Long Time, My Baby novel Chapter 3

The next day, Leah went to school early morning. As a graduate student, she was busy with her thesis these days.

Being a student who excelled in her studies, her resume had already been sent to major companies, and the offer letters had come pouring in. When she graduated successfully, she would be able to land a job at any one of these prestigious companies and enjoy a good salary.

Of course, for that she needed to graduate first. Her thesis was already written, but her tutor hadn't approved it for a long time. He was still dissatisfied with it and she didn't know why. However, she was determined to get the approval today.

Leah went to the office and handed over her thesis to her tutor.

"Sir, this is my revised thesis. Please have a look." she said earnestly.

"No, rework these bits." said the tutor almost immediately and started marking the document with a red pen.

"But..."

"No buts! Take it back and modify it," he said impatiently.

Leah was furious. She had already changed it seven times and would be defending it in a few days. She stormed out of the office.

The tutor stood by the window, watching Leah walk away. He pulled out his phone.

"Hello, Mr. Charlie. She came again today." the tutor informed in a flattering tone.

"Okay, do not allow her to graduate easily, understand?" Charlie commanded.

"But why do you want to do this to her? She has written a good thesis."

"Do I need to explain myself to you?"

"No, no. I will do as you say, sir."

The tutor hung up and wiped the sweat on his forehead. He shook his head and sat down. 'What could Leah have done to offend Mr. Charlie this much? He seems set on ruining her future.'

Leah walked to the campus. She had no intention of changing her thesis. Her tutor had been very good to her throughout the term. So there must be a reason for the sudden change in his attitude. It seemed like he had made up his mind to make things difficult for her. So no matter what she did now, he would not agree.

Suddenly her phone rang, interrupting her musings.

She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Manager Guo. She had worked part-time at the Caspar Manor through college. Manager Guo was a kind soul, who looked out for her.

She answered the phone, "Hello, Manager Guo."

"Leah, come to the hotel this afternoon. Our big boss will be coming for an inspection."

"Big boss? Who is that?" Leah was surprised.

"Mr. Lucian. Don't you know that our hotel belongs to his company?"

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Anyway, come early. We have to prepare for his arrival."

"Okay!"

Leah hung up, thinking about this Mr. Lucian. Why did she feel like she had heard this name before? Where had she heard it? She tried hard to recall but couldn't.

Suddenly, her mobile phone vibrated again. She looked down and saw a message from the butler of the Ye family. "Miss Leah, the living expenses of this month have been transferred to your account. Please check and confirm."

She was taken back to the Ye family from the orphanage when she was thirteen years old. Not only did they let anybody know her true identity, but they also treated her like a maid. After going to college, they only gave her one thousand a month and cared nothing about her. That was how her father treated her.

There was nothing more important than self-reliance and Leah was used to it.

After lunch, she went to her rented apartment to change her clothes and then headed to the hotel.

"Ah, here you are, Leah." Manager Guo commented when he saw her. He appeared stressed.

"Yes, sir." she replied with a smile.

"All right, now that everyone is here, let's have a quick meeting." Manager Guo stood in front of the waiters and security guards who had lined up. He cleared his throat and spoke in a serious tone. "I'm sure everyone knows that Mr. Lucian is coming for inspection this afternoon. This is his first check-up since he has returned. We can't make any mistakes. Do your job well and don't let Mr. Lucian down. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" everyone replied in unison.

"Very well, go get changed and get ready for work."

The crowd dispersed. All the waitresses went to the dressing room, including Leah.

She opened her assigned locker, took out her work clothes and quickly changed.