Bara stepped out of the bedroom and headed straight to the kitchen. He immediately washed the milk bottle he had forgotten earlier because he had fallen asleep.

After preparing the formula and giving it to his little daughter, Bara patiently held the tiny bottle until his beloved baby finished every drop.

"You're full now, aren't you, sweetheart? Come here. Daddy will change your diaper first. It must be soaked by now," Bara said gently. He lifted his daughter and laid her back on the bed.

Carefully, Bara removed the diaper, wiped her tiny body with a warm, damp cloth, then dressed her in a fresh diaper and clean clothes. After finishing, he gathered all the equipment he had used. This had become Bara's daily routine every afternoon-living the life of a Super Daddy these past few days.

"Let's go back to sleep, Daddy's smartest girl," Bara whispered affectionately, placing Bellyca back in her baby crib.

A few minutes later, Bellyca's eyes fluttered closed again. Seeing her asleep, Bara immediately went to shower and tidy himself up. He put on an elegant yet modest outfit-

a blue plaid long-sleeved shirt paired with black jeans.

After freshening up, Bara contacted someone.

"Aunt Ming," Bara greeted once the call connected.

"Yes, Bara?" Aunt Ming replied warmly.

"Auntie, could you please watch Bellyca for a while? I have something important to do tonight. Is it okay?"

"Oh, yes of course. Auntie will come over right away," she answered gladly.

"Auntie should eat dinner first. I might come home late," Bara reminded her sincerely before ending the call.

"Yes, Son. I'll be there soon."

The call ended. Bara glanced at several design drafts he had worked on yesterday-the ones he hadn't shown Miss Liana during the meeting. He was about to type something on his laptop when someone knocked on his door.

Knock, knock...!

"That must be Aunt Ming," Bara muttered, quickly closing his laptop and slipping it into his bag. He walked to the door with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Click!

He opened the door.

"Auntie Ming, I'm sorry for disturbing your evening. I have an appointment with a client tonight, so I really need to go," Bara said apologetically.

"It's okay, Bara. Don't feel bad. Auntie is happy to take care of Bellyca. She's adorable, and Auntie already considers her like a granddaughter. So don't worry, I'll watch over her well," she replied with her usual kindness.

"Thank you so much, Auntie. I'll leave her to you then," Bara said, bowing respectfully-something he always did toward the elderly who helped him.

After seeing Aunt Ming close the door from inside, Bara headed to the taxi he had ordered earlier.

"To Café Full of Love, please," he told the driver.

"Right away, sir," the driver replied, stepping on the gas.

When they arrived, Bara paid the fare and got out. As he looked around for an empty seat, someone waved at him energetically.

"Master Barabell!"

The voice belonged to the woman who had arranged the meeting-Liana. It seemed she had arrived early.

Bara approached her table.

"Good evening, Miss Liana. I apologize for being a little late," he said, bowing politely.

"Good evening. Please, have a seat," Liana responded with a warm smile.

"No need to be so formal. It's just the two of us now. Call me Liana," she added gently.

"A-alright... L-Liana," Bara said, his voice slightly awkward. Addressing an older client so casually felt strange to him.

"May I call you Bara?" she asked.

"Of course."

Bara looked around the café briefly, trying to ease the nervousness creeping up inside him.

---

"Bara, what would you like to order?" Liana asked sweetly.

"Anything is fine," Bara replied flatly.

"Shall we discuss our project first? I'm worried it'll get too late," Bara said directly.

"Sure, but wait-let me order something first," Liana said. She raised her hand and called over a waitress.

"Good evening, sir, miss. How may I help you?" the waitress said politely, holding a tray with a menu book and a pen.

"We'll have two portions of special fried rice and two lemon juices," Liana said while glancing at the menu.

"Very well. I'll serve them shortly," the waitress responded-and curiously, she hadn't even looked at Bara once.

Bara blinked, surprised.

This was the first time a woman didn't steal even a glance at him.

He watched the waitress walk away, still puzzled.

"What is it, Bara?" Liana asked, noticing his gaze fixed on the waitress.

"It's nothing. Anyway, here are several designs I haven't shown you at the hotel earlier," Bara said, shifting back into work mode.

"I told you we should speak more casually-can we?" Liana whispered, staring straight into his eyes, her voice soft and deep with emotion.

"Oh... yes," Bara replied stiffly, still avoiding her gaze.

"She just wants me to call her name again... she's just like all those other women," Bara thought, already feeling uncomfortable. Liana was showing her interest too clearly.

He began explaining each design displayed on his laptop screen. He spoke thoroughly and professionally, making sure every detail was clear and understandable. After a long presentation, Bara finally finished.

"I like all of them. They're amazing. But could you send them to my email later? I want to study them again," Liana said.

Truthfully, she hadn't been focusing on the designs at all-she had only been admiring Bara's hypnotizing face.

"Excuse me, here are your orders," the waitress returned, setting down their food and drinks.

As she arranged the plates, Bara stared closely at her face.

She still didn't look at him.

His brows furrowed slightly.

I know this woman... but from where?

Bara stared at her longer, searching his memory.

...

"Enjoy your meal," the waitress said politely. This time, she looked at Liana first before turning her eyes to Bara. When her gaze met his, she paused and offered a sweet, courteous smile, bowing slightly before taking her leave.

Tap!

Their eyes met.

So it's her. Seriously... she works in this café?! Bara thought in disbelief, quickly darting his eyes away as if nothing had happened.

It turned out that the waitress was the same girl who had bumped into him the day before-right when he was rushing to his graduation. Remembering that incident made the memory of his ex-girlfriend, Claudia, flash across his mind. The betrayal stung him again.

Ah! So he's that arrogant young man from yesterday. No wonder he feels so innocent... Turns out he's this lady's boyfriend. They look perfect together, the waitress thought bitterly. She had seen Liana come to the café several times with different men, so seeing her with Bara made her instantly assume the worst.

Still holding in the irritation she felt since yesterday, the waitress hurried away.

"Ling Er Tan! What are you daydreaming about?" someone called out, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

"Ah! You scared me, Li Bao Yu!" Ling Er Tan gasped, swatting away the hand.

The young man-who happened to be a detective working for Nayzilla-chuckled softly.

"How are you, Ling? Who are you going home with tonight? I don't think I can take you home because I have an important assignment."

"It's fine. I'll go home by myself like usual," Ling Er Tan replied with a smile.

"Alright then. If anything happens, call me. I'm heading out now. And tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up for work, okay? I promise!" Bao Yu said, raising two fingers confidently.

"Thank you, my best friend in the world," she said with a laugh, and they both giggled together.

From his seat, Bara turned toward the source of the loud laughter.

Is that her friend... or her boyfriend? How childish, Bara thought, feeling slightly annoyed by their noise.

Ugh, not my business, he reminded himself, then took another bite of his fried rice, which actually tasted surprisingly good.

"Bara," Liana called gently.

Bara didn't respond. He continued eating, still deep in his own thoughts.

"Bara?!" Liana called again, this time putting down her spoon and fork with a soft clatter.

"Huh? Yes, Miss Liana- I-I mean, Liana," he corrected himself quickly, startled out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong with you? What are you thinking about?" Liana asked, feeling ignored.

"Nothing. I'm just... eating," Bara answered flatly.

"Why do you seem distracted? It looks like you're thinking about something."

"No, I'm not. I just don't want to stay out too late. My daughter must be waiting for me at home," Bara said, finding a quick excuse.

"Daughter? W-wait... you already have a child?" Liana asked, her eyes widening in shock.

"Yes," Bara replied calmly. "And it's getting late. I should head home now, Liana. I'll send my designs to your email. Just let me know which ones match the theme you want."

"Oh... alright," Liana replied, suddenly losing her earlier excitement after hearing that Bara had a child.

"Well then, I'll take my leave. Thank you for the dinner," Bara said politely before standing up and walking away.

"A daughter? A child? Is he really married?" Liana muttered to herself, watching Bara leave the café and get into a taxi. "He looks so young... but who cares? I want him. And I always get what I want."

A smirk formed on her lips.

I've got an idea, she thought, taking out her phone.

That very night, Liana made a call.

"Send me the coolest, newest luxury car for men. I want it delivered to the hotel lobby tomorrow morning," she ordered confidently.

"Alright, I'll transfer the payment immediately," she added with a satisfied smile.

She ended the call, looking thrilled.

"How could he ever refuse a gift like this? It won't take long-he'll fall into my hands very soon," she murmured confidently. "There's no man in this world who can resist my charm. Not even you, my handsome prince."

Her eyes sparkled with determination.

Bara headed straight home since it was already ten at night. On the way, he stopped by a supermarket to buy more formula milk for Bellyca.

When he finally arrived at his rented house, Aunt Ming greeted him and said she would head home since Bellyca had fallen fast asleep.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Ming. I'm sorry for troubling you this late," Bara said sincerely. He felt guilty-he had never left his daughter alone at this hour.

"It's fine, Bara. Really. Next time, don't hesitate. Auntie is always ready to help take care of Bellyca anytime," she replied gently.

"Please get home safely, Auntie," Bara said as he watched her walk toward her own small rental unit next door. Only after she entered her house did Bara go inside and lock the door behind him.

He took a quick shower, then lay on his bed, finally ready to rest.

Ting!

A notification sound echoed.

Bara reached for his phone and checked the message.

"Miss Liana?" he muttered, surprised to see her name.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll have a meeting at the hotel."

– LIANA

"So sudden? Well... it can't be helped. The sooner this job is finished, the better," Bara muttered, then typed a short reply.

"Alright."

– BARABELL

He placed his phone aside and lay back down. But only a few minutes after he closed his eyes-

"Oeekkk... oeekkk... oeekkkk...!"

Bellyca's sharp cries pierced the quiet night, waking him instantly.

"Shhh... shhh... it's okay, sweetheart. Daddy's here," Bara said softly, immediately getting up to prepare her formula milk.

After feeding her and calming her down, he kissed her tiny forehead lovingly.

"Sleep well, my darling," he whispered.

Once she had fallen asleep again, Bara returned to his bed, exhausted, and continued the rest he desperately needed.

...