After that day, knowing her foot had fully healed, Isabella no longer called her every day, nor did she ask why Freya hadn’t come home the previous night. As for Matteo, there was no need to mention him; he had never shown any concern for her whereabouts.
Recently, Cole signed two new projects, bringing in two substantial incomes. So, on Friday, the company organized a large team-building event. The team decided on the location, ultimately agreeing on a hot spring retreat.
When the message arrived, Freya was momentarily stunned and then let out a bitter smile. Johnny asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go to the hot springs?” “It’s not that,” she replied. It was just that the last time she had been to a hot spring, Matteo and his daughter had abandoned her, leaving her alone at the resort. Thinking about it now felt as if it had only happened yesterday, yet it had been almost half a month. Time really flies. Though she wasn’t particularly keen on hot springs, this was her first company team-building event since returning, so she couldn’t skip it. She decided to go along with everyone.
The last time she went to a hot spring resort, it was Wilson’s family’s private estate. But this time, the company was going to a public resort with a large-scale hotel and a full range of entertainment facilities.
After changing into a bathrobe, Freya went to the hot spring pool. The number of women in the company was small, so when she arrived, the others hadn’t shown up yet. Freya sat down in the women’s area, but just after soaking for less than a minute, she noticed a little girl, around the same age as Isabella, crouching by the pool, curiously reaching out to touch the water. The hot spring pool was about 1.2 meters deep, and the little girl appeared to be shorter than that. Worried that the girl might fall in and get hurt, Freya stood up quickly. But just then, with a loud splash, the girl fell into the pool.
Freya hurried over, pulled the girl out of the water, and held her in her arms. The little girl clung to her neck, crying and coughing uncontrollably, her face flushed. Freya gently patted her back, trying to comfort her while also asking for her family’s information and heading toward the staff.
As she stepped out of the door, Freya saw Harry some distance away. Before Freya could react, the little girl broke out crying, calling out for Harry. “Daisy,” Harry stepped forward, took the little girl from Freya’s arms, and instantly noticed she was completely soaked. He paused for a moment, then looked at Freya and said, “Thank you.” Freya hadn’t expected the little girl to be his niece. She explained the situation, mentioning the fall and how she’d seen her. “No need for thanks,” Freya added, “Just help her change into some dry clothes.” Harry nodded, looked at Freya for a moment as if he wanted to say something, but his niece was still clinging to him, looking frightened. So, Harry gently comforted her, gave Freya a nod, and carried the girl toward the changing rooms.
Once Freya saw that there was nothing more she could do, she returned to the hot spring to continue relaxing. Afterward, she changed into some clothes and went to the buffet area to grab a bite. Just as she was finishing her meal, Harry appeared again, holding his little niece. “We can sit here?” he asked. Freya really didn’t want to engage with Harry any more than necessary. However, since he had already asked, she nodded and said, “Please, sit down.”
“Daisy, sit here and don’t move. Uncle will go get you some food,” Harry said. The little girl, timid and cautious, glanced at Freya, then nodded shyly and whispered, “Okay…” Harry turned to Freya, “Can you watch her for me for a moment?” Freya didn’t want to engage much with Harry, but in this situation, she had no choice but to agree. “Okay.”
Once Harry left, only Freya and Daisy were left facing each other. Daisy looked quite shy, and Freya was afraid that speaking to her suddenly might scare her. Not knowing the little girl’s eating habits or if she had any food restrictions, Freya hesitated to offer her anything from her own plate. After a moment, she gently spoke, “Your uncle will be back soon.” Daisy looked up with her dark, beautiful eyes, staring at Freya for a while before nodding.
“Does your nose still hurt from when you choked on the water earlier?” Freya asked. Daisy shook her head.