Chapter Two

"I couldn't agree more with your statement." The other man snapped his fingers. "Having a collaboration with an industry like G.I conglomerate will be of benefit to both parties."

Although it appeared as if both men were having a casual conversation, they were actually hoping none of their words and compliments missed Alfred's ears. Since they couldn't go near him, they implored this strategy to get into his good books and to also lay out their requests. 

The same thing was going on with the other people in the room. 

Everyone had caught a partner or two, engaging in small talks about their achievements and how joining hands with G.I Conglomerate would escalate their profits in a short period. 

Alfred's ears were bleeding from all the noises. And with every minute that passed by, his impatience grew. 

After a whole night of flying here from another city, only something as important as the birthday party of his favorite niece could make him agree to leave the comfort of his office. 

The sight of the ladies wearing little to nothing disgusted him, and those greedy and hypocritical looks made his blood boil. 

"S–Sir, please exercise some patience." Only Alfred's assistant was aware of the upcoming storm inside the room. 

The potbellied man stood at Alfred's back, trembling and wiping off his sweat. 

"Th–The party will start in ten minutes." He glanced at his wristwatch and gave a nervous laugh. "I bet the birthday girl is still getting prepared." 

"Insolent." Alfred scoffed under his breath.

His assistant gulped and laughed nervously again. And he hoped the crowd would at least make their real intentions less obvious. 

For one thing, he'd been the one that had hinted at them about the appearance of his Boss at this party. They'd bribed him and he'd given his Boss the wrong time so they could arrive early. Knowing his Boss well, the assistant was confident that he was going to depart the moment the party was over. So, he paved this opportunity for them to make their impressions, only that they were going overboard. 

If his Boss found out all about this, the assistant was afraid that he was going to be toast. 

Commotion came from the large doors, grabbing people's attention. 

Everyone turned in that direction, looking for the source of the giggles and chatters of kids. 

In no time, more than twenty kids ambled into the hall. 

A hushed silence fell inside the room. The adults were surprised to see this number of kids at once. The kids also seemed to be searching for something or, to speak correctly, they seemed to be searching for someone. 

The kids scrutinized each adult that they came across. They walked in a single file, and leading them was the birthday girl herself. Her face was plastered everywhere on the posters that decorated the hotel. 

She was holding hands with a younger-looking kid who had a large cupcake in her hand. 

"Is it this one?" The birthday girl paused and pointed up at a tall man.

"No." The other girl shook her head and licked the fondant from the cupcake in her hand. 

"What about this uncle?" Asked the birthday girl. 

Little Mara shook her head. "Not handsome enough," she answered. 

And the search went on. The adults could only watch the kids in wonder. And moments later, they lost interest in whatever the kids were searching for. 

Apparently, the girl with the cupcake was searching for someone, and the other kids were kind enough to help.

Well, the adults couldn't involve themselves in the kids' matters. They had more important things to do. Therefore, they carried on with their conversations.

From where Alfred sat, his eyelids were no longer half-closed. He narrowed his eyes at the kids, most especially the little girl that was holding hands with his niece. And he wondered when his sister had another baby. The girls looked almost similar. 

On seeing the slight frown on his Boss's face, the assistant was flabbergasted. If the adults' conversations were noisy enough, then the kids' chatters could release that storm. Some had even begun playing around and touching things. 

"You." The assistant grabbed the attention of one of the waiters in the room. "Lead those kids out! Can't you see this hall is only for the adults!"

The assistant was too loud, catching everyone's attention including the kids'.

And when the kids looked in their direction, the cupcake in little Mara's hand dropped. Her tiny lips parted and she blinked at the sight of the man sitting on the couch. 

"Amy!" Her head flipped to the birthday girl and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "We found him, he's sitting right there."

And before everyone could register anything, the little girl made her way to where Alfred was sitting and jumped onto his lap. 

A hushed silence fell once again in the room. The silence was deafening. And everyone observed the ongoing scene with eyes and mouths wide open. 

Alfred was too shocked to react. He stared down at the little girl, her bright eyes staring back at him. 

Her right hand which had traces of the fondant was already on his suit jacket. She shifted on his lap to find a comfortable position and wrapped both arms around his neck. 

In no time, the kids had surrounded the area. They were too many for the bodyguards to fend off. And as the birthday girl was in their midst, none dared to take any action until the Boss gave the orders. Only the assistant was brazen enough to do that. 

"That's my uncle." The birthday girl pointed out. "Are you sure he's your Daddy?" 

"Uh uh." little Mara nodded eagerly. "Mummy said so."

Obviously, her Mummy had mentioned that they might find her Daddy at this birthday party. And while she worked on making her cupcakes perfect, Mara had sighted some kids and wandered off with them. She told them of her mission of finding her Daddy and gave them all the descriptions that her Mummy had told her.