Chapter 0366
Chapter 0366
He raised his hand as if he wanted to hug Candice, but hesitated and ended up repeatedly sighing about how time flies. Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Candice looked at his face and said without much emotion, "It only takes two hours to fly from Solaris to Dorrington." She looked at Henry with pursed lips.
This was the first time she had seen him since he left Dorrington City, after many years. When Yvonne divorced him, she almost threw away all the photos of Henry at home. Candice had secretly kept one, but after Yvonne found out, not only did she scold Candice, but she had also burned the photo.
Candice had always thought she wouldn't recognize him, but in reality, he had hardly changed compared to the image in her memory.
Apart from the signs of aging on his face, he looked like a successful man in a suit and tie.
Henry had hardly changed at all. Especially compared to Yvonne, who seemed like a completely different person, Henry must have been doing well.
But of course. Just by looking at Darius, one could tell that Henry couldn't be doing poorly.
Candice pursed her lips tightly, looking into his eyes and waiting for his answer.
Since Henry regretted missing her growth because time flew by, why hadn't he visited her once during the past dozen years?
Lies.
Candice didn't believe it. After more than ten years, did he really not have a single day to spare?
Henry hadn't expected Candice to ask so directly. A hint of panic flashed across his face. He must have been trying to find a perfect excuse.
However, before he could come up with an excuse, the young woman from earlier followed over.
She looked displeased at Candice, then tried to hold Henry's arm again, but he dodged her hand directly.
Instantly, she became even more displeased and asked petulantly, "Who is she? Did she just seduce you?"
Facing Candice's gaze, Henry coughed and reprimanded, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is my daughter, Candice." After saying that, he explained to Candice with a righteous expression, "This is Hailey Farago, a new intern at my company. She's from out of town and came to Solaris alone to work. She got sick and didn't want to spend money on hospital bills, so I brought her here."
Looking at the girl in front of her, who seemed even younger than herself, Candice said, "It seems that your company's benefits are quite good. The boss can personally accompany employees to see a doctor."
Henry's face showed some embarrassment. He forced a couple of dry laughs, sounding somewhat guilty, "Candice, when did you come to Solaris, and what are you here for? Why didn't you tell me when you came so I could pick you up as your dad?"
Looking at his pretending-to-be-kind appearance, Candice's fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down.
Dad.
The word coming from Henry's mouth seemed ridiculous for some reason, making her feel absurd.
She couldn't help but look up at Hailey, who had unknowingly held Henry's hand by now, not intending to hide it at all. Perhaps it was because of what happened with Yvonne, but now when Candice looked at Henry, she didn't feel that great disparity in her heart.
It was as if she had already assumed that he didn't care that much about her as a daughter. Or maybe, since she saw Darius, she knew that she wasn't that important in Henry's eyes. Just like how Yvonne would discard her for Peach, Henry was probably similar.
Perhaps Candice's calm gaze seemed more like scrutiny.
Henry, as if evading her gaze, averted his eyes from Candice. He cleared his throat and said, "Candice, I'm really happy that you're in Solaris. How about having lunch with me this afternoon? Is that okay?
"I still remember that you used to love eating ribs. There's a restaurant in Solaris that makes excellent ribs. Shall I take you there?" He tried to play the role of a loving father. "After dinner, I'll take you around and buy clothes, jewelry, and bags for my darling daughter. Anything other girls have, you will have too."
Listening to his affectionate words, Candice felt as if they had always had a harmonious father- daughter relationship, as if they had never been apart for over a dozen years.
She pinched her palm to bring her back to reality. "No need. I'm not here for sightseeing—" Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt nauseous.
She quickly covered her mouth and retched.
As she looked up, a clean tissue was handed to her from the side, and Alex's deep and calm voice sounded, "If you're feeling uncomfortable, you should go back for another check-up."
She was still feeling overwhelmed, not knowing if it was because she was still shaken from the car accident or because of encountering Henry.
Before she could recover, she heard Henry ask, "Candice, why did you come to the hospital? Is there something wrong with your body?"
She couldn't speak with her hand covering her mouth. She heard Alex's toneless voice saying, "Why else would she come to the hospital? Sightseeing?"
Among middle-aged men, Henry was tall and graceful, but Alex was still half a head taller.
With his eyelids lowered, Alex's gaze swept over Hailey's hand holding Henry's arm, and his tone was lightly mocking. "Mr. Renault is indeed remarkable. He takes such good care of his female employees when they're sick. If he doesn't receive an award for Best Boss, it wouldn't be fair.
"It's just that while Mr. Renault is so responsible for his employees, he doesn't know why his daughter is in the hospital. I think Mr. Renault should probably shift some of the responsibility he gives the company back to his family."
Alex's words were almost directly accusing Henry and Hailey of having an improper relationship.
Henry's face darkened as he looked at Alex.
Although Alex was also wearing a high-end suit, the clothes were a bit disheveled from the car accident, and he still had wounds on his head. He looked completely different from the usual decisive and powerful CEO.
After scrutinizing him from head to toe, Henry snorted coldly. "Candice, is this your friend? He's quite rude!"
Hailey stole a glance at Alex. Even with the injuries on his face, it didn't diminish his attractiveness. With just one glance, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart.
She glanced at Candice again and said, "What friend? They look like a couple at first sight. Why would he defend her so much otherwise?"
As soon as Henry heard Hailey's words, his eyebrows immediately furrowed tightly. With a stern look, he scrutinized Alex up and down.
Finally, in a composed tone, he said, "I disagree. If he's your boyfriend, you should break up with him immediately. He's not worthy of you! I have plenty of business partners with sons. Anyone would be better than this poor guy!"