Rise Of The Hidden Heir

"Enjoy your meal," the waitress said politely. This time, she looked at Liana first before turning her eyes to Bara. When her gaze met his, she paused and offered a sweet, courteous smile, bowing slightly before taking her leave.

Tap!

Their eyes met.

So it's her. Seriously... she works in this café?! Bara thought in disbelief, quickly darting his eyes away as if nothing had happened.

It turned out that the waitress was the same girl who had bumped into him the day before-right when he was rushing to his graduation. Remembering that incident made the memory of his ex-girlfriend, Claudia, flash across his mind. The betrayal stung him again.

Ah! So he's that arrogant young man from yesterday. No wonder he feels so innocent... Turns out he's this lady's boyfriend. They look perfect together, the waitress thought bitterly. She had seen Liana come to the café several times with different men, so seeing her with Bara made her instantly assume the worst.

Still holding in the irritation she felt since yesterday, the waitress hurried away.

"Ling Er Tan! What are you daydreaming about?" someone called out, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

"Ah! You scared me, Li Bao Yu!" Ling Er Tan gasped, swatting away the hand.

The young man-who happened to be a detective working for Nayzilla-chuckled softly.

"How are you, Ling? Who are you going home with tonight? I don't think I can take you home because I have an important assignment."

"It's fine. I'll go home by myself like usual," Ling Er Tan replied with a smile.

"Alright then. If anything happens, call me. I'm heading out now. And tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up for work, okay? I promise!" Bao Yu said, raising two fingers confidently.

"Thank you, my best friend in the world," she said with a laugh, and they both giggled together.

From his seat, Bara turned toward the source of the loud laughter.

Is that her friend... or her boyfriend? How childish, Bara thought, feeling slightly annoyed by their noise.

Ugh, not my business, he reminded himself, then took another bite of his fried rice, which actually tasted surprisingly good.

"Bara," Liana called gently.

Bara didn't respond. He continued eating, still deep in his own thoughts.

"Bara?!" Liana called again, this time putting down her spoon and fork with a soft clatter.

"Huh? Yes, Miss Liana- I-I mean, Liana," he corrected himself quickly, startled out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong with you? What are you thinking about?" Liana asked, feeling ignored.

"Nothing. I'm just... eating," Bara answered flatly.

"Why do you seem distracted? It looks like you're thinking about something."

"No, I'm not. I just don't want to stay out too late. My daughter must be waiting for me at home," Bara said, finding a quick excuse.

"Daughter? W-wait... you already have a child?" Liana asked, her eyes widening in shock.

"Yes," Bara replied calmly. "And it's getting late. I should head home now, Liana. I'll send my designs to your email. Just let me know which ones match the theme you want."

"Oh... alright," Liana replied, suddenly losing her earlier excitement after hearing that Bara had a child.

"Well then, I'll take my leave. Thank you for the dinner," Bara said politely before standing up and walking away.

"A daughter? A child? Is he really married?" Liana muttered to herself, watching Bara leave the café and get into a taxi. "He looks so young... but who cares? I want him. And I always get what I want."

A smirk formed on her lips.

I've got an idea, she thought, taking out her phone.

That very night, Liana made a call.

"Send me the coolest, newest luxury car for men. I want it delivered to the hotel lobby tomorrow morning," she ordered confidently.

"Alright, I'll transfer the payment immediately," she added with a satisfied smile.

She ended the call, looking thrilled.

"How could he ever refuse a gift like this? It won't take long-he'll fall into my hands very soon," she murmured confidently. "There's no man in this world who can resist my charm. Not even you, my handsome prince."

Her eyes sparkled with determination.

Bara headed straight home since it was already ten at night. On the way, he stopped by a supermarket to buy more formula milk for Bellyca.

When he finally arrived at his rented house, Aunt Ming greeted him and said she would head home since Bellyca had fallen fast asleep.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Ming. I'm sorry for troubling you this late," Bara said sincerely. He felt guilty-he had never left his daughter alone at this hour.

"It's fine, Bara. Really. Next time, don't hesitate. Auntie is always ready to help take care of Bellyca anytime," she replied gently.

"Please get home safely, Auntie," Bara said as he watched her walk toward her own small rental unit next door. Only after she entered her house did Bara go inside and lock the door behind him.

He took a quick shower, then lay on his bed, finally ready to rest.

Ting!

A notification sound echoed.

Bara reached for his phone and checked the message.

"Miss Liana?" he muttered, surprised to see her name.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll have a meeting at the hotel."

– LIANA

"So sudden? Well... it can't be helped. The sooner this job is finished, the better," Bara muttered, then typed a short reply.

"Alright."

– BARABELL

He placed his phone aside and lay back down. But only a few minutes after he closed his eyes-

"Oeekkk... oeekkk... oeekkkk...!"

Bellyca's sharp cries pierced the quiet night, waking him instantly.

"Shhh... shhh... it's okay, sweetheart. Daddy's here," Bara said softly, immediately getting up to prepare her formula milk.

After feeding her and calming her down, he kissed her tiny forehead lovingly.

"Sleep well, my darling," he whispered.

Once she had fallen asleep again, Bara returned to his bed, exhausted, and continued the rest he desperately needed.

...