Chapter 12

“Keep it up, Monique Xander! You can do it!” Monique gave herself a pep talk as she continued driving steadily. She felt the drive to be more ambitious and motivated when she thought about her uncle’s kindness. She was determined to make more money to provide a stable living environment for Little Nomi to put her uncle at ease as he was always worried about her. She enjoyed the night view flashing by through the car window. Rows of streetlights near the streets were glistening with gentle yellow rays in the night, looking like luminous pearls illuminating the busy streets. The night was sinking into the ocean of lights like a black curtain embellished into a brilliant illuminating land. Ding ding, ding ding… Her phone was bursting with notifications from WeChat conversations all of a sudden. She did not have many contacts in WeChat, she only ever entered a group for Stormchase drivers and another group for employees of the café. Perhaps there were announcements in one of the groups? Monique parked her car nearby to check on her phone after dropping off her passenger. There were almost a hundred unread messages from the Stormchase group. She clicked into the notifications to find out that a driver sent some secretly taken photos of a female passenger who was dressed in provocative and revealing clothes to the group. The photos then sparked a conversation among the other drivers. A few other male drivers then followed and sent some other sneak photos. They were getting out of hand. They were proud of themselves for taking those photos. “What’s so impressive about taking photos? I even got my hands on a woman today,” said another driver. “Hush…” the other drivers replied with doubt. Although most of them had bad thoughts, they were only doing that to entertain themselves because they were cowards. Looking at the horrible pictures and intolerable language, Monique was so disgusted that she wanted to puke. Those perverts! Monique had goosebumps when she thought about how those savages frequently harassed her at the parking lot regardless of whether it was intentional. She was itching to reprimand them in the group but she could not as she needed the job to earn a living. “Perverts, psychos, savages.” Monique could only blow off her steam internally. “Mommy, what are you talking about?” Little Nomi asked, her head tilted with curiosity. She seemed like she knew what her mother was thinking as she stared at her mother with a frown. “!!!” Monique was shocked as she was only scolding internally. Did she speak her mind by accident? She could not bring herself to tell Little Nomi about those perverts. She turned to look at Little Nomi before she forced a smile and replied, “Nothing, it was nothing. What could there be? Hehehe.” “Hehe, hehe… Not funny…” Little Nomi copied Monique’s laugh with a suspicious face. She stared at Monique adorably, her huge clear eyes filled with meaning. Amused by her daughter’s adorable expression, Monique brushed across her daughter’s tiny nose lightly. “Smart girl, I could never hide anything from you!” Then, she lamented. ‘A young lady was just harassed by a male cab driver. Being a modern woman is tough.’ There would always be a risk of meeting a pervert, even from just taking a cab! An idea struck Monique’s mind. She could drive her cab around the city center as there would be more young females around. They would not have the risk of meeting a pervert if she was the one who accepted their requests. She would help as much as she could since her seating capacity was limited. She drove toward the city center as she was immersed in her thoughts, her lips lifted for a smile. She was proud of herself. “Are you picking daddy up?” Little Nomi beamed with excitement and looked over Marriott Tower. She deduced that there was a high chance that her mother accepted her daddy’s request after she noticed her mother’s grin and the tower right in front of them. “Hmm?” Monique was taken aback before she noticed Marriott Tower nearby. She then thought of the divine-looking male passenger she picked up at Marriott Tower previously. She also remembered that Little Nomi called him daddy! Monique was embarrassed and amused at the same time whenever she thought about Little Nomi calling that man her daddy. Monique was aware that Little Nomi always wanted a father after realizing that other children had a father. However, that was not something that could be forced. Moreover, those involved with Marriott International were either resourceful or wealthy. How could he be interested in someone like her? He must be resourceful or wealthy! Was it really him who treated them to a meal at the fine-dining restaurant? She had a look at the menu so she knew that those desserts were extremely pricy as they were new releases. He must be extremely wealthy since he ordered a whole table of desserts for them. Why did he treat her? Perhaps he was interested in her? Monique shook her head. That would be impossible. She had a five-year-old daughter! “Nomi, I understand that you want a daddy, but he’s not your daddy!” Monique sighed. She had to clarify to Little Nomi. Little Nomi wanted to reply that that man really looked like her daddy and she had a gut feeling that he was her father! “That man can’t be your father,” said Monique smilingly with bitterness on her lips. “I want a daddy who is tall and handsome. He must treat mommy well and protect mommy from harm because mommy works really hard,” Little Nomi pouted. She wanted someone who would take care of her mother. Monique felt a wrench in her heart and her eyes getting wet. She parked her car at the side and planted a kiss on Little Nomi’s forehead. “Silly girl, I am happy as long as I have you.” After some consideration, Monique explained, “I didn’t tell you this, but a girl was harassed while riding a cab. I was thinking that many female white-collar employees around here work hard too. Some of them stay near the outskirts to save on rent. So, they have to call a cab to get home after working overtime till late. I drove here to take their requests so that they will not meet those bad men.” Little Nomi always knew that her mother was a kind person. She was always being considerate toward others although she was living a hard life herself. “Mommy, you’re so kind. You’re an angel.” Little Nomi smiled with pride, her huge bright eyes twinkled. ‘Mommy is the best and kindest angel.’ Monique’s heart warmed as she looked at the adorable Little Nomi. Her daughter was the reason she could hold on for so long. She pinched Little Nomi’s chubby cheeks lightly and said, “Little Nomi is a little angel too. I can keep pushing on like a superwoman, all because of you.” Her tone was filled with love and tenderness. “Yes, mommy is the prettiest, strongest, and most angelic superwoman.” Little Nomi nodded with unmasked pride on her face. Monique lifted the corners of her lips with joy and looked toward Marriott Tower nearby. She could not help but recall that the quiet handsome man got into her car at the same spot. ‘Will it happen again this time…?’