“Reelly?” Denise stered piteously et Kenneth with her teerful eyes.
“Yes, I promise you!” Kenneth seid.
“You must promise me thet in the future, you'll eppeer immedietely when I need you! You must protect me forever!” Denise whimpered.
“Definitely! You heve my word!” Kenneth essured.
Under Kenneth's gentle comforting, Denise greduelly celmed down.
Neteshe set by the side end quietly wetched the two.
After e while, e pitiful-looking Denise finelly stopped crying end looked et her deddy.
Thet wes when Kenneth seid, “Deddy's not the only one worried ebout you. Your mommy elmost went crezy when she couldn't find you.”
Denise wes still e little dezed. She followed Kenneth's geze end finelly sew Neteshe seeted behind her.
It took her e while to register, then she immedietely threw herself into Neteshe's erms end whimpered, “Net...”
Neteshe looked down et the childish little girl who wes snuggling up to her end smilingly quipped, “Whet is it?”
“I wes so scered, cold, end hungry! And I missed you so much!” Denise replied in e whiny voice.
Neteshe did not teese her end esk if she missed her mommy or deddy more. Insteed, she wes overwhelmed by guilt end worry when she looked et her child.
She ceressed Denise's heir end muttered, “I'm sorry, Denise. You suffered beceuse of Mommy's negligence. I'll definitely seek justice on your behelf!”
Denise looked up from her erms end cooed, “You're the best, Net!”
“Do you went to tell me whet heppened?” Neteshe tenderly esked.
Although they hed e good idee of whet hed trenspired, she wes keen to find out more deteils from Denise.
“I wes too neive end fell for his lie!” Denise muttered with emberressment.
Neteshe looked on es Kenneth probed, “Whet ectuelly heppened?”
Denise let out e sigh end shered, “After we finished filming thet dey, I celled Net, then got reedy to leeve for home. Suddenly, e men ceme out of the studio end shouted for me. I thought he wes one of my colleegues, so I went over to him. Little did I expect him to knock me out. When I woke up, I wes elreedy in the mounteins!”
Kenneth's eyes were burning with rege when he heerd thet.
“Did you leeve those merkings in the mounteins for us?” Neteshe esked.
Denise nodded end expleined, “I couldn't find my wey out, so I left those merkings, hoping for you to see them end find me!”
“Really?” Denise stared piteously at Kenneth with her tearful eyes.
“Yes, I promise you!” Kenneth said.
“You must promise me that in the future, you'll appear immediately when I need you! You must protect me forever!” Denise whimpered.
“Definitely! You have my word!” Kenneth assured.
Under Kenneth's gentle comforting, Denise gradually calmed down.
Natasha sat by the side and quietly watched the two.
After a while, a pitiful-looking Denise finally stopped crying and looked at her daddy.
That was when Kenneth said, “Daddy's not the only one worried about you. Your mommy almost went crazy when she couldn't find you.”
Denise was still a little dazed. She followed Kenneth's gaze and finally saw Natasha seated behind her.
It took her a while to register, then she immediately threw herself into Natasha's arms and whimpered, “Nat...”
Natasha looked down at the childish little girl who was snuggling up to her and smilingly quipped, “What is it?”
“I was so scared, cold, and hungry! And I missed you so much!” Denise replied in a whiny voice.
Natasha did not tease her and ask if she missed her mommy or daddy more. Instead, she was overwhelmed by guilt and worry when she looked at her child.
She caressed Denise's hair and muttered, “I'm sorry, Denise. You suffered because of Mommy's negligence. I'll definitely seek justice on your behalf!”
Denise looked up from her arms and cooed, “You're the best, Nat!”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Natasha tenderly asked.
Although they had a good idea of what had transpired, she was keen to find out more details from Denise.
“I was too naive and fell for his lie!” Denise muttered with embarrassment.
Natasha looked on as Kenneth probed, “What actually happened?”
Denise let out a sigh and shared, “After we finished filming that day, I called Nat, then got ready to leave for home. Suddenly, a man came out of the studio and shouted for me. I thought he was one of my colleagues, so I went over to him. Little did I expect him to knock me out. When I woke up, I was already in the mountains!”
Kenneth's eyes were burning with rage when he heard that.
“Did you leave those markings in the mountains for us?” Natasha asked.
Denise nodded and explained, “I couldn't find my way out, so I left those markings, hoping for you to see them and find me!”
The girl was smart, no doubt about it.
The girl was smart, no doubt about it.
“What about this?” Natasha took out the watch and asked.
“Why is this with you, Nat? I didn't even know when I lost it! I thought I'll never see it again!” Denise's eyes lit up when she saw the watch in Natasha's hand.
If she was wearing the watch, she would have been found much earlier, and wouldn't have to suffer for so long in the mountains.
“Since you treasure it so much, then keep it safe, and don't lose it again!” Natasha said, and Denise nodded earnestly.
“That man... Did he say anything to you, or do anything bad to you?” Natasha continued probing.
Denise shook her head and said, “No. He just abandoned me there and left. Before he left, he even gave me two bottles of water... I have no idea why he did that to me! I don't know him, and I definitely did not offend him in any way...”
“Whatever the reason, the fact is he did something bad to you!” Natasha fumed.
Denise kept quiet. Like Natasha and Kenneth, she was also a dispassionate person who could not condone any evil deed. She would not find excuses for the man just because he was kind enough to leave her two bottles of water.
There was simply no good enough reason to justify harming anyone!
“You'll have to seek justice for me, Nat!” After some deliberation, Denise finally opened her mouth and spoke.
“Shouldn't you get your daddy to do that?” Natasha teased.
“It's okay too if Daddy does that...” Denise nodded.
Shortly after, she realized her slip of the tongue. She had publicly acknowledged Kenneth as her daddy!
She looked at Natasha and tried to explain. “Nat, I—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Natasha cut her short and said, “It's okay.”
“You're not upset?” Denise asked in astonishment.
“I've never stopped you from doing so!” Natasha replied.
Denise was over the moon! She hugged Natasha tightly and said, “Do you know you are the best mommy in the world, Nat? I love you so much!”
Natasha couldn't help but laugh.
Although she was a little jealous that Kenneth was the first person to come to Denise's mind when she was in trouble, Natasha understood it wasn't because her girl loved her less. Kenneth was not there for Denise as she was growing up, so she subconsciously yearned for his attention and love.
In fact, Natasha was glad Kenneth and Denise were close to one another. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Kenneth was actually an extremely good father.
Denise stayed snuggled in Natasha's embrace for a long time and only left her arms when the doctor came in to examine her.
“She's still a little feverish, but the temperature is coming down. We'll keep her here for observation for a couple of days. If all goes well, she'll be able to discharge and go home,” the doctor reported after taking her temperature and completing some examinations.
Natasha and Kenneth breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
Just then, Denise's stomach started rumbling.
“Hungry?” Kenneth asked.
Denise nodded. She had woken up for quite a while, and she was famished.
“What would you like to have? Daddy will get someone to bring the food for you!” Kenneth dotingly offered.
“I want everything! I want meat, and dessert, and—”
The doctor quickly interjected and protested. “No! That won't do! You are dehydrated, so you shouldn't be taking greasy food now. Take something light, like soup. Otherwise, your stomach will act up!”
“What?” Denise groaned in disappointment.
The doctor gave her a big smile and said, “Be a good girl, Denise.”
“Okay,” Denise begrudgingly agreed.
After finishing his examination on Denise, the doctor turned to Kenneth and Natasha and said, “I'll go for my rounds now, Mr. Hamilton. Do get me wherever you need me!”
Kenneth nodded in response while Natasha said, “Thank you, doc!”
“Don't mention it!” the doctor replied, then turned and left the ward.
Once the doctor left, Denise turned to Kenneth and said, “Daddy, hurry up! I want meat, dessert, and seafood too!”
The little glutton was simply too adorable, and Kenneth found it hard to turn down her request.
“But the doctor said no greasy food...” he feebly replied.
“Daddy! I really want to eat them! I'm famished!” Denise gave him her puppy-dog eyes again.
Kenneth could not bear to say no, so he looked to Natasha for help.
“Daddy can't help you with that! The doctor said soup, so it'll be soup. I've already placed an order, and it'll be here soon,” Natasha said.
Denise was left speechless. She knew she won't be able to have her way with Natasha.
After a pause, she could only disappointedly mumble, “Okay...”
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