Chapter 24đ
In fact, Milim wasn't as naive as she might have seemed. She had her own calculations, but due to her young age and limited experience, she didn't dare to think too deeply. Now that her sister had returned, she also had places to go, and she felt that leaving might be a better option. The second reason was that she suddenly felt that Mr. Dylan was not a bad person.
"How about it? Do you agree?" Milim urged, her sweet voice tugging at Mr. Dylan's heartstrings.
"I'll think about it," Dylan said after a moment of contemplationâor perhaps it wasn't much of a consideration, just a delay. "I'll agree with a condition."
Milim asked, "What condition?"
Lowering his voice on the other end, Mr. Dylan said, "I'll go with you."
"What? How could that be?"
Milim was taken aback, and she suddenly remembered that her father seemed to be an employee at Dylan's company. This was quite awkward. Fortunately, these days, Dylan hadn't visited the branch office. Her father hadn't met Dylan either.
"It's settled then," the domineering CEO Dylan impatiently confirmed the arrangement, leaving no room for the young girl to argue. "Get some rest and sleep well."
Milim wanted to say something more, but the call had already been disconnected. She stared at her phone in astonishment, thinking that this person was too dictatorial, with no room for anyone else to speak. However, upon closer consideration, it wasn't surprising at all. Why should Dylan be nice to her for no reason? It was clear that there was something he wanted from herâand if it weren't for that, their paths wouldn't have crossed in the first place.
"Okay." Milim thought it over clearly and put down her phone to sleep with a clear mind.
On the other end, Dylan called his close friend and said, "Asher, I'm sorry. We can't make it for the prenatal check-up tomorrow. It needs to be postponed to Monday."
As for why they didn't choose Sunday, one reason was that there would be a long journey tomorrow, and it wasn't suitable to continue with medical check-ups the next day. The second reason was that there would be more people at the hospital on Sunday, making it inconvenient.
Asher said it was okay but asked, "What happened? Why the delay? This isn't your style. You're usually very punctual."
Dylan replied, "Nothing happened. I have some last-minute business to attend to."
"That's good then," Asher said with a mischievous tone. "Taking care of a kid isn't easy, right? I mean, you used to live a carefree life, doing whatever you wanted. Unlike now."
Dylan said, "It's not bad. I see it as a way to improve myself."
Asher was taken aback. "You quit smoking and drinking?" He remembered that this guy was a chain smoker and had been addicted to alcohol since college.
"Not yet. We'll see," the man on the other end of the phone said indifferently. "Right now, everything is uncertain. I'll take things one step at a time."
Asher agreed, "That's true. Teenager pregnancies are inherently unstable, and you can't be sure of anything until you've had a check-up." He sighed and hoped that his buddy's child would be healthy, as it would be a great help to the Maverick family. "So, you should be more attentive. Be kind to the kid, and she'll trust you."
Dylan had this all figured out in his heart. After all, he was a seasoned veteran. "Alright, I'll hang up. I have things to do tomorrow," Dylan said, bidding farewell to his close friend before ending the call.
That night, Milim didn't sleep very soundly. She kept having strange dreams and kept waking up because of a full bladder. She had low blood pressure, so when she sat up, she felt her heavy head, taking nearly half a minute to clear her vision before heading to the bathroom to relieve herself. The time was still very earlyânot even 5 AM.
Due to her early bedtime, Milim lay back in bed, feeling unable to sleep. Her almond-shaped eyes stared at her little brother's sleeping cot, and her mind wandered aimlessly, pondering things that had no answers. That wasn't the main issue, though. The main issue was the loud rumbling in her stomach. Those who have experienced this kind of insane hunger in the middle of the night know what it is like.
Milim couldn't help it, so she got up and started snacking, chomping on the treats, and sent a message to Mr. Dylan.
Good morning, Mr. Dylan. Are you awake?
She didn't even know why she sent itâmaybe she was just bored.
Dylan, who was deep in sleep, was awakened by the sudden beep of his phone by the bedside. He saw it was his personal phone, which made sense since he had turned off his work phone. He picked it up and looked at it, immediately feeling displeased.
"So early. Why aren't you sleeping?" Dylan asked, concerned about the other's well-being.
The response came quickly from the other side, likely because she had been holding the phone all along.
I woke up because I had to pee, and I'm hungry.
Typing on the phone was too slow, and she had to eat at the same time, so Milim quietly slipped out onto the balcony, where the sky was still a dull gray. With a bit of courage, she dialed Dylan's number.
Once the call was connected, she said, "Are you coming to take me for breakfast? If you're not coming, I'll go have some breakfast noodles at Mama's place."
After saying this, the phone on the other end crackled with the sound of something being crushed. Dylan was surprised and a bit speechless.
"You called just to say that?" So it wasn't a protest call.
He instantly sat up in bed and said, "Then wait for me."
"Are you still upset from last night?" Milim asked. Hanging up like that was quite unusual.
"I'll be there in half an hour," Dylan didn't directly answer but ended the call with Milim. The tall, well-built figure moved around inside the room. Within five minutes, he had prepared himself and hit the road.
Milim arrived ten minutes early and waited. The quiet community had very few people around, and the streetlights were still on.
At the appointed time, she saw a dazzling luxury car approaching. The man who had been repeatedly hanging up on her had arrived. Dylan got out of the car and walked up to the young girl.
Being stared at like this, the young girl who had woken him up early in the morning felt guilty and began to realize she was in trouble. She started to back away a couple of steps, arms crossed and a sheepish smile on her face.
"Good morning," she said.
Dylan nodded and looked at the car. "Get in."
An obedient Milim did as she was told and said, "I'm sorry for bothering you so early. But the point is, you just came without any complaints, faster than the police."
Dylan raised his lips slightly at that comment. "You're welcome to bother me again next time."
As the car drove for a while, Milim was still puzzled. She pursed her lips and alternated between feeling content and low. Well, she knew Dylan wouldn't be kind to her for no reason.
"Mr. Dylan," the cheerful teenager sitting in the back spoke up, and Dylan couldn't help but notice. Her smiling eyes were sweet to the point of being annoying. Waking up at 5 AM to look for himâif this isn't considered acting spoiled, then what is it?
"Dylan, did my coming out with you today delay any of your business?" the young girl asked softly.
Dylan replied, "No."
The silver-blue luxury car raced on the sparsely populated road. The enigmatic and stoic man would only respond when questioned. Milim recalled that night and couldn't help but admire herself. She had dared to ask for help from someone like this. The man exuded an aura of suppressed aggression that made him appear more dangerous than a criminal.
In fact, Milim might not have had the courage if she hadn't been under the influence of medication at that time.
Upon reaching their destination, the man, as before, got out of the car and opened the door for Milim.
"Thank you," Milim sweetly said, holding onto his strong arm. She focused on her steps, making sure not to trip. Dylan stared at those slender fingers for a moment, swallowing hard. He wasn't trying to act cool or uninterestedâhe was simply holding back. It all began with the phone call at 5 AM, the softspoken act of spoiling.
"I can manage on my own," Milim withdrew her hand and walked slowly, keeping a distance from Dylan.
"It's still too early. There isn't much food available," Dylan said, mildly chastising Milim for not choosing a better time. Waking him up so early meant that there were some things he hadn't had the chance to do.
"It's alright. I'm not a picky eater," Milim said, sitting down in the new environment. She looked around with innocent, clear eyes and smiled, "Are you upset that I woke you up so early?"
He couldn't help but feel that something was off about the way Dylan was behaving this morning. He seemed unusually reserved and spoke very little.
Dylan glanced at her, wearing a stern expression but remaining silent.
Milim thought, Yes, it is this kind of feeling. She didn't even know what she might have done to upset him.
To avoid any potentially inappropriate actions on his part, Dylan deliberately refrained from paying too much attention to Milim. However, when he glanced over occasionally, he noticed the young girl's conflicted expression.
"Milim," he called out.
"Um?" Milim's voice sounded anxious. "Is there something wrong?"
She regretted it. She would never disrupt someone's peaceful sleep again.
Dylan stared at Milim for a long time, and in a hoarse voice, he said, "Well, yes, it is just that I was afraid you might not be pleased."
With that, he got up and walked past the young girl, entering the restroom.
Milim swore she wasn't intentionally staring at Mr. Dylan's crotchâit was just that the bulge was too obvious. Well, that was quite intimidating.
When the food was served, Dylan still hadn't come out of the restroom.
"Mr. Dylan, I'll start eating," a clear and bright voice came from the entrance.
Dylan was standing in front of the toilet, and he achieved his peak without any effort thanks to this voice. Tsk. The reflection of himself in the mirror had an angry, twisted expression. This side of him had never been revealed to anyone before.
Five minutes later, Dylan washed his hands, tidied his cuffs, and walked out of the restroom, appearing refined and composed.
Milim heard the footsteps, and the muscles in her shoulders tensed for a moment. She lowered her gaze and continued eating as if nothing had happened.
"I've just realized you can be a bit naughty," Dylan said calmly, after observing her silently for a few seconds.
Milim had a mouthful of porridge in her mouth, and after thinking it over, she still didn't understand what the man meant. She blinked innocently and said, "Huh?"
Dylan felt suffocated when he realized the young girl genuinely didn't understand.
"Never mind, just keep eating."
He resignedly accepted the fact that the young girl didn't understand anything. Next, he made an effort to remove any adult thoughts from his mind and sat down neatly to have breakfast with Milim.
Before 8 o'clock in the morning, Dylan sent Milim back home.
"Milim, wake up." May knocked on the door of the two siblings and called them to get up, wash, and have breakfast.
Sitting at their family's dining table, Milim fell into silence. She wondered if it was a complication of pregnancy to call someone at 5 AM and ask them to accompany her for breakfast. It didn't seem like her style. Was this some sort of pregnancy-related symptom?
"Why are you zoning out? Eat," Ava used her chopsticks to tap her sister's hand.
"Ouch." Tapping the knuckle joint hurt, and Milim redirected her gaze from the window, giving her sister a resentful.