Devoted Love, Mr. Hayes’ Darling Wife

On Christmas Eve, the roads were decorated with lights and the festive atmosphere was full of joy.

Santino Yepes looked in the rearview mirror at Adán Rouco, who was sitting in the back of the car, and the man looked out the window with a long, deep look.

Santino Yepes couldn’t resist asking, “Boss, are we going back to Fu’s house yet?”

Adán Rouco growled coldly and said, “Wasn’t it clear enough what I said yesterday?”.

Yes, the boss said yesterday that if he could not see his wife, Mr. Rouco would not want to see him again in this life.

But … after all, it was Christmas Eve, and how could one miss a reunion dinner on Christmas Eve night?

Adán Rouco’s cell phone rang.

It was Paulita who was calling.

“Hi, Dad.”

Paulita, who was lying on the big, fluffy sofa, picking up her little feet and clutching the phone, spoke to Adán Rouco, with her big, blank Bambi eyes.

“Dad, when are you and Star coming home? Grandpa has asked someone to put up the Chinese New Year scrolls and fortune characters, can you come back tonight and set off the fireworks for me?” the little milk bun asked in a milky voice.

Adam Rouco was silent for a few seconds before speaking softly, “Dad won’t be dining with you tonight on New Year’s Eve, but I’ll ask Uncle Xu to pick you up and take you to The Villas at Repulse Bay after you’ve had New Year’s Eve dinner at Grandpa’s.”

Paulita didn’t understand and asked with a frown, “Why? Daddy, why don’t you bring Estrella back for New Year’s Eve dinner with me and Grandpa? Grandpa says the most important thing about Christmas is being together as a family, so why don’t you and Estrella come back?”

“Paulita, daddy has something very important to do, but daddy promises you that tonight he’ll put on fireworks for you, okay?”.

Paulita thought for half a day and finally said hesitantly and reluctantly: “Okay then, I’ll call you after New Year’s Eve dinner and you can ask Uncle Xu to come pick me up!”.

“Okay.”

After Paulita hung up the phone, the old man, who was sitting next to her, asked impatiently, “What did your father say? Is he coming back tonight?”

Paulita shook her head, “Dad said I’ll have Christmas dinner later and Uncle Xu will pick me up. Did you have a fight with Dad?”

The old man sighed, stroked Paulita’s little head and simply said, “No, then after dinner, you’re going to spend New Year’s Eve with your daddy.”

Even though the bastard had argued with him yesterday, it was pretty sad that he was alone on Christmas Eve.

Paulita wrinkled her milk-white eyebrows and said childishly, “So I have to make two New Year’s Eve dinners?”

The old man laughed and caressed his granddaughter’s tummy: “Can’t our Paulita’s tummy hold two meals?”.

Paulita giggled and smiled, “I’ll eat that food for a midnight snack, Dad! Grandpa, let’s take the biggest fireworks to the backyard with my brother after dark! I want to see the fireworks.”

“It’s okay, Paulita can light the one she wants, just like you want!”

…

It soon became dark.

Paulita was at the Fu’s house for Christmas Eve dinner and was hosted by Santino Yepes.

Mr. Rouco looked at the Maybach outside the villa, although the film was so deep that he could not see if there was anyone inside, he was sure that the bastard Adán Rouco was sitting inside.

It’s Christmas, he’s at home, he’s playing it like this, he’s in front of the house and he doesn’t even get out of the car!

He didn’t even get out of the car!

Santino Yepes led Paulita to the car and as soon as she saw Adán Rouco, Paulita pounced on him: “Dad, I just ate so well! And I had strawberry cake! Dad, what’s the New Year’s dinner you’ve prepared for me? Will it be better than Grandpa’s New Year’s Eve dinner?”.

Adán Rouco hugged Paulita and his somber mood lightened a bit after seeing Paulita’s innocent and pretty little face. “Paulita has whatever she wants to eat, daddy has it.”

“Really? Dad I want to eat pizza.”

Adán Rouco was a bit stunned, “Pizza. … Santino Yepes, what nearby restaurant has pizza?”

“I think most restaurants have it. Pizza is still common.”

Paulita tilted her head to one side and leaned into Adán Rouco’s arms: “But I want to eat Estrella’s!

Adán Rouco’s eyes darkened and Santino Yepes, who was driving, froze.

After a long moment, Adán Rouco caressed the little girl in his arms and said: “Estrella is not here”.

Paulita’s little mouth puckered immediately: “Where has Estrella gone? Has she left us again?”.

“Estrella is only gone for a few days, she’ll be back when she’s finished with her out-of-town business.”

Paulita grumbled like a young adult, “Why do you pick Christmas to go on a business trip if you can’t leave early and stay late? When Estrella comes back, I’m going to give her a good talking to, uh, for not spending Christmas with me and daddy.”

Adán Rouco pulled the corners of his lips and said to Santino Yepes, who was driving in front of him, “Go back to Las Villas de Repulse Bay.”

“No more pizza, boss?”Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

“I’ll make it myself for Paulita when we get home.”

Paulita was overjoyed, her eyes curved into the shape of a crescent moon, “Yes! Papa’s pizza must be delicious.”

When they arrived at Las Villas of Repulse Bay, Adam Rouco told Santino Yepes to go home early for Christmas, but Santino Yepes laughed and said he was single and wouldn’t go home for Christmas, he would just order a few take-out meals and get through the year.

So Adán Rouco asked him to stay for a plate of pizza before leaving.

Santino Yepes was flattered to have his first pizza made by the boss himself.

Paulita grabbed the fork with her little hand and said while eating her pizza: “Papa, Uncle Santino, we are so poor that we are eating pizza on Christmas Eve. If only Estrella were here, she would have made us a lot of good food. Dad, what do you think Estrella had for dinner tonight?”.

Adán Rouco had had a little wine with Santino Yepes, but the latter, not enough to get drunk, but he was slightly inebriated, and with his long arms over Paulita’s infant chair, he looked at the little milk bun and let out a somewhat bitter and soft sneer, “Papa wants to know too.”

“Dad, then let’s call Estrella and ask her what she had for dinner tonight!”.

Santino Yepes saw that Paulita had actually picked up the phone to call, knowing it wouldn’t work and fearing that Paulita would ask questions, he quickly stopped, “Paulita, it’s late, Estrella must be asleep, so better not call.”

Paulita clasped both her little hands together and leaned over the table, “All right then. Daddy, let’s light the fireworks.”

Adam Rouco himself lit many fireworks for Paulita, and in the courtyard, the fireworks sprouted like silver snakes in the black night sky, like stars in bloom, and the sound of the fireworks made the lonely villa, a little bit of Christmas.

Paulita, dressed in a thick quilt, was in the courtyard watching the fireworks, while Adán Rouco and Santino Yepes were a short distance away, smoking cigarettes.

Santino Yepes asked: “Chief, what are you going to do now? We have been checking for many days, but we can’t find out the wife’s check in and check out records, I guess the president is the only one who knows the wife’s whereabouts, why don’t you … go back and talk to the president properly?”

Adam Rouco’s long fingers held a cigarette, he brought it to his thin lips and took a deep puff, slowly exhaled a few circles of white smoke, his voice was a little hoarse, “The old man wouldn’t risk the entire reputation of The Rouco family and my future to tell me Estrella’s whereabouts. Maybe he can’t bear the thought of me divorcing Estrella, but maybe he’d feel a pill in his mouth if I did.”