After hearing Piggy explain her name, Carlos chuckled under his breath. He couldn't help it. He thought the girl's mom was kind of silly.
Why did she think just by naming the kid Piggy the girl would fatten up and start enjoying meat?
The manager of the restaurant began serving the meal. Carlos caught a glimpse of the first three dishes that had been placed on the table. Two of them were vegetarian.
Those dishes were specifically ordered for Piggy. Ivan was a wonderful godfather.
After chatting a while longer with Piggy, Carlos lifted her off his lap and put her back in the high chair. He grabbed a wet napkin and carefully wiped her hands.
His heart softened as he looked at Piggy's tiny and chubby hands. All of a sudden, he was overwhelmed by the desire to raise a cute daughter just like her. He thought of all the laughter and joy of raising a tiny child to be a self-sufficient adult, and he felt warm inside.
The ever-proud Carlos had never envied anyone in his life. But now, he was jealous of Piggy's parents. They had such a lovely daughter, which was more valuable than all his wealth. He'd give anything to be able to have such a daughter.
Meanwhile, Carlos had been observing how Ivan looked after Piggy. He could tell that Ivan must have spent a lot of time with her. He even knew how to prepare a bottle of formula, which was highly unusual for a single man.
When Ivan went to get some hot water to dissolve the formula powder, Carlos grabbed a pair of clean chopsticks and picked up a slice of fish. He knew that Piggy just disliked meat, not necessarily because she couldn't eat it. So he tried asking, "Would you like some fish? It's fresh and yummy."
Piggy looked at the slice of fish with curious eyes. She was drooling. She jumped up and down as much as the seat would let her and clapped her hands.
She didn't like eating meat normally, but now she felt like eating the fish that this handsome uncle had picked up for her.
Noting her approval, Carlos put the fish on her spoon. Then he quickly grabbed her spoon with the other hand and held it up to her mouth. "I'll feed you," he said gently.
Piggy obediently opened her mouth and ate the fish.
"Good job!" He flashed a thin smile and looked at Piggy, his eyes full of tenderness.
From a distance, Ivan looked at the warm scene of father and daughter. He couldn't help smiling. The saying is true: a daughter is like a lover from a father's past life. Even a tough and cold man like Carlos became tender and soft in front of his daughter, even though he didn't know that she was indeed his daughter.
While Piggy was quietly sucking from her bottle of formula, the two men decided to turn the conversation where it was supposed to go: negotiations.
A few moments later, Piggy set the bottle on the built-in tray in the high chair. It rolled around aimlessly. She looked at Carlos and asked in a soft voice, "Uncle… Sleepy…" Her big eyes were filled with expectation.
At a loss at what to do, Carlos turned to Ivan for help. "What do you do when… she wants to sleep?" he a
Ivan smiled. "She seems to like you, Mr. Huo. She can go to sleep in your arms."
"I think it's better to ask the manager for a baby cot. What do you think?" Carlos suggested. He was worried that Piggy wouldn't sleep comfortably in his arms.
"That's okay. Here, I'll do it." And with that, Ivan lifted Piggy out of the high chair.
He looked at Piggy with tender eyes.
"Uncle… Please…" Piggy didn't listen to Ivan but instead stretched out her arms to Carlos.
Carlos didn't have the heart to turn down the cute girl's request. So, he stood up and took her from Ivan. With Ivan's aid, he helped the girl rest comfortably in his arms.
Piggy leaned against his chest and began sucking from the bottle again. She closed her eyes, slowly drifting off.
Piggy herself could detect a faint scent. In her dream, she wondered if this was the scent of a father.
Holding Piggy's soft body in his arms and looking at her lovely sleeping face, Carlos felt that his heart melt the way butter melts when close to the fire.
Now, he began to suspect Ivan's real purpose of bringing this girl here. 'Is he using the cute Piggy to cheat me into signing a contract?' he wondered.
After Piggy fell sound asleep, the two men continued to talk business—albeit in a low voice.
Later that night, Debbie finished her work and picked up Piggy from the Wen family's residence. After they finished bathing, Debbie began to apply some diaper cream to prevent rashes. Suddenly, Piggy whispered in her mom's ear, "Mommy, I saw…an uncle. Good uncle."
Debbie asked casually, "Sounds like you… had a good time today."
"Uh huh. Mommy, could Uncle be… my daddy?"
Debbie's fingers froze. She made the girl look her straight in the eye. "Baby, I'll get your daddy back very soon. Okay?"
"Yay!" Piggy laughed happily and clapped her hands. But thinking of something, she looked baffled and said, "But I… like the uncle today. Mommy…" She really wanted that uncle to be her daddy.
Debbie was intrigued. She wondered who exactly Piggy met today. Piggy was always cold to strangers, but she seemed to like that man very much. "Where did you see that uncle?" Debbie asked curiously.
"At dinner. An uncle… waiting," Piggy answered honestly. Debbie smiled when she heard that.
'That must have been the client Ivan met tonight, ' Debbie guessed. "Trust me, Piggy. I'm sure you'll love your daddy more than the uncle you met tonight," she assured her daughter.
But it suddenly dawned on her that Carlos wanted a son, not a daughter. She froze, and her happy mood changed suddenly. 'Piggy is a girl. Will he love her?' she wondered.
But then she shook her head. 'Forget it. It's still early to worry about such an issue. Carlos hasn't regained his memory yet. I'm still pursuing him…'
"Mommy." Piggy's voice interrupted her train of thoughts.
Debbie closed the lid of the diaper cream. "What?"
"Mommy, you told me…Daddy worked… far away. Is… Is Daddy rich?" A while ago, Piggy started to understand more and asked Debbie about her daddy. She asked where her daddy was and why he didn't live with them.
At that time, Debbie didn't know Carlos was alive, so she made up a story, one based on internet rumors. She had told Piggy, "Your daddy works in a place far away. He's working hard to earn money to buy us new clothes. He'll come back someday…"
Piggy asked her if he would come back by plane. Debbie told her yes. But it would be a long flight.
What Debbie didn't expect was that Piggy remembered what she was told.
Now sitting on the edge of the bed, Debbie held her daughter in her arms and replied sadly, "He doesn't need to take a long flight now. But… Daddy hasn't earned enough money yet. When he has enough cash to buy a big villa like your daddy Ivan's, he'll come back…"
"Don't want a… big villa."
"Why? It's good to live in a big villa. You can have a big bedroom. With lots of toys."
"I want Daddy… Daddy! No big villa." 'Daddy doesn't want me. He wants money, ' Piggy thought angrily.
Debbie looked at her daughter's pure and bright eyes, tears threatening to come out of her eyes. She said with a sob, "Okay, I'll tell Daddy. I'll try to make him see…"
Her voice choked, the lump in her throat getting bigger, and her vision was blurred by tears. She wondered how she could make Carlos remember everything about her.
'Do you know, Carlos? While you're in the arms of another woman, your wife and daughter are missing you so much…' she thought sadly.
Piggy fell asleep soon, but Debbie tossed and turned. She took out her phone and called Ivan. "Hey Ivan. Did I wake you?"
