Scarlett came home exhausted after an emotionally charged day at work. She thanked Lizzie for thinking to speak with the professor and obtaining such important information, such as the name of the school and their location. She herself had not thought to ask because she was too busy taking care of the child and trying to control her own feelings.
As she made herself a cup of tea, Scarlett continued to mull over the idea that the child could be her lost daughter. She knew she had to be very careful in her next steps, so as not to hurt anyone or create false hopes if it all turned out to be a coincidence.
She sat down on the couch and began to mentally plan her strategy. Scarlett needed to confirm if the child was truly her lost daughter, but she was unsure of how to do so without arousing suspicion. She contemplated going to the police, but was concerned that this might lead to unnecessary complications.
Suddenly, Colin came in with Cosmos in his arms. "How was work today?" he asked as he approached to give her a kiss and hand her the one-year-old baby. Scarlett hugged him tightly and told him everything that had happened with the school meeting at Marvel Studios while entertaining their baby with cuddles.
"I think she could be my daughter," she finally said, with a trembling voice. Colin remained silent, trying to process the information. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What are we going to do?"
Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she could trust Colin. "I need to confirm her identity, so I'll have to get in touch with the police and a specialized laboratory. I don't know how these things work," she explained, worried.
Cosmo tried to get her attention by giving her kisses, which made Scarlett laugh. "You want some cuddles, little one?" she joked, tickling him. "We're talking about your possible sister," she added with tenderness as she kissed his forehead, watching the baby search for his sister. "Rose is in France, the other sister you still have to meet."
"Colin, what if the girl has a loving family? I don't want my daughter to hate me if I take away the family she already has," Scarlett confessed, expressing her biggest fears.
"Scar, she could never hate you. Plus, for now, it's just speculation. If it turns out to be your daughter, we can't leave things as they are. We need to investigate how she was adopted," Colin concluded firmly. "Call your lawyer."
Handing Cosmos a toy to keep him entertained in her arms, Scarlett called her emergency lawyer. She knew he wasn't on call, but the situation was urgent, and she couldn't wait until the next day.
"I know it's outside of your working hours, but I wouldn't call you if it wasn't important," explained Scarlett, trying to make him understand the seriousness of the situation.
Colin, her partner, took care of Cosmos while she talked to the lawyer. They were on the phone for half an hour, discussing legal details and next steps. The girl had to leave the country soon, and there was no time to waste.
"Then, you'll start processing the requests. Perfect, thank you Harold, I owe you one," concluded Scarlett at the end of the call, relieved to have taken the first step in solving the problem.
Colin entered the room with an inquisitive look. Scarlett informed him about the conversation with the lawyer, and together they tried to find a viable solution.
"Cosmos has already had dinner," said Colin, trying to distract Scarlett from her worries.
Scarlett sighed. The situation was not easy, and she felt trapped by the legal protocols that restricted her movements. As much as she would have liked to take the girl from the hotel to directly perform a DNA test, she knew that would only delay the process. Harold, her lawyer, had insisted on doing things right from the beginning to avoid problems in the long run.
Still, Scarlett couldn't help feeling frustrated. If it were up to her, she would be willing to show up at the hotel and have a late-night meeting with the professor to get his permission and take the girl. But she knew that would be reckless and only make things even more complicated.
Sorry if I made any mistakes as English is not my native language. It was a short but necessary chapter. The next chapter will be longer and in it, Scarlett and Althea will meet unexpectedly. I hope you enjoyed it, if so, please comment or give it a star! Thank you very much <3