“Bella…”

Freya felt a headache coming on. Isabella huffed and angrily hung up the phone. Freya sat in the car, her eyes reddening. She covered her eyes, remaining silent for a while before driving away.

When she arrived home, she quickly ate a bowl of noodles. Just as she opened her laptop, Johnny called. “There’s a banquet in a few days. Would you like to accompany me? I want to introduce some people to you.”

“Okay.”

Johnny then asked, “When can you finish the handover?”

“Soon, it should be in the next few days.”

“That’s good.”

On the other side, after hanging up, Isabella expected Freya to rush home and comfort her by cooking dinner. But she waited and waited. An hour passed, and it was almost 8 PM, yet Freya still hadn’t returned.

The butler, worried Isabella might go hungry, persuaded her, “Since Madam is busy, Miss, you should eat something to fill your stomach. We’ll make you a proper meal when Madam returns…”

“I don’t want to!” Isabella pouted.

Seeing Freya had been gone so long without a single call, she felt truly wronged. The moment the butler spoke, she burst into tears, “I only want to eat the food Mama makes!”

“But…”

The butler, thinking Freya was genuinely busy and unable to return, considered calling Matteo. After some thought, he dialed his number. Matteo answered after a moment.

“What’s the matter?”

The butler explained everything in detail.

Matteo responded, “Give the phone to her.”

Isabella took the phone and sniffled, “Daddy…”

“Eat first.”

Isabella wiped away her tears but stubbornly said nothing. Matteo didn’t speak either. Isabella cried harder.

Matteo’s tone was calm, “I’ll take you somewhere fun this weekend. You pick the place.”

Her sobbing ceased instantly. “Really?”

“Mm, eat first.”

“Dad, have you eaten?”

“I’m at a social event.”

“Oh…”

“Go eat.”

“Got it…”

Isabella pouted, but her mood had improved. She hung up and obediently went downstairs to eat.

After hanging up, Matteo returned to the private room, where someone joked, “President, you always have so many calls.”

Matteo took a sip of his wine. “My daughter is throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat. I had to coax her a bit.”

Hearing this, the others exchanged looks. For years, rumors had circulated that Matteo had been married for a long time, but no one knew who his wife was. Some even said he wasn’t married at all. No one knew the truth, and no one dared to ask. Now that Matteo had casually mentioned having a daughter, many were surprised. But more than that, they didn’t dare ask anything further.

After dinner, Isabella kept waiting for Freya to return home. It was past 9 PM, and she had finished her bath, but Freya still hadn’t come back. She kept listening for any sounds from outside.

Around 10 PM, she heard a car approaching. Her eyes brightened, and she rushed downstairs, “Mama—” But just as she spoke, she froze upon seeing Matteo stepping inside. Her cheerful voice immediately stopped.

“Dad?”

Matteo handed his coat to the butler, noticing her disappointed expression. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought it was Mama coming back…”

Matteo didn’t get upset by the “Mama-only” attitude. After a brief pause, he said, “She’s probably busy. Didn’t she promise to take you to school tomorrow morning? Go to bed early, and you’ll see her tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Isabella finally cheered up a little. “Okay.”

After going upstairs, Matteo went to his study to deal with some matters. By the time he finished, it was almost midnight. He had thought Freya had returned while he was busy. But when he went back to his room, he realized she still hadn’t come back. It seemed like something really had happened at the Miller family. Thinking this, Matteo nonchalantly entered the bathroom.

The next day, Freya woke up early because she needed to take Isabella to school. She had a light breakfast before driving out of the neighborhood. When the car entered the familiar villa area, Freya experienced a brief moment of disorientation.