Chapter 1
After I passed away, my baby daughter was left alone in the countryside.
A single slap had ended my marriage with Richard.
He forced me to sign the divorce papers.
He said he never wanted to see me again.
*****
After I died, I got stuck as a spirit and followed my baby girl, Lily. I saw her hide under a bus seat and arrive in Joracity.
Was she here to look for her Daddy?
But in a city this packed, anything could happen to her.
Lily was only three. What if she got kidnapped? Floating helplessly above, I was freaking out.
Somehow, by sheer luck, she toddled all the way to Richard's office building.
She looked up timidly. However, she froze at the entrance, too scared to go inside.
When Richard Sterling walked out after work, Lily was sitting on the edge of a flowerbed, nibbling on a piece of bread she had gotten from a nasty trash can.
She took small, careful bites to avoid the dirty spots. When she saw Richard walking out in his navy blue suit, her eyes lit up.
"D-daddy..." she whispered timidly.
But Richard didn't hear her at all. He just got right into his limousine.
She'd come all this way to find him, but chickened out now that he was right there.
The car hadn't left yet. Richard's secretary hopped in after him, still on a call.
Watching from above, I silently pleaded, "Go to him, Lily! Call him Daddy! If he leaves now, you're in big trouble!"
I wasn't sure if Richard would accept Lily. However, in this huge city, she had no one else to turn to. But she was related to him by blood, after all.
Yet, Lily seemed terrified of Richard. She sat there, frozen, too scared to move a muscle.
The secretary hung up and started the engine when he spotted Lily. "Mr. Sterling, that kid over there..."
The car window was open. Richard stole a sidelong glance at the flowerbed and saw Lily, her face smudged with dirt.
He didn't recognize her. He merely narrowed his eyes, as if wondering why she was so dirty.
I instinctively clenched my fists, but as a spirit, I felt nothing.
Richard, you must recognize her. She was your child, and she looked exactly like me.
Please take her home.
Whatever went down between us, don't take it out on her.
Richard glanced away. "Drive," he ordered.
The secretary hesitated but still pulled out. Then the limo started moving.
"Lily, RUN!" I yelled. "Call him—don't be scared!"
Yet Lily stayed put, her tiny fists clenched.
Richard had left, and it would soon get dark. Lily would be in danger if she stayed out here alone.
I was extremely worried, but there was nothing I could do.
Just when I was on the verge of losing all hope, Richard's limousine suddenly stopped.
His secretary stepped out and walked over to Lily, stopping right in front of her.
"Sweetie, what's your name?" he asked gently.
"Lily Grant," she whispered, her hands clenched into tight fists.
"Grant?"
The secretary went stiff.
Gently, he led her to Richard's car.
"Mr. Sterling, she really is a Grant," the secretary said.
Richard stared fixedly at Lily with a cold gaze.
Lily was clearly frightened—her legs trembled.
I held my breath, eager to see what Richard would do next.
"Get her in the car," he finally said.
Lily curled up in the back seat, her feet dangling above the leather.
Richard was also sitting in the back. However, the car was so spacious that there was enough room between them for two more people of his size.
He clearly didn't like Lily.
To him, she was no different from street trash. Nevertheless, when he considered the possibility of her identity, he just couldn't leave her out on the street.
*****
Richard brought Lily back into Sterling Manor.
The maid Emily Watson dropped her duster when she saw the girl coming in.
"God, she's the spitting image of Mrs. Sterling," Emily blurted out.
Richard frowned, his face darkening.
Realizing her slip-up, Emily immediately closed her mouth tightly.
"Check if Selena left anything here—something with her hair on it," Richard ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Emily replied and hurried off to the storage room.
No surprise—since Lily looked exactly like me, Richard immediately guessed we were related.
But it wouldn't be easy to find anything of mine in this house.
After our divorce, before I could even leave here with my suitcases, Richard had already ordered all my remaining belongings to be burned.
Ten minutes later, Emily dug out a single hair from some of my clothes stored in the basement.
The secretary took it.
Richard cast a glance at Lily, who was standing nearby, looking frozen.
The secretary crouched down beside her. "Sweetie, can I have one of your hairs?"
Lily nodded obediently.
The secretary gently pulled out a strand of hair from her head.
Sinking into his wide leather couch, Richard ordered, "Get me the results, fast."
The secretary quickly went out to carry out his instructions.
Now just three of them were left in the vast living room: Richard, Emily, and Lily.
Lily stayed tense, warily scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
Emily studied her carefully, her gaze softening. I'd always been nice to her, and now it paid off.
But Richard was the one who called the shots in this house.
He was sitting on the couch. Lily peeked at him through her lashes.
After a minute of silence, Richard's voice cut the air.
"Clean her up and get her some clothes," he ordered.
"Right away, Mr. Sterling," Emily answered.
She gently took Lily's hand. "Come with me, sweetie."
In the warm, bubbly tub, Lily crouched down, her eyes wide, showing both comfort and fear.
Back in the village with me, she had never experienced such comforts. Not to mention a bathtub this big; in the village, we only had simple bucket baths.
"Easy now, sweetie. Just sit down, okay?" Emily soothed her.
My heart was warmed. Thank God for Emily's kindness.