Chapter 6

“How are you already giving me the cold shoulder when you’re this young?” Monique Xander could not help rolling her eyes. Even she had to admit that there were times when Little Nomi seemed smarter than her. “Aunt Winnie just moved here but she seemed really nice. I noticed from the window that she has been helping some elders carry their things upstairs. She also took care of a few stray cats downstairs,” Little Nomi explained. She did not knock on a stranger’s door by random, of course. Her instincts told her that Aunt Winnie from next door was a kind elder. Little Nomi had suffered hardships since young. Despite her quirkiness, she was very observant compared to other children. “Sit here and wait for me. We’ll go home together after my shift.” Monique carried Little Nomi to the lounge after finishing her meal. “Alright,” Little Nomi replied obediently. She looked like a little angel with her chubby cheeks, bright eyes, and soft voice. She brought some picture books over as she knew not to disturb her mother at work. She sat on a chair and started reading while popping her head out occasionally to check on her mother. She was already asleep when Monique went to her after her shift. “Nomi, wake up. Let’s go home.” Monique planted a kiss on Little Nomi’s forehead, her eyes filled with the tenderness of a mother’s love. She had been reading her picture books obediently for the whole afternoon and fell asleep sitting down; she was such a good girl. “Mommy.” Little Nomi opened her eyes slowly, the corners of her mouth lifted with excitement when she saw her mother. “Are we going home?” “Yes,” there was a tenderness in Monique’s smile. “Let’s get something to eat.” “Yay!” Then, they walked out of the café together while holding hands. Monique was going to take Little Nomi to the car rental center to start her night shift as a cab driver with her. ‘You go, girl!’ Monique gave herself a cheer. She had to work hard to get the money to buy a car to save up on the costs of renting a cab. Then, she needed to work even harder to get the money to buy a house to provide Nomi with a home, a safe haven belonging to the two of them. … The chairman’s office, the 23rd floor of Marriott International Tower. “Chairman Moore, here’s the information on Monique Xander.” Mandy Jane, Chairman Moore’s secretary entered the room. She matched a white blouse with a black office skirt which complimented her lean figure and slender legs. She looked highly capable with her classy makeup and long wavy maroon hair resting on her shoulders. She placed a pile of papers on the chairman’s office desk with respect. “Monique Xander lives in City B. She left university when she was eighteen and gave birth to a daughter, who is currently five. She has been taking up part-time jobs in City B. She helps out at Mansion Coffee during the day and drives a cab for Stormchase at night,” Mandy continued. She did not understand why Chairman Moore was digging for information about an ordinary woman with a child. As a powerful figure in the commercial world, Chairman Moore was desired by countless ladies, desperate to be with him, and yet Mandy had never seen him interested in any woman throughout the years. However, when the chairman explicitly asked her to find out about that woman, she obliged and compiled detailed information about the woman in the shortest amount of time. “Got it.” Henry Moore acknowledged with a deep voice and nodded with an indifferent expression, hinting her to leave. Mandy bowed respectfully and left. Henry had an extremely spacious black-and-white themed office. His leather couch and solid refined wood desk were unique designs created by famous European designers, the furniture was simple yet adequately extravagant. Henry knocked on the desk rhythmically with his slender fingers as he sat on his exquisite leather couch. His coolly arched eyebrows, prominent nose, and chiseled profile made him look exceptionally handsome, his expressive eyes filled with arrogance. His slender and built body was undeniably masculine. He looked elegant and sophisticated like royalty in his expensive tailored black suit. He initially thought that him falling asleep in the cab for the first time was an anomaly. However, he fell asleep again a second time. It was an effortless and cozy sleep. He had been struggling with insomnia before that, that night from five years ago was the only exception. Could she be the same girl from five years ago? Henry lounged on his exquisite office chair as he took the papers on Monique, his eyes bright and his brow raised slightly with curiosity. The first thing he saw when he flipped the papers was a photo of Monique Xander. It was on her university registration form when she was 18 and all her neat features could be seen clearly on her young face. Her lips were slightly curved upward, forming a light smile. He then continued reading the papers unhurriedly. His employees had been trained well to be able to obtain such extensive information on short notice. Monique Xander was 23 years old at present. She was raised by her grandfather since she was two when her mother, Miranda Xander cheated on her husband and obtained a divorce. Her grandfather passed away when she was eight and he entrusted her to her uncle, Zephyrus Xander before his death. She stayed with her uncle until she was 18 when she got pregnant and dropped out of school. There was also an interview with Monique’s classmate from H University, the best university in City B. Monique Xander was three weeks pregnant when she left school and there was already a slight visible bump on her. There were extensive rumors among the students that she was financially aided by someone wealthy. As the saying goes, bad news has wings. Monique quickly became a hot topic of conversation at the university at the time. Some neighbors also gave comments that Monique Xander was an intelligent girl with good grades and behavior. It was a shame that she was tricked and got pregnant at a young age. Henry’s eyes fell as he continued reading. As the coldness in his jet black eyes developed, he looked truly intimidating like an Asura from hell. He saw her face when she was driving and thought that she looked pure and innocent. He thought that she was someone with better standards. Why would she enter his room just like that if she was someone with high standards? She had to be a harlot. He could not believe that he fell asleep comfortably near to a woman like her, the irony was strong. Then, the thought of her flirting with other guys crossed his mind… He felt really uncomfortable. … Flashy neon lights were glowing rhythmically on the bustling street like little pixies. Little Nomi was beyond happy because her mother promised to reward her for bringing her a lunchbox the previous day. They stopped at a toy shop near the street and Little Nomi picked a Dora plush toy that could talk as it had batteries in it. “Hey, it’s Dora the Explorer!” “Mommy, look. It’s Dora the Explorer!” Little Nomi really liked the toy. She hid behind the toy and acted. “Swiper, no swiping! Swiper, no swiping!” Monique played along. Little Nomi chuckled, her smile as gorgeous as a blooming flower. Monique started chuckling too. She then accepted a passenger’s request as Little Nomi played with the toy while sitting obediently in the front seat. Little Nomi fell asleep with Dora in her arms when it started getting late. “Stormchase is accepting your request.” Monique took her phone to check the pickup and drop off points as usual. She was supposed to pick up the passenger at RK Bar and drop off at Ruby Star Street. It was the street where her uncle’s house was. Monique was stunned after checking the address, a hint of panic flashed past her dark bright eyes. She wanted to cancel the request but paused to look at her Little Nomi who was deep asleep beside her. She proceeded to accept the request reluctantly to earn more money. She stopped her cab steadily in an alley near the bar. People were drunk under the blurry lights.