Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
“What are you afraid of? I see that Mr. Flintstone treats you very well! Besides, due to your status, he must treat you differently, right?” Imogen remarked with a smile.
Shirley smiled back and said, “Well, I hope these three months pass by quickly. I don’t like being confined to one place; I prefer the feeling of freedom.” “Shirley, you don’t actually have to do an internship. You’ll still have a great future ahead either way. It’s me who needs to gain experience through internships to pave the way for my future,” Imogen openly expressed her envy and longing.
“Well, you keep up the good work. You will definitely graduate successfully,” Shirley encouraged. Imogen nodded and said, “Let’s both work hard together.” Shirley glanced at the time and realized that she had spent half an hour here.
Then again, Zacharias didn’t urge her to return, so she decided to stay.
“Are you in a hurry to go back?” Imogen asked. Shirley shook her head and replied, “No. I’ll take a little break here.” Imogen nodded. “Alright.” After having breakfast, Tony didn’t see Shirley and curiously asked Zacharias, who was sitting there reading the news, “Have you seen my goddess, uncle?” “She went out.” “You have to be more enthusiastic in pursuing her, Uncle! Don’t tell me you don’t know how to win a woman’s heart.” Tony immediately leaned over. He believed that with Zacharias’ status, appearance, and charm, winning a girl’s heart should be a piece of cake. From what he saw, Zacharias still hadn’t managed to make Shirley his girlfriend.
“Do you know, then?” Zacharias turned to him.
“Of course I do! I’m a veteran. I’ve had my fair share of girlfriends. If not ten, at least eight,” Tony exaggerated, though in reality, he had only ever pursued an older woman but ended up being dumped.
Zacharias immediately warned, “Mind you, don’t fool around.” At that, Tony grinned and suggested, “Would you like some pointers, Uncle?” “Sure, I’ll hear you out.” “First, girls love little surprises like being given flowers for no apparent reason or something nice like jewelry or lipstick. Second, girls love to be praised and pampered. You must compliment her often, such as her hair, eyes, figure, and so on.” Zacharias nodded. “Go on.” “Then, make time for her. Go out and spend some quality time, just the two of you.” “Go out?” Zacharias frowned.
“Right.” Tony chuckled. “I forgot you can’t just go anywhere, given your status.
However, you can reserve the entire venue! Say… Golf! Yes, if she doesn’t know how to play, you can hold her from behind and teach her. Bada bing, bada boom, you’ll secure yourself a girlfriend after a couple more dates!” “What’s next?” Zacharias thought Tony’s advice sounded rather legitimate.
“Next, take her to the movies and enjoy good food! You can watch movies at home, and if you cook for her personally, I think she would be very touched.”
“Alright, you can go home now.” “Why?” “I need to spend time alone with her. You’re too much of a third wheel.” Tony was stumped. Have I said all that just to be kicked out? “Can you get any more heartless, Uncle Zacharias? I promise you won’t even know I’m here.” “Stay away for three days,” Zacharias said.
“But I just arrived last night,” Tony complained. Zacharias glanced at his wristwatch every now and then, calculating the time. She has been gone for almost an hour. Where did she go? She’s not secretly seeing someone outside again, is she? Zacharias picked up his phone and dialed a certain woman’s number.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Come back,” the man requested, his tone gentle but authoritative. Shirley, who had been slacking off and playing with her phone at Imogen’s, sighed after receiving the call. “I’m heading back now,” she said to Imogen.
“Was that Mr. Flintstone?” Imogen asked.
“Yes. He might have an assignment for me,” Shirley replied.
“Go on, don’t keep him waiting,” Imogen told her. At that, Shirley got up and left, and Imogen watched her retreating figure, her smile gradually fading. When Shirley returned to the living room, Tony immediately greeted her. “Goddess, you’re back.” She walked up to Zacharias and asked, “Mr. Flintstone, is there something you need?” Zacharias didn’t have any specific business. It was his rare day off at home, so he made a casual excuse. “Join me for lunch at my family home.” Shirley blinked in response. Your family home?
“Can I refuse?” she asked. “You can have the others escort you.” Zacharias had a friendly expression, but the words that came out of his mouth left Shirley speechless.
“I don’t want anyone else but you,” he said.
At that, Shirley could only agree, “Alright, I’ll join you.” And so, Zacharias dialed his father’s number and said, “Dad, Miss Lloyd and I will be coming home for lunch.” “Great, please bring Miss Lloyd with you!” Josef was more than glad to have Shirley over. Zacharias stood up and said, “I’ll go upstairs to change.” Tony took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Shirley. “Goddess, what do you think of my uncle?” “Think of him in what way?” “His looks, physique, status-are all of these satisfactory to you?” Tony inquired, trying to gauge Shirley’s feelings for Zacharias. Shirley squinted her eyes and thought for a moment. “They’re fine.” “You can only imagine the number of women who tried to win my uncle’s heart in the past. Who’d have thought the person to win his heart in the end would be you?” Tony teased her. Curious, Shirley asked, “He had many pursuers in the past?” “Yeah! There were tons. As far as I know, every woman who had dealings with him wanted to be with him,” Tony said matter-of- factly.
At that, Shirley couldn’t help overthinking. No wonder that guy is so good at kissing. He must have had many romantic encounters in the past.
She bit her lips, and an unexpected feeling of annoyance began to surface, even unbeknownst to herself.
“Seems like your uncle is pretty popular with women,” Shirley remarked. Tony grinned and said, “But he only has eyes for you! Those girls from before, he wouldn’t even spare them a glance.” However, Shirley didn’t buy his claim. She huffed, “Sure, he’s never spared them even a glance.” Immediately, Tony defended his uncle. “It’s true! You’re the first girl he’s pursued, and I believe you’ll be the last one because he will marry you.” Shirley cleared her throat in response. “Am I supposed to marry him just because he wants to marry me? I have no plans on getting married.” Coincidentally, Zacharias overheard her as he descended the stairs, and he frowned. Who is this girl waiting for?
“Goddess, guys like Uncle Zacharias are hard to come by. You should just marry him. You won’t regret it.” Shirley couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Tony’s attempt to promote his uncle. Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out from behind them, and the two quieted down immediately.
Zacharias ultimately decided to bring Tony along.
Come on, let’s go back for lunch.” “Alright, Uncle!” Tony nodded. The convoy, led by Roy, was already ready. Since they were heading to Flintstone Estate, which wasn’t too far away, only two security vehicles accompanied them.
Imogen looked out from her dorm’s floor-to- ceiling window, watching the two cars departing from the Flintstone Residence. A strong sense of loss welled up within her. She believed that one day, she, too, would become an indispensable part of Zacharias’ life.
Shirley sat beside Zacharias in the car, feeling more relaxed since they were only out for a meal. After about half an hour, the convoy entered the Flintstone Estate’s courtyard. It was an older area with no tall buildings around, so it exuded a serene atmosphere, free from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Shirley stepped out of the car, and Zacharias turned to her, saying, “Let’s go! I’ll show you around my room.” Shirley appeared calm on the surface, but deep down, she felt a growing sense of anticipation. She was surprised to find herself eager to learn more about this man.
“Grandpa Josef!” Tony called out as he walked into the hall, where Josef emerged. “Tony, you’ve come too.” Shirley immediately greeted Josef. “Hello, Old Mr. Flintstone.” “Miss Lloyd, welcome to our home. Please come inside.” “You’re too kind, sir,” Shirley said. Josef’s overly enthusiastic welcome made her somewhat bashful.
“Dad, I’ll take care of her,” Zacharias said. Old Mr. Flintstone nodded, and Tony said, “Grandpa Josef, let’s play chess. There’s still some time before lunch is ready, right?” “Do you think you can beat me?” “Well, I’ve come to learn from you, haven’t I?” Tony said and headed toward a side room where a chessboard was always set up.
Meanwhile, Zacharias took Shirley’s hand as they headed upstairs. Out of panic, Shirley attempted to pull her hand away, but Zacharias held it tightly, making it impossible for her to break free. So, she could only let him lead her upstairs.
“Zacharias, let go of me. I can walk on my own.” she whispered. Once they reached the second floor, Zacharias released her hand and walked toward his bedroom door. He opened it and invited her in, saying, “Come in! Let me show you around.” Shirley entered. She used to think her father had the most trophies in his room, but now it was Zacharias’. On a long table, there were trophies of various sizes that he had won. On the wall, there was a photo wall featuring pictures of him from childhood to adulthood. Shirley admired the photos, but suddenly, her breath caught in her throat.
Good heavens, what is that?
Mortified, Zacharias covered one of his childhood photos. He was a little over a year old at that time and was dressed in open-crotch pants, bearing everything that needed to be hidden.
“Don’t look at this one.” The man blushed. In a rare moment of catching him off guard, Shirley reached out and moved his hand away. “Why won’t you let me see it? You invited me to look around, right? Move your hand away.” She pulled his hand away and stared at the photo with great interest. The toddler in the picture looked absolutely adorable. However, as Shirley looked at it, she began blushing.
Very quickly, she looked away and turned her attention elsewhere.
Zacharias took the chance to take the photo away, deciding to keep it out of sight. He didn’t mind letting her look at it if she wanted to, though.
After spending about fifteen minutes in Zacharias’ room, Shirley went downstairs. She heard laughter coming from the side hall and couldn’t resist her curiosity. As she approached, she found Tony and Josef playing chess. Shirley stood by with great interest to watch.
Clearly, Tony was still too young and naive. He became proud after capturing one piece, but little did he know that Josef had a powerful move coming up. By the end of the game, Tony suffered a crushing defeat.
“You’re not my match. Zach is.” Josef chuckled.
“That’s just because I don’t play often enough,” Tony protested, and then he noticed Shirley standing there. He immediately said, “Goddess, how about a game with us?” Josef also thought it was a good idea for the young folks to play. He stood up and said, “Miss Lloyd, why don’t you play with him?” “I’m not very good at chess,” she admitted, waving her hand.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s still some time before lunch is ready. Let’s just play for fun.” Tony mainly wanted to find some sense of accomplishment playing against Shirley, for he believed he could win a game and regain some dignity.
Josef happened to receive a phone call, so Shirley pulled up a chair and sat down. Tony eagerly prepared to start the game.
Shirley, lacking experience, played based on the few techniques she knew. As the game progressed, she realized she had miscalculated a move and lost.
“Haha! I told you my skills aren’t bad!” Tony boasted. Shirley propped her chin on her hand and started taking the game more seriously. Just then, a tall figure entered from behind. Shirley looked up and made eye contact with Zacharias, who pulled up a chair and sat next to her.
Tony became anxious. “Uncle Zacharias, you can’t interfere. This is our duel.” Shirley didn’t ask for Zacharias’ help either, but as she picked up a piece to make a move, she heard a light cough from the man beside her. She turned to look at him, and he smiled, reaching out to pick up her piece and placing it in a different position.
“Uncle, you…” Tony glared in frustration.
Zacharias smirked. “Any problem?” “None at all. I can still outmatch you two!” Tony said, squinting and analyzing the game intently.