It wasn't until later in the night that Lumi finally slept more soundly.

I was sad that she was going to be leaving the next day. She was my daughter who had stayed by my side through thick and thin for the past six years, after all.

Once she returned to Logan's side, she'd likely hear rumors about me—that I was a lowly woman without integrity who seduced the CEO for money, then ran off with "break-up" money.

That was probably for the best. I hoped that Lumi would forget me quickly. When I would be mentioned again, I would no longer be her mother. I would just be a liar and a vain narcissist.

My illness now was also karma. Even if I died, Lumi wouldn't be sad either.

The next morning, I chased Lumi out of the house. I ignored her cries and called a cab for her, which then drove her straight to Bowen Group.

Even though I was pretty confident that Logan wouldn't close the door on her, I didn't dare take the chance, so I trailed after Lumi.

Soon, I saw Lumi standing at the entrance of Bowen Group. Her tiny self wasn't even tall enough to reach for the door, and all around her were skyscrapers that she had never seen before.

She clutched a photo of Logan in her hands. Her face was slightly pale, and her eyes were reddened. But no matter what anyone asked, she didn't answer them.

Finally, a Maybach pulled up in front of the building. A stern-looking man in a custom suit got out of the car. The man was none other than Logan Bowen.

Lumi took a glance at the photo in her hand. Then, while everyone was rooted in their spots delivering their greetings to the CEO, Lumi dashed forward with those short legs of hers and wrapped herself around Logan's legs.

Sounding especially aggrieved, she cried out, "Daddy!"

Though her voice wasn't particularly loud, everyone there still managed to hear her clearly, and they were all stunned. Even Logan was so taken aback that he forgot to pull away from Lumi.

The people nearby started whispering amongst themselves.

"That's the CEO's child?"

"She does look like him, but our CEO doesn't have a woman in his life. Where did such a grown kid come from?"

Logan looked at Lumi in annoyance before turning to his secretary. "You've got the wrong person. I'm not your father. Mr. Vesille, please remove her and hand her over to the police."

Hearing this, Toby Vesille, his secretary, hurried forward to pry Lumi away from Logan. Lumi wailed as she struggled against him, tears rolling down her face.

She then managed to pull out the paternity test during her struggle and shouted, "Mommy said that you'll understand once you see this. Lumi's a very good girl. Please don't say you don't want me!"

Toby was the one who saw the paternity test in Lumi's hand first, and he hurriedly handed it over to Logan.

When Logan looked it over, his stern expression finally softened a little. But his voice was still filled with disbelief when he asked, "Is this real? Or is it just a scam?"

Toby quickly used the barcode on the test to determine that it was indeed real. And on it, the conclusion clearly stated that there was a 99% probability that Logan and Lumi were father and daughter.

As I stood at a distance, watching Toby pull Lumi away, my fists clenched tightly. I wanted nothing more than to run over and wrap Lumi in my arms to console her.

But once I saw Logan staring at Lumi dazedly after studying the report, I finally relaxed. Logan would definitely accept her because Lumi looked too much like him.

They had the same emerald green eyes and golden blond hair, as well as the signature humped nose of the Bowen family.

"You're my daddy. Mommy showed me your picture. Mommy said that she can't raise me anymore…"

It was as if Lumi's words triggered a memory of a person he never wanted to think about again. Anger flashed across his face as he gritted out, "Is your mother Rafaela Wayning?"

Lumi nodded. Her tears started falling again at the thought of me.

Logan fell silent for a second before spitting out, "Liar!"

He then crouched down and lifted Lumi in his arms.

I had fallen into a daze when I heard Logan say my name once again, but the word "liar" brought me back to my senses.

I chuckled, trying to hide the helplessness in my eyes. Fortunately, Logan was willing to accept Lumi. Her future was now secured, and my heart could be at ease and I could wait for the end of my days.

However, I was still worried about how Logan and Lumi would get along by themselves, so I had already bribed the janitor that was on shift that morning. I took her work badge, changed into her uniform, put on a mask, then went into Logan's office via the staff entrance.

Lumi remained in Logan's arms while they rode the elevator up to the top floor of Bowen Group. This was the most luxurious office building in all of Aethelburg. Logan's office overlooked the whole city, and Lumi, who had plastered herself against the floor-to-ceiling windows, was mesmerized by the view.

With a sliver of disdain, Logan studied the relatively clean but faded clothes that Lumi was wearing. It was clear that he felt the same way about her wide-eyedness that stemmed from not having seen much of the world.

Judging from Logan's expression, it was probably safe to assume that he hated me.

"Take her to buy some clothes in the afternoon, then have my designer drop by. From now on, all her clothes will be custom-made. Also, book a table at the city's best restaurant for tonight. I'm taking her out to dinner."

After hearing the list of instructions, Toby could only remind Logan in a quiet voice, "Sir, you already have an appointment tonight. You're to have dinner with Ms. Malone so you can discuss the engagement."

Logan was about to become engaged to the heiress of the Malone family, Anna Malone. This was a marriage that would bring two powerful families together, and it naturally drew the attention of the whole country.

And yet, a child had suddenly popped out of nowhere at this time.

While Logan wasn't paying attention, I took photos of him carrying Lumi. Then, with an already-written caption, I posted the photo on all major social media platforms.

Currently, there were already multiple trending articles written about it.

"Breaking! Logan Bowen Revealed to Have a Child on Eve of Engagement."

"Logan's a Father. Will the Malone Family Go Through With the Engagement?"

The trending articles drew widespread discussion among the public. Some were concerned about the business relationship between the two families, whereas others were interested in Logan's romantic history.

Soon, someone dug out photos of me from seven years ago when I was still Logan's girlfriend.

"Was a Bun in the Oven When His Girlfriend Ran Away 7 Years Ago?"

"Scheming Ex Reveals Child on Eve of Logan's Engagement. Is This Her Attempt at Rekindling the Romance?"

The public started to speculate and question the timing of Lumi's appearance, but I could only look through the comments helplessly.

I hadn't deliberately chosen this timing at all. I just didn't have much time left.

I followed Logan to the restaurant, then settled into a corner seat, angled just behind them and hidden by a large potted plant.

The waiter studied me curiously as he asked me multiple times what I'd like to order. His increasingly loud voice garnered Logan's attention, causing me to open the menu in a panic and hide behind it. In the end, I ordered a cup of coffee just to get the waiter to leave.

By then, the other woman who had also ended up on the trending searches today had already sat down beside Logan. It was his soon-to-be fiancée, Anna Malone.

The atmosphere around them was a little awkward. Anna was clearly frustrated about Logan's daughter who had randomly popped out of nowhere, and her gaze carried traces of contempt when she looked at Lumi.

However, I knew that wealthy heiresses like her prided themselves on keeping up appearances, so she wouldn't make things difficult for a child in public.

And as expected, Anna could only pretend to be gentle and gracious as she asked, "Are you Lumi? Shall I order you a slice of cake?"

Though Lumi was feeling a little afraid, she still answered Anna's questions politely.

"Thank you, ma'am. I've never had cake before."

"You've never had cake before? How did your mother even raise you?" asked Anna, a look of pity flashing across her face.

"I usually roast potatoes for myself. When Mommy goes out looking for men, she'd leave me some potatoes. She would go on dates with different men, and sometimes, she'd get a to-go bag and bring me their leftovers."

I had taught Lumi to say those words.

Logan's expression immediately darkened, and the way his hands clenched tightly around his cutlery showed how much he was trying to suppress his rage.

Anna chuckled. I knew she wasn't laughing at Lumi, but at me.

She was definitely worried that I'd use Lumi as a way to get back with Logan, but with how badly I had raised Lumi, he would unlikely forgive me even if I got down on my knees and begged him.

Anna moved to sit next to Lumi and cut up her steak for her. She even wiped Lumi's mouth with a napkin, presenting the image of a doting mother.

A smile crossed my face when I saw how satisfied Lumi looked as she ate.

Her reappearance had indeed been planned by me, but my goal was merely to have Logan and Anna accept her, even if it was just on the surface level.

As Anna fed Lumi, she studied Logan out of the corner of her eye. He had a wine glass in hand while staring at Lumi with a frown. Lumi's lack of table manners irked him greatly, but he naturally couldn't blame a six-year-old child. Instead, all the blame went to me.

Anna took the chance to ask the question on her mind.

"Eat slowly. There's more if you want. I'll buy you nice food every day from now on. Also, where's your mother now?"

Lumi stopped chewing. Sadness filled her eyes as she swallowed the bite of pudding in her mouth.

"Mommy died. She went to sleep, and I couldn't wake her up anymore," she said in a small voice.

She then retrieved the death certificate from her backpack and handed it to Logan. On it, my cause of death was listed as cancer, and the time of death was the day before Lumi had come looking for Logan.