke up, the sky itself would fall, and she'd be the only one crushed beneath it.
「Royal Bay Villa in Capital Town—」
Nia Mitchell watched the man busying himself in the kitchen, a warmth spreading through her eyes. Maxwell Peary looked utterly out of place in a kitchen setting.
"Uncle Peary."
Maxwell Peary was clumsily cracking eggs when he heard Rabina Mitchell call from behind him and turned his head.
"Are you very hungry? The noodles will be ready soon, just three more minutes."
"I... I'm not very hungry," Nia Mitchell said, embarrassed.
The words had barely left her mouth when her stomach rumbled loudly.
Embarrassing... Mortifying...
Suddenly, a cheerful cell phone ringtone came to Nia Mitchell's rescue. It was her father calling.
"Hello?"
"Nia, sweetheart," the voice on the other end was noticeably older. "I'm on the train now. I'll be there by noon tomorrow. I've thought it over; how could I not be there for your wedding?"
Nia Mitchell exclaimed in shock, "Dad, I told you that you didn't have to come! Back home..."
"Don't worry, your aunt and the others have gone on a trip; they don't know I'm coming to see you. By the way, have you gotten your marriage license? Is the Hampton family treating you well?"
Tears streamed down Nia Mitchell's face.
Throughout her entire life, from childhood to adulthood, her father was the only person who had consistently treated her well.
"I'm doing very well, Dad, don't worry. Their family treats me very well."