Bara stepped out of the bedroom and headed straight to the kitchen. He immediately washed the milk bottle he had forgotten earlier because he had fallen asleep.
After preparing the formula and giving it to his little daughter, Bara patiently held the tiny bottle until his beloved baby finished every drop.
"You're full now, aren't you, sweetheart? Come here. Daddy will change your diaper first. It must be soaked by now," Bara said gently. He lifted his daughter and laid her back on the bed.
Carefully, Bara removed the diaper, wiped her tiny body with a warm, damp cloth, then dressed her in a fresh diaper and clean clothes. After finishing, he gathered all the equipment he had used. This had become Bara's daily routine every afternoon-living the life of a Super Daddy these past few days.
"Let's go back to sleep, Daddy's smartest girl," Bara whispered affectionately, placing Bellyca back in her baby crib.
A few minutes later, Bellyca's eyes fluttered closed again. Seeing her asleep, Bara immediately went to shower and tidy himself up. He put on an elegant yet modest outfit-
a blue plaid long-sleeved shirt paired with black jeans.
After freshening up, Bara contacted someone.
"Aunt Ming," Bara greeted once the call connected.
"Yes, Bara?" Aunt Ming replied warmly.
"Auntie, could you please watch Bellyca for a while? I have something important to do tonight. Is it okay?"
"Oh, yes of course. Auntie will come over right away," she answered gladly.
"Auntie should eat dinner first. I might come home late," Bara reminded her sincerely before ending the call.
"Yes, Son. I'll be there soon."
The call ended. Bara glanced at several design drafts he had worked on yesterday-the ones he hadn't shown Miss Liana during the meeting. He was about to type something on his laptop when someone knocked on his door.
Knock, knock...!
"That must be Aunt Ming," Bara muttered, quickly closing his laptop and slipping it into his bag. He walked to the door with his bag slung over his shoulder.
Click!
He opened the door.
"Auntie Ming, I'm sorry for disturbing your evening. I have an appointment with a client tonight, so I really need to go," Bara said apologetically.
"It's okay, Bara. Don't feel bad. Auntie is happy to take care of Bellyca. She's adorable, and Auntie already considers her like a granddaughter. So don't worry, I'll watch over her well," she replied with her usual kindness.
"Thank you so much, Auntie. I'll leave her to you then," Bara said, bowing respectfully-something he always did toward the elderly who helped him.
After seeing Aunt Ming close the door from inside, Bara headed to the taxi he had ordered earlier.
"To Café Full of Love, please," he told the driver.
"Right away, sir," the driver replied, stepping on the gas.
When they arrived, Bara paid the fare and got out. As he looked around for an empty seat, someone waved at him energetically.
"Master Barabell!"
The voice belonged to the woman who had arranged the meeting-Liana. It seemed she had arrived early.
Bara approached her table.
"Good evening, Miss Liana. I apologize for being a little late," he said, bowing politely.
"Good evening. Please, have a seat," Liana responded with a warm smile.
"No need to be so formal. It's just the two of us now. Call me Liana," she added gently.
"A-alright... L-Liana," Bara said, his voice slightly awkward. Addressing an older client so casually felt strange to him.
"May I call you Bara?" she asked.
"Of course."
Bara looked around the café briefly, trying to ease the nervousness creeping up inside him.
---
"Bara, what would you like to order?" Liana asked sweetly.
"Anything is fine," Bara replied flatly.
"Shall we discuss our project first? I'm worried it'll get too late," Bara said directly.
"Sure, but wait-let me order something first," Liana said. She raised her hand and called over a waitress.
"Good evening, sir, miss. How may I help you?" the waitress said politely, holding a tray with a menu book and a pen.
"We'll have two portions of special fried rice and two lemon juices," Liana said while glancing at the menu.
"Very well. I'll serve them shortly," the waitress responded-and curiously, she hadn't even looked at Bara once.
Bara blinked, surprised.
This was the first time a woman didn't steal even a glance at him.
He watched the waitress walk away, still puzzled.
"What is it, Bara?" Liana asked, noticing his gaze fixed on the waitress.
"It's nothing. Anyway, here are several designs I haven't shown you at the hotel earlier," Bara said, shifting back into work mode.
"I told you we should speak more casually-can we?" Liana whispered, staring straight into his eyes, her voice soft and deep with emotion.
"Oh... yes," Bara replied stiffly, still avoiding her gaze.
"She just wants me to call her name again... she's just like all those other women," Bara thought, already feeling uncomfortable. Liana was showing her interest too clearly.
He began explaining each design displayed on his laptop screen. He spoke thoroughly and professionally, making sure every detail was clear and understandable. After a long presentation, Bara finally finished.
"I like all of them. They're amazing. But could you send them to my email later? I want to study them again," Liana said.
Truthfully, she hadn't been focusing on the designs at all-she had only been admiring Bara's hypnotizing face.
"Excuse me, here are your orders," the waitress returned, setting down their food and drinks.
As she arranged the plates, Bara stared closely at her face.
She still didn't look at him.
His brows furrowed slightly.
I know this woman... but from where?
Bara stared at her longer, searching his memory.
...
