[ At Country R… ]

"Dad! Dad!"

Mia's voice resonated on the balcony.

Vincent and his two companions turned in her direction.

"Young mistress."

Speed and Phoenix greeted her politely.

Even though the King Stallion Mafia was disbanded, Vincent's loyal subordinates– Speed and Phoenix stayed and continued serving him.

Speed became Mia's nanny while Phoenix became Vincent's butler.

"What is it, my dear? Why are you so excited?" Vincent asked as he picked her up, making her sit on his lap.

Mia grinned broadly as she showed him her phone screen.

"Aunt Hanabi is getting married this week. She sent us an invitation. Uncle Tatsumi already booked our flight. Dad, we are flying to Country J!"

Speed and Phoenix were both taken aback at the mention of those names. They could still vividly remember their utter defeat after competing against Hanabi and Tatsumi.

"Do you want to join us?" Vincent invited the two when he noticed their facial expressions.

Speed just smiled awkwardly while Phoenix scratched the back of his head, hiding their embarrassment.

Before they could refuse, Mia had already spoken up on their behalf.

"Hmm. Dad, yes! Please bring them with us. The more the merrier!"

"Got it, dear. We will book their plane tickets today. This will also serve as a vacation trip for them."

Speed and Phoenix could only exchange glances with one another. Since their boss had made up his mind, they had no choice but to obey.

"Yey. I'm so excited, Dad. I'm going to see Mommy Jane, Ethan, and Baby Hazel! They are attending the wedding too. It's been a year since the last time I saw them."

Mia couldn't contain her joy. She was very enthusiastic about this.

When Jane's name was brought up, Speed leaned to Phoenix and asked, "Do you think our boss has finally moved on? Or does he still have lingering feelings left for Miss Jane?"

Phoenix didn't answer her. He just gave her a warning glare. "Behave. Don't be too nosy. Just focus on your own love life. You have a crush on that Tatsumi guy, right? You betrayed us once because of them–"

"Hey! Hey! That was in the past. Not anymore." Speed punched his shoulder, her cheeks blushing red.

Phoenix just let out a husky chuckle as he continued teasing Speed.

"Stop staring at me like that, Phoenix. I'll kick your ass!" She threatened him, annoyed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He just raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. I'll behave."

"Speed. Phoenix." Vincent called their attention.

"Yes, Sir?"

They asked in unison.

"Mia and I will go shopping today to buy a gift for the married couple. Just stay here and start packing."

"Noted, Sir."

The father and daughter duo headed out together. They went to the largest city mall in Country R.

They spent an hour strolling around until they found a perfect gift for the married couple. They chose a high-end home luxury gift, such as an iron cookware set and a leather brass bar set, best for the married couple setting up their new home.

"Dad, I wanna buy a gift for Mommy Jane, Ethan, and Baby Hazel."

"Sure, Mia. Take your time. Feel free to choose anything."

Vincent just trailed behind Mia as she hopped from one shop to another. He could only smile as he watched her.

Mia was looking forward to this reunion.

This made Vincent wonder if he was not enough for Mia. It seemed that she was still longing for motherly love. She also liked having siblings.

Even though Mia was not telling him anything, Vincent could see that she felt something was missing.

Vincent had promised himself to focus only on raising Mia. But there was a time that his own daughter started asking him whether he wanted to date someone or not… whether he had met someone who caught his interest.

Unfortunately, he had no one like that. He had no plan of getting involved with another woman.

He was not searching for a wife. He was determined to raise Mia alone. Besides, he isn't lonely because of her.

Perhaps, he hadn't moved on yet. Jane was still occupying the big space in his heart.

And after betraying Monica, he thought he didn't deserve to find another woman. He would always end up hurting them as if loving someone was a curse for him.

"Dad! Come here!" Mia's voice snapped Vincent out of his deep thoughts.

"I'm done. Let's pay them all!" Mia excitedly dragged her father to the cashier.

In two hours, we finished buying everything. Mia and I headed back to our car. The trunk was almost full of items. Mia definitely went on a shopping spree!

I could only smile helplessly. As I started the car, Mia grabbed her phone, videocalling Ethan.

I just focused on driving while Mia was happily chatting with Ethan. I could also hear Baby Hazel's voice in the background.

The kiddos were excitedly talking about their trip to Country J. They also made a plan to stay for a couple of days and tour around.

We were near our compound when suddenly someone hurriedly crossed the street, my car almost bumping her.

*Screeching sound*

"Dad! Watch out!"

I immediately stepped on the brake to prevent hitting the person.

Thud!

My heart was thumping hard against my chest. I didn't know if I hit that person or not.

"Mia, stay. Don't come out." I instructed her as we were still in the middle of the road.

I quickly alighted from the car to check the person.

It didn't take long before I saw a woman sitting weakly on the pavement. She looked so scared, her hand clutching her chest. Her body trembled as she kept darting her gaze.

I approached her and crouched down to meet her eyes.

"Miss, are you okay? Did I hit you? I'll bring you to the hospital–"

Hearing my voice, she immediately grabbed onto my hand, her fingers gripping me tightly as if her life depended on it.

I could see the distress in her eyes.

'Why does she look so frightened?'

"Please… help me. Take me away from here. They are chasing after me. They are going to kill me…"

I was taken aback for a moment. So the reason why she was crossing the street hurriedly was that she was running away from someone.

"Who are they? Who wanted to kill you?"

I didn't get an answer from her as she suddenly passed out. Fortunately, I was quick enough to hold her.

'Damn. I can't leave her.'

Without a second thought, I carried her, putting her inside the car.

"Dad, is she still alive? Did we accidentally hit her?" Mia asked me worriedly, anxiety evident on her face.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mia. She just passed out from the shock. I think I didn't hit her. But to be sure, we will bring her to the nearest hospital."

"Okay, Dad. Let's go."

I drove to the hospital to have her checked. While driving, my mind kept replaying what she just said.

She was so scared, fleeing for her life. Someone was chasing after her. They wanted to kill her.

Who the hell would do that in broad daylight?

I frowned deeply as I peered at her through the rearview mirror. Mia was holding her still in the back passenger seat.

She looked frail and thin. Her dress looked disheveled. Then I noticed abrasions and linear bruising on her wrists.

I couldn't be wrong. She might be tied by rope or handcuffs.

'Who the hell is she? Who did she offend?'

But one thing was for sure. This woman spelled trouble.

After reaching the hospital, Vincent immediately summoned Speed and Phoenix. He allowed Mia to stay by the woman's side while the doctor was examining her.

Soon, Phoenix and Speed arrived at the hospital. They approached Vincent.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"A car accident? Did you hit someone?"

"No. I almost hit someone. But that's not the main issue here."

Phoenix and Speed exchanged puzzled looks with each other.

"What is it, Sir?"

Vincent let out a deep sigh. He grabbed his phone and showed them the woman's photo. He secretly took it earlier.

"Oh my gosh. She's a beauty. But she looks so pale… and thin, like skin and bone." Speed gasped, unable to hold back her commentary.

Phoenix immediately elbowed her, shutting her mouth.

"What do you want us to do, Boss?" Phoenix asked in a serious tone.

"She told me that someone wanted to kill her. Once she wakes up, I will ask her about them. But for now, I want you to investigate her background. Find out everything about her. I want to make sure she is not a bad person, or else, I will hand her over to the police authorities."

"Copy, Sir. We will look into this and find out everything about her!"