CHAPTER 7: CHAPTER 7: WHERE IS DAD?

After only two hours of sleep, Sienna Quinn woke up even before the alarm clock went off.

She switched on her laptop to handle some work matters first, then headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for her son when she noticed the time was about right.

Whenever she had to leave for work and leave her son at home, she would always prepare meals in advance and pack them in a thermal lunchbox.

Over the years, she had spent too little time with her son, and this was Sienna’s greatest regret towards him.

Putting aside work would mean she couldn’t support her son, and wanting to be with her son meant she couldn’t earn money. This is how the world operates, always leaving one feeling helpless.

Moreover, there was that deeply rooted and inescapable hatred within her.

In the past few years, aside from taking care of her son and working, she also spent considerable time looking for her enemy’s weaknesses and meticulously planning, hoping for a day when everything would settle down, and she could compensate her son for the lost time.

She hoped it wouldn’t be too late.

However, there was one thing she could never make up for.

And that was the lack of paternal love.

No one knew better than her how much her son longed for his father to be by his side.

At just over a year old, Evan Quinn learned to speak, and his first word wasn’t "mom" but "dad."

Every time she taught him to say "mom," he would say "dad" instead.

At two and a half, he asked for the first time, "Where’s my dad?"

Sienna didn’t know how to answer him, and she would always tell him that when he grew up, his dad would appear.

From then on, he would still occasionally mention "dad," frequently asking her where his dad was and what kind of person his dad was.

After his fourth birthday, he stopped asking.

Sienna thought it was because her son had grown up, become sensible, and realized there was no point in asking questions that wouldn’t get answers. She never considered that it was for a reason she couldn’t even think of.

And many events that happened since then had much to do with that reason related to her son. But, of course, these were stories for later.

Hearing a sound coming from the bedroom, Sienna stepped out to take a look and realized it was her son turning in his sleep. Watching her son sleep soundly, she smiled with contentment.

After preparing the meal and placing it in the thermal lunchbox, Sienna wrote a note for her son before tidying herself up.

There was a very grand welcome party that night. Though it wasn’t held specifically for her, it was still a formal banquet, necessitating some light preparation.

When she was leaving, the proud little master was still asleep. Sienna walked to the bedside, leaned down, planted a light kiss, then left with her bag.

Returning and then leaving her son alone in an unfamiliar place felt truly unbearable in her heart, but she ultimately steeled herself to lock the door and leave.

The banquet was set at the White Palace Hotel.

A half-hour later, she and Danielle Carter reached their destination.

Danielle dropped Sienna at the entrance and drove to the parking lot to park the car.

Sienna stood at the entrance of the White Palace, feeling a mix of emotions.

Grandpa Lawson’s 80th birthday was hosted here. It was on that day that he publicly announced her engagement to Landon Lawson, and it was also that day when he passed away from a heart attack.

He forced Landon into agreeing to marry her on his deathbed.

Five years in the past life, and now five years in this life. For Sienna, it had been a decade since Grandpa Lawson passed, yet it felt as if it happened just yesterday.

As Sienna lowered her head, lost in thought, she noticed a shadow approaching her feet. Assuming it was Danielle, she looked up with a smile and started, "Parked it already? Which floor is the private room on?"

Raising her head, she froze in place.

On the first day back in the country, having two unexpected encounters, such luck was truly something.