Chapter 33

Although that’s what the attending doctor said, he actually had his own doubts in mind.

If we’re to say that Martha and Nick Arthur are father and daughter, then before the surgery, when parental signatures were required, Nick Arthur used his authority to get the surgery approved.

Even Nick Arthur kept saying that the child was simply with him, and that the child’s relatives weren’t there at all.

If we’re to say that there’s nothing between them, then Nick Arthur’s attention to Martha seems a bit excessive. He was even so excited when Martha was rescued that he almost fainted.

Add two more people to the mix, and it turns out they all have the same blood type. There are also some similarities between them. This led the attending physician to start thinking in creative ways:

Could it be that Martha is actually Nick Arthur’s illegitimate daughter? But since the child’s mother doesn’t have any official status, Nick Arthur doesn’t want to make their relationship public?

Although this idea seems a bit far-fetched, the attending physician couldn’t think of any other more plausible explanations.

Realizing the truth, the attending physician raised Martha’s status once again, ensuring that Martha could spend her time in the hospital in a happy manner.

After saying goodbye to Nick Arthur, the attending physician returned to his office and reported his suspicions and requests to the hospital director.

Although the dean felt there were flaws in this reasoning, he secretly observed Nick Arthur closely and noticed that Nick truly cared about Martha. So, he simply believed the attending physician’s speculation, no matter how strange it seemed.

And that’s how Martha, who was originally scheduled to be admitted to a regular intensive care unit, was instead transferred to a luxurious intensive care unit at the director’s orders.

As for such arrangements, Nick Arthur didn’t bother to inquire into the details. All he knew was that Martha had been taken to a luxurious hospital room. To him, that was entirely logical and expected.

And so, through a series of unfortunate coincidences, the rumor that Nick Arthur had an illegitimate daughter began to take root in the hospital as well.

Meanwhile, Martha didn’t open her eyes until the next day. It was then confirmed that she had safely passed the critical period.

Martha, who was admitted to a luxurious intensive care unit, looked listless. But when she saw Nick Arthur approaching, she smiled very sweetly.

“Uncle Arthur, have I caused you trouble again? Martha is such a bad child. I really meant to stop causing you any more trouble, but…” By the end, Martha’s voice was filled with sadness.

Seeing Martha so sad, Nick Arthur felt extremely guilty. He sat by her bedside and gently held her in his arms.

“Martha, my little princess, you never need to apologize to me. You haven’t caused me any trouble at all. Uncle won’t allow you to say such things again. You can try being a little more bold and act cute with Uncle. It’s completely okay.” Nick Arthur said this, being very careful not to touch Martha’s wounds.

Such kind words seemed to give Martha endless strength. At the same time, they filled him with overwhelming sadness. Tears could no longer be held back, streaming down uncontrollably.

Nick Arthur felt that his clothes had gotten wet. This annoyed him, yet it also seemed somewhat amusing to him. But in the end, he didn’t stop Martha from venting her anger in that way.

He knew very well that Martha must be extremely scared right now. He decided to wait until Martha calmed down before asking her what had happened.

He didn’t believe that Martha had fallen on her own. There must be someone behind the scenes causing this. So, he decided to ask around cautiously.

Combined with Assistant Hobson’s investigation, it’s believed that we’ll soon find out who the real culprit is.

After what felt like a long time, Martha’s crying finally subsided. She buried her face shyly against Nick Arthur’s chest. Her little cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

“Uncle Arthur, I’m so sorry for getting your clothes wet…” Martha smiled apologetically.

“It’s okay,” Nick Arthur said, giving a look to assistant Hobson. When Hobson handed him a bowl of warm rice porridge, Nick fed Martha the porridge. “I’m sure Martha is starving. Let’s eat some rice porridge!”

Upon hearing this, Martha instinctively wanted to eat by herself. But one of her hands was tied up with an IV, and the other hand couldn’t be raised due to an injury. There was no way she could eat on her own.

Helplessly, she had no choice but to let Nick Arthur feed her. This made Martha feel even more embarrassed. She felt like she owed Nick Arthur too much.

Just as she tried to express her apologies once again, Nick Arthur, who already knew what Martha would say, gently pinched Martha’s ear and said:

“Didn’t I say that before? Martha doesn’t need to be so polite. We’re good friends, after all. Would Martha ever be polite to her own good friend?”

With those words, Martha was completely unable to say what she wanted to say. She nodded helplessly, and in the end, simply enjoyed Nick Arthur’s feeding.

After eating and drinking her fill, Martha lay down on the bed and touched her slightly rounded belly. She looked extremely contented.

For Nick Arthur, this is just the beginning. He’s now getting to the real part.

So, with Martha completely unprepared, Nick Arthur suddenly asked Pond what had happened earlier, and why Martha had collapsed and lost consciousness in the bathroom.

Hearing Nick Arthur ask her that, Martha was immediately pulled out of the relaxed atmosphere she had been in earlier.

She was a little scared. Clearly, she didn’t want to remember those moments. But because of Nick Arthur’s words, she had no choice but to relive those scenes.

“I don’t know… There was this aunt who pushed me. She was terrifying… She also said I was bad…” Martha trembled. The more she tried to remember, the more she recalled the things Milna Dillon had said to her before.

She even realized that, in just a short period of time, she could no longer remember what Milna Dillon looked like. She simply couldn’t describe her appearance at all.

This is because, in emergency situations, the brain subconsciously blurs memories of those moments.

In fact, many people who encounter danger in critical situations often aren’t able to clearly remember the suspect’s physical characteristics.

In fact, some even describe physical characteristics that are completely the opposite of those of the actual criminal.

That’s exactly the situation Martha is facing now. She simply can’t describe what Milna Dillon looks like. All she remembers is that Milna Dillon kept scolding her for having long hair.

Seeing how scared Martha was, Nick Arthur knew that this incident had left a very deep impression on the child.

After learning about this, he sighed, then gently embraced Martha in his arms.

“It’s okay now, everything’s over. Martha is the best! Martha isn’t a bad child at all. Uncle loves Martha the most. Martha is mom’s most precious treasure, right? So, Martha must be strong!”

Nick Arthur patted Martha’s back while comforting her.

Under Nick Arthur’s gentle soothing, Martha slowly fell asleep.

“Finally, I’ve managed to calm her down…” Nick Arthur murmured. He carefully laid Martha down on the bed. But every time he made the slightest movement, Martha struggled to wake up.

With no other choice, Nick Arthur had to give up. He left Martha alone in bed to sleep, while he sat quietly by her side, keeping her company.

Feeling safe, Martha, who had been restless in her sleep, finally settled down and slept incredibly soundly.

Seeing this situation, Assistant Hobson could only speak in a hushed voice to Nick Arthur, sharing the results of his investigations: “Boss, we’ve checked. There’s no surveillance in the floor where you’re located. We have no way of knowing who attacked Miss Milton.”

“And the number of people in the entire company who match Miss Milton’s description is zero. In other words, it’s very likely that Miss Milton’s description is incorrect,” said Assistant Hobson, sighing with relief at that point.

It can be said that things have reached a deadlock at this point.

Martha’s description is incorrect. Moreover, there are no cameras on their floor at all. It’s completely impossible to figure out who could have done such a cruel thing to a little girl.

Hearing this, Nick Arthur frowned and asked Hobson’s assistant, “So, have you checked the elevator surveillance footage? All we need to do is identify the people who meet the criteria from the footage, so we can narrow down the possible suspects.”

Hearing this, Assistant Hobson, who had been momentarily distracted, immediately slapped her own head. She said sheepishly, “I’m sorry, Boss. I was too busy this time and overlooked such an obvious clue. I’ll instruct my subordinates to keep searching.”

Nick Arthur didn’t say much. He gave Hobson’s assistant a cold look, and the assistant immediately understood the hint and left the room.

The luxurious ward fell silent once again. Nick Arthur stayed quietly by Martha’s side, but he couldn’t help but pick up his phone.

He unlocked his phone and looked at Simone Milton’s contact information in his address book. He hesitated, wondering whether he should tell Simone Milton about his own situation.

He was afraid that Simone Milton would be disappointed in him because of this. But if he didn’t say anything, it would be impossible to keep it a secret for long anyway.

Full of hesitation, he struggled with himself for a long time, but in the end, he decided to call Simone Milton anyway.

The call was connected quickly. It was Marian who answered the phone.

“Hello, this is Simone Milton. I’m Simone Milton’s assistant. What can I do for you? Would you like me to pass on any messages? Simone Milton is currently filming on set. If you’re busy, she can call you back later.” Marian spoke in a calm and steady voice.

“Uh… I’m Nick Arthur. There’s something I need to tell Simone Milton in person. If she returns, please pass the call to her. Thank you very much.” With that, Nick Arthur quickly hung up the phone.

Perhaps only he knew how relieved he felt the moment he hung up the phone.

The wait wasn’t very short. After about an hour, Simone Milton finally called him.

Answering the phone, Nick Arthur heard Simone Milton’s somewhat distorted voice on the other end of the line.

“Mr. Arthur, what brings you calling me out of the blue? Has Martha caused you any trouble?” Simone Milton’s first thought was that something might have happened to Martha.

If that wasn’t the case, she thought, Nick Arthur wouldn’t have called her for no reason.

Hearing Simone Milton say that, Nick Arthur sighed and said helplessly, “Yes, something really happened to Martha…”

Upon hearing this, Simone Milton immediately became worried. She asked Pond about his current situation and what exactly had happened.

“Don’t worry. I’m also trying to find out what’s really going on…” Nick Arthur heard Simone Milton’s anxious tone and immediately spoke to calm her down.

“What do you mean?” Simone Milton asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Because Martha was severely traumatized, we can’t determine who exactly attacked her. But one thing is for sure: if this person sees that Martha is safe and unharmed, they’ll definitely try again…” said Nick Arthur.

“Isn’t Martha in great danger? The child is so smart and well-behaved. How could she possibly have offended anyone? Could it be that someone is targeting me instead?” Simone Milton grew more and more worried. She wished she could return to Nick Arthur’s side right away to find out what had happened to Martha.

I couldn’t organize my thoughts properly for a moment, which only made Simone Milton more panicked. Nick Arthur felt helpless; he never made such serious mistakes in front of others.

“We really can’t be sure. It’s just my guess, actually. Here’s what happened…” Nick Arthur, who clearly wasn’t good at lying, resignedly told Simone Milton the whole story exactly as it happened.

“…That’s how it was. By the time we discovered what had happened, Martha had already lost consciousness. Thankfully, thanks to timely treatment, Martha has now regained her consciousness.”

“But due to the immense pressure I’m under, I’m currently in a state of extreme insecurity,” Nick Arthur concluded.

“But if that’s the case, then I must return even more. Martha surely needs me right now.” Simone Milton said seriously.

“Do you really think this is okay?” Nick Arthur rarely said something honest.

To be honest, if possible, he also hoped that Simone Milton would come back. But before leaving, Simone Milton had said that this guest appearance would take a lot of time.

This means that even if Simone Milton really wants to come back, it’s impossible for her to do so.

Such a blunt truth made Simone Milton fall silent instantly. In fact, by the time she said those words, the director on set was already calling for the next scene to begin.

Although her scenes were filmed in a concentrated period of time, it still took several days to complete the filming. Moreover, the director was extremely meticulous in his work.

“But in this state, I simply can’t feel at ease… I have to see how Martha is before I can feel relieved…” Simone Milton said painfully.

She thought that perhaps she shouldn’t accept such a cameo role.

If she refuses to take on such short-term jobs, she won’t be able to get to Martha in time when Martha needs her most.

“Ah, I knew that if I told you about this, you definitely wouldn’t be able to focus on filming in peace. That’s why I hesitated before…” Nick Arthur murmured to himself.

He assured Simone Milton, “You can rest assured and continue filming there for the next few days. I’ll stay at the hospital the whole time. Nothing like this will happen again.”

“But…” Simone Milton still felt uneasy despite Nick Arthur’s assurances.

“There’s nothing else to say. I’ll call you on video later, so you can talk to Martha.” Nick Arthur made the decision.

Such dominance left Simone Milton unable to resist for a moment. At the same time, it gave her a strange sense of reassurance, as if Nick Arthur would never go back on his promises.

“Let’s start shooting, Teacher Milton. Is it ready to begin now?” The director’s voice came through the phone.

“Look, your director over there is already urging you to hurry up. Please focus completely on your tasks and don’t let yourself regret anything later. Later on, I’ll arrange for you to talk with Martha. So, don’t worry!” Nick Arthur spoke at just the right moment, trying to reassure Simone Milton, who was feeling a bit uncertain.

With Nick Arthur’s persuasion, along with the constant urging from the director, Simone Milton ultimately decided to go along with Nick Arthur’s wishes. She decided to focus on the current project for now, and deal with other matters later.

Simone Milton hung up the phone quickly and went back to filming. But due to Martha’s situation, she wasn’t in the right state of mind at all and couldn’t fully focus on her role.

Fortunately, in the scenes from these past few days, her true face wasn’t shown at all. So even if she got a little distracted, the director didn’t say anything.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital, Nick Arthur was carefully typing on his keyboard from his hospital bed, finishing the tasks he hadn’t yet completed.

The laptop in his hands was brought to him by Hobson’s assistant, as it went without saying that he couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.

If nothing is done, all the tasks in the company will pile up. Eventually, dealing with them will become a huge hassle.

Nick Arthur kept knocking like this until evening.

By this time, Martha had completely woken up. With the thoughtful arrangements of Assistant Hobson, she had even had dinner.

It wasn’t until Nick Arthur finished dealing with everything that he suddenly realized that Martha had been awake for quite some time, quietly reading a book nearby.

Such a well-behaved Martha really pleased Nick Arthur. He patted Martha’s head and asked her with a kind smile, “Why is Martha so well-behaved? What book are you reading? Can you tell Uncle about it?”

Hearing Nick Arthur’s question, Martha immediately raised her head and said with a smile, “Uncle Arthur, this is a fairy tale book that Auntie Qian brought me. It’s really beautiful.”

“Oh, Martha is so amazing! She can recognize all the words in there! That’s truly great.” Nick Arthur wasn’t stingy with his compliments, smiling and praising Martha non-stop.

Martha’s face turned red from the compliments. But to be honest, she really appreciated them. She loved being praised.

Especially since this person was Uncle Arthur, whom she respected very much.

“Masha is so well-behaved. How about we watch this book together with Mommy?” Nick Arthur said, slowly starting the video call.

But just as he was about to start the video call, Martha stopped him.

“No, Uncle Arthur… Martha looks ugly right now. Mom will definitely notice. So, please let’s not do a video call, okay? Otherwise, Mom will definitely worry!” Martha quickly shook her head, explaining why she didn’t want to do a video call.

By this point, she still didn’t want to disturb Simone Milton.

Although she really wants to see Simone Milton now, to hear Simone Milton’s voice, and even to be with Simone Milton.

But the mere thought that Simone Milton might worry because of this and give up her current job filled Martha with guilt. She would never allow such a thing to happen.

Such a nervous Martha made Nick Arthur’s heart melt even more. How could anyone not adore such a well-behaved and understanding Martha?

With those thoughts in mind, he gently hugged Martha and reassured her, “Martha, don’t be afraid. Your mother already knows about your situation. She’s very worried right now. So, if you don’t want your mother to worry, we need to have a video call!”

Upon hearing this, Martha became immediately anxious. “Uncle Arthur, how could you do this! How could you tell Mom about this without getting Martha’s permission first! Martha will never be friends with you again!”

“Is that so?” Nick Arthur said, smiling and squinting his eyes. “But I don’t think Martha feels that way at all! In fact, Martha really misses her mother too, doesn’t she? If that’s the case, then don’t suppress your feelings. You’ve already been very well-behaved. It’s okay to be a little mischievous now and then.”

Actually, he had said similar things before. But Martha wouldn’t listen to him no matter what. Martha remained the same sensible and well-behaved girl she always was.

In the end, Martha couldn’t persuade Nick Arthur any further. Reluctantly, she agreed to let Nick Arthur start the video call.

And the moment Nick Arthur initiated the video call, the other party had already received it. It’s easy to imagine how long Simone Milton had been waiting, afraid of missing Nick Arthur’s video call.

On the other end of the video, when Simone Milton saw how Martha was doing, she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

“Mommy, please don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll want to cry too…” Martha said, her lips twitching and her eyes reddening, as though she might burst into tears any moment.

Hearing this, Simone Milton immediately wiped away her tears. She looked at Martha with deep regret and said, “I’m sorry, Martha. I can’t be by your side during such a time… I’m a terrible mother. I’m truly sorry…”

But Komasu let out a sigh of relief. She patted her chest and said with deep sincerity, “That’s great! I was worried earlier that maybe Mommy would come back for me. Now that I know you won’t be coming back, I’m so relieved!”

This answer, so unexpected yet yet logical at the same time, left Simone Milton utterly amused and confused. She instinctively wanted to touch Martha’s head, but her hand only encountered the cold screen.

“Child, don’t you want your mother by your side? Why are you even happy about this? If anyone didn’t know, they’d think you really hate me!” Simone Milton said helplessly.

“Because for Martha, Mom’s job is much more important. If Mom gives up her current job and comes back for my sake, Martha will feel extremely guilty!” Martha said seriously.

Of course, that’s also the truth as told by her.

“Okay, since you say so, then you must stay in the hospital and recover properly. As soon as Mom finishes work, she’ll come back to see you right away. For now, be sure to listen to Uncle Arthur’s instructions!” Simone Milton smiled and nodded, promising Martha.

Martha also gave a strange military salute and said jokingly, “I promise to complete the task. Mom, don’t worry!”

Seeing Martha being so lively and playful like this, Simone Milton’s worries finally eased a bit. She could now calm down and continue with her filming.

“Since we’ve already made a deal, Martha, you must not go back on your word!” So, although he had received Pond’s assurance, Simone Milton was still worried and kept reminding her.

Such constant nagging might annoy anyone else, but Martha, who was the recipient of these reminders, truly enjoyed them from Simone Milton.

After all, a long time ago, when the original owner was still alive, they always treated Martha with indifference.

“Don’t worry, Mommy! Just focus on filming. Martha will stay with Uncle Arthur and wait for Mommy to come back!” After saying this, Martha brought her face close to the screen, as if to give a kiss.

Seeing Martha make such a gesture, Simone Milton also pressed her cheek against the screen, pretending that she had been kissed by Martha.

Sure enough, Simone Milton’s cooperation made Martha even happier. Her face was beaming with joy, like a blooming flower.

“Then Martha won’t bother Mommy anymore. Mommy, please keep going!” After saying that, Martha turned the screen toward Nick Arthur, who was standing nearby.

Seeing that the person across from her was now Nick Arthur, Simone Milton lost her usual liveliness.

She lowered her gaze, looking at Nick Arthur with mixed emotions, expressing her gratitude:

“Mr. Arthur, I really want to thank you, no matter what. If you hadn’t been by Martha’s side to keep her company, it would have been impossible for her to smile so quickly.”

Nick Arthur, who was thanked, said, “You know, it’s what I should do. After all, in a way, it was my failure to oversee things properly that led to this situation… Don’t worry, nothing like this will happen again.”

Nick Arthur once again made a serious promise. His gaze was fixed intently on Simone Milton, hoping to read some kind of response from her face that he desired.

But Simone Milton’s expression remained serious, which made Nick Arthur feel a bit uneasy.

After that, there was a long period of silence. The two of them just stared at each other in silence. In the end, Simone Milton gave in.

She said something awkwardly to Nick Arthur, “In that case, I’ll get back to work then… Please take care of Martha for me.”

After Nick Arthur nodded in agreement, she couldn’t wait to turn off her phone. Now back at the hotel, she felt a sense of loss as she walked toward her room.

But before long, another video request came through on the communication channel. Without thinking much, Simone Milton instinctively clicked on the video link.

Martha’s face appeared on the screen once again. She said to Simone Milton in a cheerful tone, “Mom closed the screen too quickly. Martha didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Mom! Mom, bye!”

After saying goodbye in a solemn manner, Martha happily ended the video call.

Seeing Martha go to the trouble of setting up a video call just to say goodbye to her, Simone Milton couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. She murmured, “This child is really…”

In a very cheerful mood, she quickly opened her room and went inside.

However, what Simone Milton didn’t know was that, not long after she entered the room, someone emerged from around the corner behind her.

Sister Hu had originally planned to go upstairs to find Katie Adams, who was also there filming at the studio. But along the way, she saw Simone Milton as well.

Subconsciously, she followed Simone Milton. What she didn’t expect was that she would actually witness such a shocking scene.

Although Simone Milton was wearing headphones, she couldn’t hear what the person on the other end of the video was saying. However, based on the conversation between Simone Milton and the little girl on the video, it’s possible to understand what was being said.

Obviously, Simone Milton and the little girl on the video are mother and daughter.

As for the appearance of Nick Arthur on the video screen, it wasn’t anything particularly important to Sister Hu.

Or rather, this simply couldn’t possibly lead to any misjudgments in her conclusions.

After all, Nick Arthur is a well-known bachelor. How could he suddenly have a daughter like that? It’s absolutely impossible for the Arthur family to refuse to let Nick Arthur’s daughter return.

So, it’s obvious that that little girl is Simone Milton’s illegitimate daughter. This is a huge advantage that could be used effectively. If used wisely, it would be easy for Katie Adams to bring Simone Milton down.

Sister Hu, who had just learned something really interesting, went up the stairs again, full of pride, and rushed to the apartment where Katie Adams lived upstairs.

She hurriedly knocked on Katie Adams’s door. While Katie Adams wondered why she was late, she did so with a hint of smugness, leaving Katie to wonder what secret information she might have received.

“Sister Hu, what exactly do you want to say? Stop keeping me in the dark!” After acting all day, Katie Adams was exhausted and could only look helplessly at Sister Hu, who was acting so smugly.

“Tch, you’re so boring. Let me tell you, I’ve got some really big news!” Sister Hu pursed her lips and said unhappily.

“Yes, yes, I really don’t have any energy left. Sister Hu, you know very well that we’ve been filming late into the night lately. It’s rare that we finished filming early today. Please let me get some proper rest!” Katie Adams went over to Sister Hu, put her arm around her, and said coquettishly.

With her soft, gentle voice, she instantly made Sister Hu give in. Helplessly, she tapped Katie Adams on the forehead and said:

“I really can’t believe you, you little brat! But since you’ve been so tired these past few days, I’ll let you off for now!”

Having said that, she pulled Katie Adams aside and quietly told her about what she had seen that day.

“What? Simone Milton is here too? Does that mean she has a role in the movie? I thought she’d retired from acting and had fallen out of favor!” Katie Adams frowned.

After hearing the entire story, a sense of crisis overwhelmed her once again.

“You’ve got the focus all wrong! The key point now is that Simone Milton might have become pregnant out of wedlock and given birth to a daughter outside of marriage. No matter who the father of this child is, it’s still an embarrassing situation… Now’s our chance!” Upon saying this, Sister Hu couldn’t help but smile triumphantly.

Hearing Sister Hu say that, Katie Adams realized she had focused on the wrong thing. She scratched her head, a little embarrassed.

Immediately, she became excited again. Just as Sister Hu said, this was indeed an opportunity for them.

Think about it!

All the humiliations that Simone Milton had inflicted upon her would come to an end because of this. She would no longer be Simone Milton’s defeated subordinate. Instead, she would climb higher, stepping on Simone Milton’s shoulders in the process.

She would tell Alberta Arthur that only she, Katie Adams, was the right person for him. Simone Milton wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Thinking of Alberta Arthur, Katie Adams couldn’t help but feel pleased at how disappointed Simone Milton must be—after having an illegitimate daughter, she still went after him.

In this way, she can more easily manipulate Alberta Arthur, making him realize his own importance, and even controlling everything about Alberta Arthur.

The mere thought that Alberta Arthur was now obsessed with Simone Milton, to the point where she might break free from his control, was unbearable for Katie Adams.

“Since she’s voluntarily handed us such a big advantage, we certainly can’t fall behind… Sister Hu, you know what to do!” said Katie Adams.

Hearing this, Sister Hu made an “OK” gesture with her hands. Of course, she knew exactly what to do.

It would be unwise to release this news right now. They’ll probably wait a few days before announcing such explosive information.

After all, if it spreads so quickly, it would be easy for Simone Milton to track down Katie Adams and the others if she decided to investigate.

Not to mention that nowadays, Simone Milton has Nick Arthur as her backer.

To be safe, it’s better for them to be extremely cautious.

While Katie Adams and her group were plotting something nefarious, Nick Arthur and his group were in a completely opposite atmosphere of warmth and harmony.

“After talking with Mom on video, does Martha feel much better now?” Nick Arthur asked Martha with a smile.

Martha nodded, looking very happy. She kept saying “thank you” over and over again, for Nick Arthur’s help to her.

Having settled her worries, Martha seemed very cheerful. She even offered to tell Nick Arthur a story as a way of thanking him.

Hearing this, Nick Arthur immediately burst into laughter. He happily agreed and then sat obediently by the bed, listening to Martha’s story.

“Then let me tell you a story about Snow White, Uncle Arthur. Long, long ago…” Eagerly, Martha began to read the story of Snow White from the book.

After one story was finished, Nick Arthur praised Martha for telling the story very well.

“Really? Then, Uncle Arthur, let me tell you another story. And could you do one more thing for me?” Hearing Nick Arthur say this, Martha tentatively made her request.

Upon hearing this, Nick Arthur pretended to think for a moment before reluctantly nodding in agreement.

“Of course, but I must make it clear beforehand that this condition must be something Uncle Arthur is definitely capable of fulfilling.”

“If Martha asks for something like spicy crayfish, which Uncle Arthur can’t agree to, then it doesn’t count!”

Hearing Nick Arthur say that, Martha nodded firmly and assured him that her request wouldn’t cause him any trouble.

Martha said, “Actually, this condition is quite simple…”

“Uncle Arthur, since Martha was born, no one has ever met her father. Martha doesn’t even know who her father is.”

“So, Uncle Arthur, can you help me find my father?”

She expressed her wish, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Nick Arthur. She really wanted to know who her father was.

Thinking about the information he had gathered, which didn’t mention who Martha’s father was, Nick Arthur felt his throat go dry.

He took a deep breath, gently stroked Martha’s hair, and asked her in a very kind voice, “Hasn’t Martha’s mother told her who Martha’s father is?”

Martha shook her head.

She remembered that as a child, out of curiosity, she asked Simone Milton who her father was. Simone Milton violently stopped her from asking, her expression turning sad.

She spoke, a little afraid: “Mommy won’t let me ask, so I don’t dare to ask either… Uncle Arthur, could you keep it a secret from mommy? If mommy finds out, she’ll be very angry, because I really want to find my father.”

Hearing Martha say that, Nick Arthur gently picked her up in his arms. Smiling, he said, “In that case, I agree with Martha. I’ll do everything in my power to find her father.”

Hearing Nick Arthur’s promise, Martha’s smile grew even brighter. She nodded firmly. “When I find my dad someday, I’ll ask him why he didn’t want me. Martha was such a good girl. Why wouldn’t he want me?”

Upon hearing this, Nick Arthur was touched by Martha’s sincerity and liveliness. He nodded along with her and said, “Okay. Then I’ll ask your father why he did such a thing. Our Pond is so adorable. How could Martha’s father be so cruel?”

With Nick Arthur’s agreement, Martha’s expression became even more cheerful.

Later, completely tired, Martha fell asleep sweetly, accompanied by Nick Arthur.

Lying in bed, even though Martha was asleep, the smile on her face didn’t fade. In fact, it became even sweeter.

It seemed like a dream. She dreamed of her father, whom she had nev