Daniel waited outside the kindergarten every day. He was there to pick up Persephone, or so it seemed. In reality, his true motive was to catch a glimpse of Maisie. He adored her smile when she was with the children—it was as beautiful and pure as when they were together.

Sometimes, he wondered if their child would be attending this kindergarten if it weren't for that one mistake he had made. Perhaps their story would have had a different ending.

But in the present, he couldn't muster the courage to approach her. As such, all he could do was watch her from a distance.

One day, the childish calls of "Granduncle! Granduncle!" snapped Daniel back to reality. He suddenly realized he was holding Persephone's hand, and she was giving him a disapproving look with a pouting mouth.

"Granduncle, we've been waiting here for a long time!" she complained.

"Oh..." Daniel cleared his throat and led her toward the parking lot on the other side.

"Granduncle, aren't you tired of doing this every day?" she asked.

"What?"

Persephone smiled mischievously. "Do you like Ms. Squire, Granduncle?"

Daniel was taken aback, and his face quickly changed. The guiltier he felt, the louder he became unintentionally. "You little rascal! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Hmph!" Persephone pursed her lips. "I might be young, but I'm not blind! Granduncle, don't you know that when you look at Ms. Squire, your eyes practically pop out of your head?"

"You..." Daniel was almost choked with surprise. "My eyes are perfectly fine, thank you very much. I don't need your concern!"

Persephone blinked her big eyes and jogged to keep up with him. "Granduncle! Granduncle!"

"What?" Daniel's impatience showed.

But his heart softened once more when Persephone's small hand held his.

"Granduncle, how about this?" Persephone said with a sweet smile, "You buy me ice cream, and I'll share a secret about Ms. Squire with you. What do you say?"

Daniel chuckled, entertained by her cunning negotiation skills. She was, after all, a descendant of the Hamertons, striking deals at such a young age.

"Heh, I'm not falling for your little tricks!" he claimed.

Persephone looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Despite his initial resistance, not long after, the supposedly "untrickable" granduncle found himself inside an ice cream parlor, ordering their signature vanilla ice cream.

Persephone enjoyed it immensely. Naturally, she didn't forget her promise to Daniel.

"Granduncle, listen carefully!" After wiping her mouth, she said seriously, "Ms. Squire seems to... have a thing for truffle risotto!"

Daniel's eyes widened. "You little rascal! You tricked me into buying ice cream just to hear this? You must think I'm crazy!"

"It's true!" Persephone's distressed little face turned red. "One time, when my piano teacher ordered truffle risotto, I overheard Ms. Squire telling her that she even dreamt of eating it! Granduncle, if Ms. Squire doesn't want to eat it, then what could it be?"

Daniel was rendered speechless. He pondered for a while, and his expression gradually darkened. He knew Persephone wasn't lying, but Maisie didn't want to eat truffle risotto. She might have actually dreamed about their shared past when he had lovingly fed her a plate of truffle risotto.

Daniel felt a mix of excitement and fear. He hoped Maisie would remember their past, but he also feared that she did. If he had his way, he would stay by her side, making her smile, fulfilling her wishes, and feeding her the truffle risotto she dreamt of.

The next day, Daniel instructed his colleague to arrange for this at the Liz-Inn Hotel.

"Tell the manager to have it delivered around 3:00 p.m. Make sure it's warm. Maisie doesn't like it cold."

"Understood." His colleague nodded. "I think Ms. Squire has a sweet tooth. Should we make it a bit sweeter?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll take care of it now, Mr. Quimby."

"Wait!" Daniel suddenly remembered something and paused briefly before adding, "Send one to every teacher at the kindergarten." "What? Isn't it just for Ms. Squire?"

"Just do as I say."

Sending it only to her would be awkward. If it was for everyone, she would get to enjoy it as well.

"When you pick it up, give it to Ruth and have her distribute it. Tell her I'm rewarding the teachers on behalf of Persephone."

His colleague didn't quite understand his intention but followed his instructions.

From that day on, the teachers at the kindergarten received such "rewards". Sometimes, it was exquisite tea, and other times sweet ice cream. People started to gossip. "Isn't Mr. Quimby, the one sending all these treats, Persephone's granduncle? He looks surprisingly young!"

"He's really not that old! I heard he's about ten years younger than Mrs. Thompson, even though they're half-siblings!"

"And is he an eligible bachelor?"

"Why? What are you thinking?"

"Handsome and wealthy, and he knows how to pamper someone due to his age. Marrying him would mean a life of luxury. Haha!"

The teachers shared a laugh and glanced at Maisie.

"Ms. Squire, what do you think?" someone asked.

Maisie, who had just snapped back to reality, smiled as she prepared materials for her class the next day. She chose not to get involved in the conversation.

However, something felt odd. She had been surprised when Daniel sent the truffle risotto as it felt strangely familiar after just one taste. The subsequent treats also seemed to cater to her tastes.

It stirred her heart. Her mind told her to maintain her distance, but her body seemed to be drawn to Daniel like a magnet, constantly pulling her closer.

"Ms. Squire, why aren't you answering your phone?"

Maisie had been lost in her thoughts and only then realized her phone had been ringing for a while. She stepped outside her office and answered. "Hello, Nicole?"

"Maisie..." Nicole hesitated on the other end, "Have you been in contact with Graham lately? Has he mentioned anything about when he's going to propose to you?"

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