Become a mother in a night

Chapter 33

When Brandon mentioned he had no objections, Michelle was taken aback.
She had expected that Brandon, as the original author, might offer some guidance or at least share his perspective. After all, this was his creation. What if their visions clashed?
Subconsciously looking up at Brandon, Michelle caught him staring intently at her, his gaze alight, as if countless stars were dancing within his eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, then averted her eyes, giving a soft cough.
Leonard was still keen on diverting Brandon's attention.
Seeing that Brandon was trying to flirt with Michelle, he deftly steered the conversation back to the "Star Path" project, discussing the upcoming plotlines.
With Michelle refining the direction and subplots of the "Star Path" project, they were gearing up to design the game's content and scripts.
Though Leonard was the project director at NexRealm Studios, his expertise lay in game scene modeling. While he had a fair understanding of game narratives and scripts, his mastery wasn't extensive. Thus, the story and scripting tasks were primarily handed to Brandon and Michelle.
After wrapping up a brief meeting and setting their next steps, Michelle glanced at the clock, realizing it was time to pick up Lizzy from school.
Eager to spend more time alone with Michelle, Brandon, spotting her imminent departure, hastily extended an invitation.
He smiled and said, "Michelle, how about dinner tonight? I'd love to discuss some aspects of the 'Star Path' storyline."
Michelle pondered. She had to spend the evening with Lizzy and could only spare about an hour. Would that be enough? Especially considering that Brandon had a penchant for being fashionably late, often taking up half the allotted time.
She responded, "I have plans tonight. How about we chat tomorrow morning instead?"
Brandon quickly agreed, setting a time and place with Michelle for their meeting, and then escorted her out of NexRealm Studios.
However, just as he was about to head home, Leonard pulled him back in to continue working.
Brandon protested, "Why can Michelle leave and not me?"
Leonard looked at him with a hint of amusement, "Because Michelle doesn't owe us anything."
Brandon, at a loss for words, had no choice but to trudge back to his tasks at NexRealm Studios. After all, he did owe them quite a bit.
Recently, it had been Michelle's routine to drop off and pick up the child from school.
Alex didn't need to make time in the afternoon to pick up the child from kindergarten, so he would stay at his office, working straight through until 7 in the evening. By then, he would grab a quick dinner, and then dive back into his work until around 9:30 at night.
Without the need to drop off the child at kindergarten, Alex didn't rise as early. He stopped joining Michelle and the rest for breakfast, choosing to eat once he returned to his office.
Because of this shift in routine, the frequency at which Alex met with Michelle and Lizzy drastically reduced.
For the first few days when Michelle came to pick up the child, Lizzy was elated. After all, it was her favorite "mommy" coming to get her after school! However, as the days rolled on, Lizzy began to realize that she hadn't seen her dad in a while. He no longer joined them for breakfast in the mornings and was absent during dinner as well. This realization started to weigh on her young mind.
She couldn't help but wonder: Where had her dad gone? Had he stopped wanting to be with them?
When Michelle arrived at the kindergarten to pick Lizzy up after leaving NexRealm Studios, she found her sitting in the classroom, looking downcast, her small hands cradling her face, appearing lost in thought.
After saying her goodbyes to her teachers and her friend Sophie, Lizzy ran over and grabbed Michelle's hand, ready to head home. On the way, with a note of hesitance in her voice, she asked, "Mommy, why doesn't daddy come to pick up Lizzy anymore?"
Michelle was somewhat taken aback by the question. Lizzy had always been particularly attached to her. Each time Michelle came to pick her up, the child was visibly thrilled. Lizzy used to show evident displeasure when it was Alex who came for her, often pouting and displaying her discontent. Though things had improved, Michelle hadn't expected Lizzy to miss Alex this much.
After giving it some thought, Michelle realized that Alex was, after all, Lizzy's biological father. He cared for her deeply, and it was natural for Lizzy to long for his presence. With Lizzy's poignant question, Michelle became acutely aware of Alex's recent absence in their lives and understood why Lizzy started missing him.
Reflecting upon this, Michelle felt a pang of guilt. With her recent preoccupations at work, she hadn't paid much attention to Alex, let alone noticed the dwindling interactions between him and Lizzy.
Michelle decided that once they were home, she would have a heart-to-heart conversation with Alex about it.
Lost in thought, Michelle crouched down to meet her daughter at eye level, reaching out to gently pat her head.
She smiled warmly, her voice tender as she cooed, "Is Lizzy missing Daddy?"
Lizzy pouted, looking slightly aggrieved. Unsure if expressing her longing for her father would upset her mother, she hesitated to nod in agreement.
Seeing no response from the child, Michelle tilted her head, pondering how to comfort her. After a moment, Michelle suggested with a smile, "If Lizzy misses Daddy, how about we call him later and ask him to come home for dinner with us tonight? Would that be okay?"
Relieved that Michelle wasn't upset, Lizzy cautiously nodded. "Yes! Daddy can come home tonight and have dinner with Lizzy and big sissy!"
Michelle chuckled, replying with a simple "Mm-hmm," then took Lizzy's hand, leading her home.
As they walked, Michelle thought to herself, if Alex didn't have time to come home for dinner tonight, it would be his issue to sort out. Somewhere in her heart, there was a hint of annoyance at Alex's recent absences. He was busy with work, but wasn't she too? If Alex upset Lizzy later, Michelle decided she wouldn't be the one to soothe their daughter.
Upon arriving home, they found Nora on a call with Eleanor, reporting the recent interactions (or lack thereof) between Michelle and Alex. Seeing them return, Nora hurriedly ended her call, looking a touch flustered.
Amused by Nora's frantic reaction, Michelle remarked, "It's okay, you can continue your call. No worries." She wasn't so heartless as to forbid the housekeeper from making personal calls at home.
Recovering her composure, Nora safely tucked away her phone, giving Michelle a reassuring smile. "It's fine; we've finished our conversation." She added humorously, "With Miss Xia and Mr. Ye not meeting lately, there hasn't been much to report to Mrs. Ye."
Concluding her statement, Nora proceeded to prepare for dinner, asking, "Miss Xia, should I cook for just us tonight?" It had become the norm with Alex no longer picking up Lizzy from school and subsequently not joining them for dinner.
Anticipating Alex's absence, Nora was taken aback when Michelle shook her head, "Mr. Ye should be coming over." Nora hesitated for a moment, nodding in acknowledgment, then made her way to the kitchen.
Of course, before starting the meal preparations, she planned to inform Mrs. Ye. After all, it was the first time in the week that Mr. Ye was expected home for dinner.
After instructing Nora, Michelle dialed Alex's personal number and handed the phone to little Lizzy.
Michelle smiled at her daughter, saying, "Go on, Lizzy, call Daddy."
The child nervously took the phone, nodding with a serious expression. Placing the phone close to her ear, she waited through several rings before the call was picked up.
Then, a familiar deep voice asked, "Michelle?"
Lizzy hesitated, before saying, "Daddy, it's Lizzy."
There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by Alex's soft chuckle. Lowering his voice tenderly, he replied, "Oh, it's you, Lizzy. What's up?"
Lizzy looked up at Michelle, taking courage from her mother's gentle smile. She ventured, "Lizzy misses Daddy. Can Daddy come home for dinner with Lizzy tonight?"
As she waited for his reply, Lizzy felt a whirlwind of anxiety. What if Daddy didn't come home? What if he didn't want her anymore? On the verge of tears, her fears were alleviated when she heard Alex say, "Of course, sweetheart. But Daddy might be a little late coming home. Will Lizzy be upset?"
Her mood instantly brightened, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled. "Lizzy won't be mad! Lizzy will wait for Daddy!"
Feeling elated at her father's promise, Lizzy handed the still-connected phone back to Michelle, flashing her a sweet, joyous grin.
Michelle took the phone and noticed the call was still ongoing. As she playfully ruffled her daughter's hair and saw her so happy, her mood lightened considerably. She suspected Alex might have wanted to speak to her, but without hesitation, she hung up, evidently not in the mood for his chatter. If Lizzy wanted to speak to Alex, what did that have to do with him wanting to talk to Michelle? If he truly had something to say, he could wait until he got home.
In the afternoon, Alex had back-to-back meetings, his schedule packed to the brim. It had been a while since he had experienced such an exhaustive day, filled from start to finish with work. Yet, he felt it was a day well spent, leaving him with a deep sense of satisfaction.
By 5:30 pm, Alex was still in a meeting when his phone rang. Only a select few had his private number: close family members from the Ye household, some from the Su family, a handful of close friends, and of course, Michelle.
Looking at the caller ID, he was somewhat taken aback—it was the first time Michelle had ever called him. After a moment's thought, he decided to pause the meeting and step out to take the call.
Alex couldn't help but worry. Had something happened to Michelle or Lizzy? Fortunately, the situation wasn't as dire as he feared. The caller wasn't Michelle—it was little Lizzy.
Alex wasn't sure if he felt relief or a touch of disappointment. Reflecting upon it, he realized he hadn't been home for dinners with them in recent days, which made him readily agree to Lizzy's request.
However, thinking of the ongoing meeting, he added, "But Daddy might be a bit late coming home."
Alex wanted to explain to Michelle the reason for his delay, but she abruptly ended the call before he could. Staring at the red "Call Ended" text on his screen, Alex fell silent. While Lizzy didn't seem upset, had he inadvertently angered Michelle?