Chapter 4

    Shortly thereafter, several black cars arrived at the abandoned factory. Kurt hurried out of the car, filled with concern for his niece's safety. Yet, before he could enter the factory, he glimpsed a familiar silhouette resembling his beloved niece.

    "Huh?" Kurt rubbed his eyes vigorously. Wasn't that his dear niece?

    The glow from the luminous flower, despite the distance, made it possible to discern the girl's identity. But who was the man with her?

    Hearing the sound of cars, Gavin knew who had arrived. He stood up and waved at Kurt and the people from the Coford family.

    "Your kid is safe now. Come and take her."

    "Eris! My Eris, are you alright, my precious?" Kurt dashed forward to embrace his little niece, his heart nearly bursting with worry about her mental state.

    "Uncle Kurt, I'm feeling suffocated."

    "You're alright, aren't you? Those villains didn't harm you, did they?"

    "That uncle saved me. All the bad people are asleep now."

    "Huh?" Kurt and the others were taken aback, then turned their gaze to Gavin.

    "Everyone was a sorcerer and armed with military weapons. I've left them close to death. If you send them to the hospital, they might survive if you're merciful enough."

    "Merciful? They dared to kidnap my niece and sent our loyal servant to the ICU. Why didn't you just kill them?" Kurt exploded.

    'And how is this my concern?' Gavin blinked rapidly.

    "Check on them," Kurt ordered.

    "Yes, sir!"

    "Brother, who are you? Why did you save my niece? No, I must thank you profoundly for saving her, but I need many answers from you."

    "There's nothing much to it. I'm just a sorcerer with some skills to boast of. I run a soy milk stall. Your younger sister or maybe older sister and this child patronized my shop this morning. I foresaw that Eris would be kidnapped today. I warned the uncle, but it seemed he didn't quite believe me. So, I decided to find Eris myself. Lucky that Eris kept the keychain I gave her; otherwise, I couldn't have helped."

    "You're a sorcerer! Remarkable. Which family are you from? We are from the Coford family."

    "Coford? I'm acquainted with your family. I have an old friend in your lineage."

    "Is it true? What's his name? My name is Kurt, the son of the lord of the Coford family. I know everyone in the Coford family," Kurt said, his smile broadening at the realization of their connection!

    "My friend's name is..." Gavin began, reminiscing with a smile, but even Eris turned sharply to look at him when she heard the name.

    "Mommy!"

    "What?" Gavin was taken aback.

    "Mommy's name is..." Eris beamed, pride evident in her voice, shattering Gavin's world into pieces.

    "You're friends with my sister? Fantastic. Eris is really lucky. This must be fate. Sir, you haven't introduced yourself yet."

    "Ah...erm...ahem. My name is Gavin. I am not from any sorcerer family. Alright, if there's nothing else, I should be going."

    "No..." Eris reached out, grabbing Gavin's sleeve, her azure eyes not leaving his. At that moment, the glowing flower and the fairies became irrelevant.

    Noticing his lack of resistance, the little girl clung to him, seemingly afraid he would disappear, and they would never meet again.

    "Little lady, don't be afraid. Your uncle is here to pick you up. You'll be safe now."

    "No!" Eris protested.

    "Eris, come with uncle. Uncle has his own matters to attend to."

    "No!" Eris remained defiant. She didn't want Gavin to leave.

    Both Gavin and Kurt were at a loss. The two men looked at each other and chuckled.

    "I need to make a call. Please look after Eris for a moment."

    "Sure." Gavin nodded, pleased to stay with Eris. Staying with her a bit longer seemed like a nice idea, especially since meeting again might be challenging.

    After the kidnapping, security measures would likely tighten. Perhaps she wouldn't be allowed to go out alone for months.

    Kurt walked out and signaled others to keep a close watch on Gavin, still unsure if he was a friend or foe. It was good to have some information; thus, he called his sister.

    "Hello?" The icy voice of the ice queen resonated from the other end, but Kurt was accustomed to it and went straight to the point.

    "Sis, Eris is safe. She was saved before we arrived."

    “?” There was silence on the other end, waiting for a response.

    "He's a sorcerer and claimed to be an old friend of yours. He met Eris by chance today and predicted her kidnapping. He warned Uncle Sun, but he didn't believe him, so he took matters into his own hands."

    "What's his name?"

    "He said his name is [Gavin]. He's not from any sorcerer family. Do you know him?"

    “…” The eyes on the other end widened, the heart pounding so fiercely it almost burst out. Kurt could sense his sister's thoughts even without seeing her face or words. Yet, this was the only time he was confused. He didn't understand his sister at all.

    "Sis..." 

    "Bring him here," Kariette responded tersely before hanging up, leaving Kurt more puzzled than ever. 

    “What the heck! She could have spoken to her daughter first. Sigh! At this rate, will I ever get a brother-in-law?”

    Kurt grumbled, but at least he understood his sister's intent. She didn't deny knowing Gavin, suggesting the information was likely accurate, even to the extent of inviting him home, indicating their relationship must be significant. 

    Despite possibly not being close before, now that he had saved the daughter of the house, he must be treated as a close relative. 

    Kurt returned and inquired to Gavin.

    "How's the progress with comforting Eris?"

    "It's tough; she's very clingy. She won't let me go, watching me as if I might disappear any moment," Gavin sighed, exasperated yet inwardly pleased. 

    "Ah, well, you can't help it. You saved her from the villains. In her eyes, you're her hero, her safety. It's natural she wouldn't want you to leave," Kurt understood, knowing his niece well. Don't underestimate a three-year-old; she has an excellent self-defense mechanism, to the point that top psychologists were hired to evaluate her. 

    "She doesn't trust even the security staff or her uncle but trusts an outsider like me," Gavin felt something was off. 

    "Brother, give me some credit! I'm heartbroken here, wishing my niece would cling to me like she does to you." 

    "Hehe." 

    "Let's go, don't expect to go home if you can't deliver the child to her mother." 

    "I came on my motorcycle." 

    "We'll send your motorcycle to your home." 

    "Agreed." Gavin nodded, lifting Eris into his arms and promising, 

    "I'll take you to mommy. Are you happy?" 

    "I miss mommy. I want to see her a lot." 

    "Alright." Gavin agreed and helped Eris into the car, which inevitably was the same one Kurt was using. 

    Kurt tried to engage with his niece, but Eris was only interested in Gavin, who was slow to respond, lost in his thoughts about facing Kariette again. Their parting had been memorable, and now he had saved her daughter. 

    Half an hour later, the car entered the Coford estate. Naturally, everyone was concerned about Eris's safety. Fortunately, the news was kept tightly sealed, so beyond the main household, others in the family remained unaware of the day's events. 

    When the little girl saw her mother waiting at the front door, she eagerly ran into her arms. As soon as Kurt opened the door, Eris dashed towards the woman like a bullet.

    "Mommy!!" Eris cried and embraced her mother. 

    At this moment, Kariette, who often seemed like an ice queen, transformed into a loving mother, holding and cherishing her child as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

    Everyone felt the warmth of this scene, especially Holly, who almost caused a catastrophe in her niece's life, until her gaze caught Gavin and her eyes widened in surprise. 

    "You! The soy milk owner, what are you doing here?" 

    "Sister! Mind your manners. This man saved Eris." 

    "Huh?" Holly looked incredulous. A high-level sorcerer turned into a soy milk owner? Gavin faced the baffled young woman, reluctant to think his old friend could have such a foolish sister. 

    "I warned you, little lady, that this child would be kidnapped. But you accused me of cursing her. Here is the result." 

    "You... I know, it's my fault. But who would have thought you'd be a foretelling sorcerer and a soy milk owner?" 

    "Who told you I was a foretelling sorcerer? Ask your sister how much respect I deserve. Well, I've returned the child to you all. Can I go home now? Oh! Ice Witch, you owe me five hundred shaved ices. I'll come to settle the account with you." 

    "Uncle, don't leave!" Eris called out to him pleadingly. Gavin paused. 

    "Little lady, you're safe now. Your mom is a wonderful woman. You'll be alright." 

    "No! I want Uncle to stay," Eris feigned another bout of tears, leaving Gavin exasperated. 

    "You don't have to avoid me. Just speak frankly; it's better," she uttered, causing confusion among the siblings and onlookers. Why would their benefactor want to avoid their young lady? Were they not old friends, or was there some unresolved conflict? 

    Hesitating momentarily, Gavin stood still before moving towards the young woman, and then... 

    Smack! 

    All onlookers, including the siblings, were shocked as the young lady slapped the benefactor hard across the face!

    "Damn! What did I do to deserve your wrath?" Gavin felt the injustice. He had done a good deed and received blame in return. 

    "Fine! I had the fortune of saving the child of an old flame, and I really like this kid. It irritates me. I feel like the world is spinning too fast. You're a mother now, and what am I? I'm jealous, do you understand? I wish I could have a child like this too!!" 

    Gavin vented his emotions thoroughly, revealing much in the process. 

    An old flame! 

    It was a revelation that made sense of the tangled emotions. Kurt felt a deep sympathy for Gavin. If he found himself deeply attached to a child only to discover she was his ex's, his fragile heart might not bear it.

    "Do you like Eris?"

    "Of course! She's very adorable and pitiable as well. I felt a connection the moment I saw her. Darn it, I'm so envious of you! Tell me, who is the father of this child? I don't think I can come to terms with it."

    "Your child."

    "Someone I know... or not...?" Gavin, who was ranting, suddenly paused.

    "Huh?"

    What did I just hear?