Chapter 113 My Dad is Dead

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: My Dad is Dead

He was indeed quite curious about this little girl.

Smart, well-behaved, and possessing a rare assertiveness. Most children her age hadn’t fully developed their cognitive faculties yet, but this little girl was very different.

He knew a bit about the Hawthorne family’s situation, which only made him more curious about her parents.

Lydia finally tilted her head up to look at Julian Sterling. She blinked and said, "My daddy is dead."

The answer was entirely unexpected, causing Julian to unconsciously frown. His eyes flickered slightly. "I’m sorry."

Lydia waved her little hand dismissively. "It’s fine. I don’t need a daddy anyway. Having my mommy is enough. My mommy is more amazing than most people."

Julian had thought that a child would feel sad when talking about life and death, that their hearts were fragile—especially at an age where they needed a father figure. But the little girl before him didn’t seem to care whether she had a father or not.

"You asked me so many questions, so now it’s my turn," Lydia said, feeling that just answering his questions was a bit unfair to her. She turned to look at him. "Mister, are you Seth Sutton’s daddy?"

Julian raised an eyebrow. "No, I’m not."

"Then why are you pretending to be his daddy? Does he not have one? Or do you just like being a daddy to little kids?" Lydia’s voice was soft and sweet, but her words carried a sharp edge.

Julian had no intention of brushing her off. "I don’t have any children yet."

"Oh." Lydia seemed to half-understand. Suddenly, she pointed not too far away. "Then are you going to have a baby with your wife?"

Julian followed the direction of her finger. Stella Sutton was standing over there, chatting with several wealthy socialites. His gaze remained steady and calm. His lips parted slightly.

Just as he was about to answer, Sophie Winslow’s sudden appearance interrupted him. "Lydia, it’s time to go."

Julian’s eyelashes fluttered upward.

Sophie didn’t look too pleased. Still clutching a thermos in her hand, she hurried over and scooped Lydia up into her arms. Before leaving, she shot Julian a look tinged with displeasure.

The moment she saw Julian and Lydia sitting together, her heart had nearly stopped beating, and cold sweat had instantly drenched her back. She was terrified that Lydia might have let something slip, allowing Julian to guess that the little girl in front of him was his own daughter—especially at this critical juncture of their divorce.

Fortunately, Julian didn’t show any obvious emotional reaction. She had also overheard the question Lydia just asked. How could she not know? Given Julian’s deep affection for Stella Sutton, he would inevitably have given an affirmative answer. If Lydia were to find out later that this man was her father, hearing such an answer would horribly skew the child’s worldview. She refused to let Lydia hear her father blatantly admit to his infidelity.

Lydia obediently wrapped her arms around Sophie’s neck and waved at Julian. "Goodbye, Mister."

Julian hadn’t missed the look in Sophie’s eyes. When she ran over just now, there was even sweat on her temples. The weather certainly wasn’t hot enough to warrant that.

It seemed she didn’t want him interacting with this little girl at all. She was extremely resistant to the idea.

Julian stared at her retreating back, remaining motionless.

When Stella Sutton walked over, she happened to catch his expression. Following his gaze, she spotted Sophie disappearing around the corner. A cold glint flashed in her eyes before she asked softly, "Julian? Did you really like that little girl from just now?"

Naturally, she couldn’t fathom that Julian would want to speak with Sophie. It had to be something else.

As she spoke, she inexplicably thought of something and smiled. "It seems you really like daughters? More than sons?"

There was an old saying that men who preferred having daughters would treat their wives very well.

Julian didn’t answer that question. He merely curled his lips into a faint smile. "That girl is the little miss of the Hawthorne family. The Hawthornes of the South, the Sterlings of the North... she’s a lucky child. I just don’t know which branch of the Hawthornes she belongs to."

Stella instinctively glanced at Seth Sutton. She would have to remind Seth not to provoke this little girl, lest they incur the Hawthorne family’s displeasure.

"I’m not sure." Julian narrowed his eyes slightly. He had just asked, but surprisingly, the little girl hadn’t given him a single piece of useful information. Despite looking so young, she was quite guarded. Very clever.

Stella didn’t dwell on someone else’s child either. What did it have to do with them anyway?

Thinking of something else, her eyes overflowed with a smile as she suddenly asked, "Julian, out of those hotels I sent you, did any catch your eye?"

Julian thought back for a moment. "Just leave that matter to Clara Quinn to handle."

***

"Mommy, are you close with that mister from just now?" Lydia had been carried by Sophie for quite a distance before she patted Sophie’s shoulder, signaling that she could walk on her own now.

Sophie squatted down. "...I guess you could say that."

She honestly didn’t know how to answer this question. She didn’t want to lie to Lydia, which made answering incredibly difficult.

Lydia looked thoughtful. "That mister seemed really curious about me. He even asked about my daddy and mommy."

Sophie’s scalp instantly prickled with dread. She knew all too well how smart Julian Sterling was. As long as he caught a tiny clue, he could analyze the entire situation with absolute clarity.

She hurriedly grabbed Lydia’s hands. "How did you answer?"

Lydia huffed. The curve of her large, double-lidded eyes was beautiful, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth looked incredibly sweet. "I wasn’t going to tell him! That’s private. Besides, I don’t even know him."

The little one looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

Only then did Sophie heave a sigh of relief.

To a large extent, Lydia was indeed quite like Julian. She couldn’t deny that. Precocious and exceptionally bright.

Running into Julian here today had been completely unexpected, and the fact that he paid so much attention to Lydia made her anxious. It also served as a massive wake-up call for her.

Thank goodness Julian had moved up the date to finalize their divorce certificate. Otherwise, a long delay would only invite more complications.

The problem was that Lydia was registered under Adrian Hawthorne’s name. There would be a lot of complicated procedures to follow. Getting the divorce certificate was merely the first step; it didn’t guarantee foolproof safety. Only after obtaining the certificate could she use it to transfer Lydia’s household registration out of Adrian’s name and into her own. Until then, Lydia still wouldn’t legally be her child, leaving them in a precarious position.

After all, legally speaking, Lydia was a child of the Hawthorne family.

If she didn’t hurry and transfer Lydia’s registration back under her own name, and something unexpected happened—like Julian finding out Lydia was his daughter and demanding her back from the Hawthornes... The Hawthorne family might just do the Sterling family that favor, using the child to exchange for a long-lasting business alliance between the two families.

Only when Lydia was registered under her name would the custody waiver she had tricked Julian into signing truly become effective. Otherwise, it was all just empty talk. Therefore, she had to ensure that Lydia was registered under her name as quickly as possible. As a mother, she had to consider every possible scenario. There were simply too many things she needed to accomplish, one step at a time.

At this thought, Sophie couldn’t wait any longer. She sent a voice message to Adrian Hawthorne, who was currently overseas.

"Mr. Hawthorne, would you be able to return to the country ahead of schedule? Regarding Lydia, I’d like to transfer her under my name as soon as possible."

She had only met Adrian through Ivy Hawthorne. She couldn’t claim to know Adrian inside and out. Nor could she guarantee that Adrian would firmly defend her maternal rights.