CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE

A tall, graceful man walked through the kindergarten gate, his handsome face exuding an aura of coldness and dignity.

With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his perfect inverted triangle shape made his suit look exceptionally sharp.

The group of mothers who were speaking quietly fell silent for a moment before breaking into excited whispers.

"Oh my... Whose parent is that? I’ve never seen him before..."

"He’s so handsome... Is he a model or a celebrity?"

"Look at his suit, the cut is just perfect, looks custom-made..."

"He doesn’t smile much, but... he’s really charming."

A few young female teachers were organizing the children but couldn’t help pausing their actions.

The teacher responsible for swiping the card to open the door opened her mouth, forgetting to ask whose parent he was.

Her cheeks visibly flushed as she stared, entranced, at the approaching man, even her breathing subconsciously became lighter.

Even some of the fathers glanced over, with a hint of scrutiny and barely noticeable comparison, their eyes mixed with surprise and a twinge of inadequacy.

"Is it Uncle..."

Arthur Ashford softly murmured, looking up at his dad beside him.

Matthew Ashford slightly frowned, appearing calmer than the other parents.

If he remembered correctly, Zoe Holden mentioned during her skincare routine last night that today she was setting up a date for Justin Holden and Miss Sutton, having booked a Michelin three-star restaurant in advance.

Why would he be here?

Matthew Ashford stepped forward as if wanting to say something, but the man’s cold gaze swept over him as he walked straight past with long strides.

He watched as Justin Holden approached a mother and daughter, his tall frame blocking the view.

Upon closer inspection, he recognized the little girl who had conflicted with his son earlier, whose name seemed to be Jesse Ellison.

And that young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Claire Caldwell.

Justin Holden lowered his head, reaching out to pat Jesse’s hair,

his deep eyes lowered, casting a subtle shadow beneath his eyelashes, his sharp gaze softened to an exceedingly gentle warmth.

In his pupils was a clear reflection of the little girl’s slightly shy yet expectant face.

"Daddy had some matters at the law firm to attend to, so I’m late."

Another dad?

The surrounding parents burst into chatter, discussing this strange occurrence.

The teacher stepped forward, hesitantly asking, "You, you’re Jesse’s dad? But the one earlier..."

She looked to Jesse’s mom, hoping for a reasonable explanation.

Jean Ellison opened her mouth but before she could speak, a deep magnetic voice sounded beside her ear.

"Godfather."

"Officer Paxton earlier is my daughter’s godfather."

The teacher nodded, looking around at the parents; it was clear everyone heard, and it wasn’t unusual, many kids have godfathers and godmothers.

Jean Ellison widened her eyes, a look of slight panic on her face.

Her slender, bony wrist was grabbed by a large hand, he gazed into her eyes without explanation, only his thin lips curved into a pleasant arc.

Jesse’s grape-like eyes suddenly brightened, staring at the person who delighted her.

Her small mouth formed a round shape, revealing a few pearl-like baby teeth.

"Daddy!"

Jean Ellison shivered all over, feeling a clutch at her heart.

Justin Holden extended his large hand, not touching her, but gently pushed aside the soft, scattered bangs on the little girl’s forehead with the back of his fingers.

"Hmm?" a low sound emitted from his throat, patiently listening as she spoke, "Daddy’s here, tell me which game you want to play."

Jesse clapped her hands excitedly, leaping into Justin Holden’s arms, hugging him tightly.

Jean Ellison tightened her grip on her bag, stepped forward, and took Jesse’s small hand.

"Let’s go with mommy, let’s queue up first."

The parent-child activity moved on to the "Snack Preference Reveal" segment.

The teacher pinned pictures of five common snacks—cookies, chips, jelly, cake, and candy—on the whiteboard, and parents were tasked with writing down the order of their child’s favorites.

The activity room was instantly filled with whispers and laughter.

Some children eagerly pointed at the chips, while parents laughed and covered their mouths.

Some families had apparent disagreements, with parents trying to use the health benefits of carrots to "persuade" their child to rank candy last, causing the child to pout and squirm in dissatisfaction.

"Let me do it."

Jean Ellison spoke up.

She wasn’t confident, Jesse had only been with her for a few days, and she wasn’t entirely sure about the ranking of these five snacks.

But it was better than letting Justin Holden do it; he had only met Jesse a few times and knew even less about what Jesse liked to eat.

"Daddy will do it."

Jesse cheered, looking at Uncle Holden with expectant eyes.

Jean Ellison frowned, intending to persuade her daughter.

Justin Holden smiled at Jesse, "Alright, daddy will do it."

He shared a deep look with Jean Ellison, his gaze filled with an inscrutable emotion.

He stepped to the side, picking up a small whiteboard and marker, lowering his eyes slightly, focused and gentle as he studied the pictures.

Jesse tilted her head, her slender fingers unhesitatingly placing the cookie image first, particularly the one representing vegetable biscuits.

Justin Holden didn’t communicate with Jesse, his writing was flowing and confident.

Jean Ellison stood a little behind, her cold eyes watching as the man answered the question, silently clenching her hands.

Was he just guessing?

Hopefully, he got at least one right to avoid too much embarrassment.

While other families were still vigorously discussing, their family of three had already completed the ranking, the small whiteboard quietly upside down on the table.

The teacher began to verify and announce the results one by one.

"Anna’s family has a mismatch, mommy put candy first while the child chose chips first."

"Hannah’s family, oh dear, the daddy’s ranking is completely opposite to the child’s!"

Amidst the laughter and noise, families were eliminated one by one.

Finally, the teacher picked up their family’s overturned whiteboard, first revealing the father’s ranking.

1. Cookies 2. Cake 3. Jelly 4. Candy 5. Chips.

Then Jesse’s was revealed, an exact match.

The teacher’s eyes widened in surprise as she joyfully announced.

"A perfect match, Jesse’s family is the only one today with completely matching rankings, congratulations on winning."

The prize was a plush brown bear wearing a wide-brimmed red hat.

Arthur Ashford didn’t participate in this game; he already had a small train as a prize, but his eyes were glued to the plush bear in Jesse’s hands.

He also wanted it.

Jesse looked at the bear in her arms, then at Arthur Ashford, who seemed on the verge of tears.

She stepped forward, holding out the bear to him, her clear voice ringing out: "You can have it."

Arthur Ashford was stunned, his eyes wide, and even Matthew Ashford beside him was taken aback.

"Rea... Really for me?"

Jesse nodded: "You seem to like it more."

"You wrongly accused me of tripping you, and I once pinched your neck. We remain friends."

A child’s logic is often hard to comprehend.

Arthur Ashford’s face flushed red, he took the bear, and suddenly looked up, patting his chest and said, "I’ll look out for you in kindergarten from now on, if anyone dares to bully you or say... say you have no dad, I’ll... I’ll punch them, I promise!"

He glanced at Uncle Holden, a bit of timidity in his eyes, as he didn’t have a strong impression of this uncle.

"Are you really my uncle’s child?"

He asked Jesse quietly.

He once overhead his mom talking to grandma on the phone, saying his uncle didn’t have kids, and they should find his uncle a wife to have kids.

Jesse blinked, her voice clear.

"I am my mommy’s child."

After saying that, she turned and ran towards Jean Ellison, her chubby little hands hugging her arm.