"Mr. Carter, we've arrived!"
The black Mercedes stopped downstairs at the Carter Building, and the driver turned around respectfully.
Dominic lowered his gaze, casting a glance at Christian sleeping soundly in his arms.
He had some urgent matters to attend to at the company, so he had the driver bring him here first.
Seeing this, Bianca immediately reached out to hug, only to hear Christian mutter with closed eyes, "Mommy."
Bianca's hand froze, feeling the temperature in the car drop several degrees.
Feeling apprehensive, Bianca continued to embrace her, only to see the little one in her brother's arms suddenly cling tighter to his neck, cuddling and cooing.
"Mommy, don't leave me..."
Now Bianca didn't dare to move at all.
Dominic furrowed his brows.
It seemed that the woman had already revealed her identity to Chris, otherwise Chris wouldn't repeatedly mention her in his dreams.
That woman was indeed despicable. If she could really help Chris with his autism, then perhaps they could consider letting her stay in Toronto.
A hint of helplessness flickered in Dominic's eyes as he gently reassured, "Mommy won't leave you."
Bianca looked up, wanting to say something, but in the end, she bit her lip and held back.
Dominic opened the car door and left.
Inside the car, Bianca held Christian and her eyes flickered.
Her brother never lied. From what he said, his attitude towards Alessia seemed to have softened.
Bianca clenched her fists. Even if her brother had softened, she wouldn't let that wicked woman Alessia off the hook.
Bianca made up her mind silently, her brows furrowing as she met a pair of bright eyes.
The little one who had just talked in his sleep was now snuggled in her arms, his eyes clear, showing no signs of just waking up.
It was all a lie!
Bianca immediately realized.
She reached out with two fingers to tap Christian's forehead, but Christian, like a cunning little fox, sat up straight, slipped out of Bianca's arms, and blinked his bright eyes, seizing the opportunity to speak first.
"Auntie, you've been wanting to contact Elle, so I'll give you her Instagram now."
This time, he switched roles, with a mission besides spending time with his dad.
Mission one, mention mommy as much as possible in front of dad, so dad could always think of mommy.
Mission two, charm Auntie for mommy.
Bianca forgot everything when she heard Elle's name, and after sitting back properly, she cleared her throat and reached out her hand, "Give it here."
Christian smiled and readily took out his phone.
When the two switched roles, their phones exchanged hands too.
Christian found Bianca's Instagram and sent Elle's Instagram ID over.
Bianca operated her phone, clicking on Elle's profile picture, searching, and following smoothly.
As the car was about to arrive at the Forest Hill, Eleanor has followed her back.
Bianca was delighted, about to send a message to greet, when her phone vibrated several times in a row.
She tapped the screen and realized that each message was a draft sketch of clothing designs.
Under each design, there was a signature, a unique Al-shaped signature.
Bianca was very familiar with this signature. The fingers holding the phone trembled slightly.
Today, debut of Al's work, the Black Swan appeared at the welfare institute, and Elle happened to be at the welfare institute.
At the last awards ceremony, Al was supposed to attend, and Elle was also there. Now Elle had Al's design sketches.
Elle must have a close relationship with Al.
The more Bianca thought about it, the more excited she became. Just as she was about to send a message back, she heard her nephew speak beside her.
"Auntie, what would you do if someone you didn't like became the person you admired the most?"
"Huh?" Bianca's thoughts were interrupted, and she looked up in confusion.
Meanwhile, Eleanor and Christopher had already returned home.
At this moment, the two little ones were in Alessia's room.
Eleanor glanced at her phone, her small face full of confusion.
"Big brother, do you really think Auntie can be charmed?"
Christopher stood aside, flipping through Alessia's sketchbook. He replied calmly.
"Of course. Auntie idolizes Al, seeing Al as a godlike figure in her heart. If we feed Auntie some information about Al every day, she'll fall for it sooner or later."
Eleanor blinked, thinking his big brother made perfect sense. After a moment of thought, she held down her phone and sent a voice message.
The phone vibrated, and Bianca opened the voice message. A milky voice came out from the phone.
"Auntie, my brother said your idol is Al. What a coincidence, my mommy is Al. This is a draft drawn by mommy, it hasn't been finalized yet, let me show you."
Bianca's heart trembled, and she felt overwhelmed, instantly forgetting what Christian had just hinted at.
Bianca excitedly grabbed Christian's arm, "Chris, how do you know Elle?"
Christian thought, she knew Elle from the womb, but her brother had said she couldn't reveal the truth to Auntie for now.
She had to let Auntie taste a little sweetness first, and then gradually get deeper into it.
Christian showed an innocent smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"Just a casual encounter, it's all fate."
Bianca looked at Christian's expressive face, feeling annoyed by her nephew's perfunctory attitude.
But despite her tough talk, she couldn't really do anything to her nephew.
Bianca took a deep breath and replied to the message.
"Thank you Elle, but the draft should not be leaked before it's finalized. Nice to meet you, please say hi to your mommy for me."
"Okay, Auntie, I forgot to give you a gift for our meeting today, let's meet tomorrow!"
As soon as Bianca sent the message, she immediately received a reply, along with a picture attached.
Bianca opened the picture and zoomed in, only to realize it was a platinum diamond card exclusive to Al Studio. She became excited.
There are only ten platinum diamond card produced by Al Studio in the world.
With this card, you can prioritize the purchase of Al Studio's new seasonal dresses and enjoy a thirty percent discount.
She had just met this Elle, and she was already receiving such a big gift.
...
The car drove for about forty minutes and arrived at the private kitchen mentioned by Dylan.
The restaurant was located in the downtown area, but it was quiet and secluded, with ancient-style buildings exuding a sense of history, small streams, and bridges adorned with green plants.
It was already evening, and the sky was adorned with large patches of fiery clouds, easily lifting one's mood.
They took their seats, and soon the dishes were served.
Dylan poured water for her and spoke, "Sis, it's difficult to reserve seats here, but the food is indeed delicious. Try and see if it suits your taste."
Alessia picked up her fork and tasted the fish, nodding, "It tastes good."
Seeing Alessia nod, Dylan also picked up his spoon.
"Sis, how long are you planning to stay this time?"
Alessia's eyes flickered faintly as she replied lightly, "It depends on the situation."
Dylan grinned, showing his canine teeth, "Sis, no matter how long you stay, my phone is on 24/7. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime."
Alessia responded with a nod.
On the stage in front, someone started playing music.
Dylan glanced over and stood up, looking eager.
"Sis, let me sing to you. The privacy here is excellent, you don't have to worry about being secretly photographed."
Without waiting for Alessia's response, Dylan excitedly ran to the stage, saying something to the staff, and the stage was readily made available.
The soft white lights shone on the stage as Dylan, wearing a silver suit, sat in the center with a wooden guitar in his arms, looking towards Alessia.
"Next, I want to dedicate this song to the most important person in my life, she guided me when I was at my lowest, giving me direction and purpose."
With his words, his slender fingers began to pluck the strings, and a melodious tune flowed out, accompanied by his unique gentle voice.
Alessia hadn't expected Dylan to have such a ethereal and light voice.
Alessia relaxed, leaning back in her chair, enjoying the man's music on stage. She took out a lollipop that had been in her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.
As the song progressed, images flashed rapidly in Alessia's mind, a young man covered in blood, plucking the strings of a guitar, using music to mask his cries, fragile yet stubborn.
Alessia blinked, that young man was the old Dylan.
Time passed quickly with the song.
As the applause faded, Dylan set down his guitar.
Stepping off the stage, he returned to his seat beside Alessia, looking at her with a hint of anticipation. "Sis, how was it? Have I improved in my singing?"
"That rendition of 'To the Rivers and Lakes' just now was the most unique version I've heard among many. I always thought performing 'To the Rivers and Lakes' required a grand and majestic approach, but I didn't expect it could be delivered with such tender emotions." Before Alessia could express her opinion, another female voice chimed in.
***